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{{Use American English|date=July 2021}}

{{Infobox film
| name           = The Pale Door
| image          = The Pale Door poster.jpg
| alt            = 
| caption        = Promotional release poster
| director       = [[Aaron B. Koontz]]
| producer       = {{Plainlist|
* Ashleigh Snead
* Matthew Thomas
* Roman Dent
* Aaron B. Koontz
* Cameron Burns
}}
| writer         = {{Plainlist|
* Cameron Burns
* Aaron B. Koontz
* Keith Lansdale
}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Devin Druid]]
* [[Zachary Knighton]]
* [[Melora Walters]]
* [[Bill Sage]]
* [[Pat Healy (actor)|Pat Healy]]
* [[Stan Shaw]]
* [[Natasha Bassett]]
* [[Noah Segan]]
* [[Tina Parker]]
}}
| music          = Alex Cuervo
| cinematography = Andrew Scott Baird
| editing        = [[Greg MacLennan]]
| studio         = Paper Street Pictures
| distributor    = {{Plainlist|
* [[RLJE Films]]
* [[Shudder (streaming service)|Shudder]]
}}
| released       = {{Film date|2020|08|21}}
| runtime        = 96 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = 
| gross          = $21,166<ref>{{cite Box Office Mojo |id=9178402 |title=The Pale Door (2020) |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=June 27, 2024}}</ref>
}}
'''''The Pale Door''''' is a 2020 American [[horror Western]] film directed by [[Aaron B. Koontz]] and written by Cameron Burns, Keith Lansdale, and Koontz, with [[Joe R. Lansdale]] as executive producer. It stars [[Devin Druid]], [[Zachary Knighton]], [[Melora Walters]], [[Bill Sage]], [[Pat Healy (actor)|Pat Healy]], [[Stan Shaw]], [[Natasha Bassett]], [[Noah Segan]], and [[Tina Parker]].

==Plot==
In the middle of the night, a family home is raided by a gang of armed robbers. Brothers Jake and Duncan flee to call for help, finding Lester. Upon returning to their house, they are devastated  to find it burning and their parents shot dead.

Years later, the Dalton gang meets up with Jake, who is working in a [[Saloon bar|saloon]].  After losing one of their members in a gun fight, the gang lacks manpower for their upcoming [[Train robbery|train heist]]. Ignoring his older brother Duncan's objections, Jake volunteers and the gang uses him as a substitute. Duncan reluctantly joins as well.

The gang pulls off the train heist, but the chest they steal contains, instead of gold, a young woman named Pearl who claims she was taken from her home in Potemkin. She also claims there would be a handsome reward for the gang if they return her home. Duncan is wounded by a Pinkerton's bullet.

The gang travel to Potemkin with Pearl and arrive at the town brothel to get help for Duncan, who is slowly dying. Maria, the brothel's leader, welcomes the group. They drink and partake in the pleasures of the town-women. Maria sits Jake down and reveals her past, where she was [[Death by burning#Witch-hunts|burned at the stake as a witch]] while pregnant with Pearl.

The women transform into their true selves, hideous burnt [[witch]]es and attack the gang, some of which are killed off. The remaining survivors fall back to a cabin to strategize an escape.  Maria gathers her fellow witches and reveals that Jake is the one who can sustain them for many more years, as he's "innocent blood", having never taken a life and is a virgin. Jake and Dodd go back to the brothel to find Duncan, but he's not there. They rendezvous with the rest of the group and fight their way to a church.

In a hallucinatory state, Wylie eats some broken glass. Lester reveals to Jake that the reason his family was killed was because they were thieves, and they stole the farm they lived on.  Later, Jake goes outside and finds Duncan apparently healed. But Dodd shoots him and he morphs into a flock of crows. Lester starts convulsing and vomiting a black liquid, and a black crow crawls out of his mouth, killing him. Wylie is found having cut himself all over with broken glass and is cutting out his eyes.  He then slashes his own throat and dies. Dodd and Jake leave the church to escape but are ambushed and fall back to the town. Dodd takes on the witches and is killed while Jake moves forward. He comes upon Maria and Pearl, who offer Duncan's life in exchange for Jake. He takes the deal and Duncan rides off, eventually buying back his family's old farm and having a child of his own, named Jacob. A black crow sits ominously on their balcony as the sun sets.

==Cast==
* [[Devin Druid]] as Jake
* [[Zachary Knighton]] as Duncan
* [[Melora Walters]] as Maria
* [[Bill Sage]] as Dodd
* [[Pat Healy (actor)|Pat Healy]] as Wylie
* [[Stan Shaw]] as Lester
* [[Natasha Bassett]] as Pearl
* [[Noah Segan]] as Truman
* [[Tina Parker]] as Brenda

==Production==
{{expand section|date=September 2020}}
''The Pale Door'' was directed by [[Aaron B. Koontz]], who also co-wrote, and produced the film. It marks Koontz's third feature film effort, the first being the 2017 [[horror film]] ''[[Camera Obscura (2017 film)|Camera Obscura]]'',<ref name="acnews">{{cite web |last1=Whittaker |first1=Richard |title=Austin Horror for Halloween: The Honor Farm, Found Footage 3D coming home – Screens – The Austin Chronicle |url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/screens/2019-07-26/linklaters-latest-reality-tv-taps-locals-and-more-austin-film-news/ |website=AustinChronicle.com |publisher=Richard Whittaker |access-date=September 24, 2019}}</ref> the second being ''[[Scare Package]]''. In May 2019, it was reported that production was underway in [[Oklahoma]].<ref name=deadline>{{cite web|last=Wiseman|first=Andreas|url=https://deadline.com/2019/05/13-reasons-why-devin-druid-horror-western-pale-door-1202622857/|title='13 Reasons Why' Star Devin Druid Leads Cast In Horror-Western 'The Pale Door', Shoot Under Way In Oklahoma|date=May 29, 2019|website=Deadline|access-date=June 27, 2019}}</ref> Koontz has stated "I love the idea of mixing these two disparate worlds of horror and western, and to do so with the help of Keith and [[Joe R. Lansdale]], feels like the perfect devil's playground. It is ''[[3:10 to Yuma (2007 film)|3:10 To Yuma]]'' meets ''[[The Descent]]'', but doused, and then set on fire with [[psychological horror]]. Once this gets going, it's relentless."<ref name=deadline /><ref>{{cite web|last=Long|first=Christian|url=https://www.comingsoon.net/horror/news/1071391-pale-door-lands-devin-druid|title=Horror-Western The Pale Door Lands Devin Druid In Starring Role|date=May 29, 2019|website=ComingSoon.net|access-date=June 27, 2019}}</ref>

Local casting was handled by Freihofer Casting out of [[Norman, Oklahoma]].

==Release==
''The Pale Door'' was released in theaters, [[Video on demand|VOD]] and digital HD on August 21, 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wearemoviegeeks.com/2020/08/the-pale-door-review/|title=The Pale Door – Review|work=We Are Movie Geeks|date=August 19, 2020|access-date=August 30, 2020}}</ref>

===Critical response===
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has an approval rating of {{RT data|score}}, based on {{RT data|count}} reviews, and an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. Its consensus reads, "Beyond ''The Pale Door'' lies an intriguing western/horror hybrid – albeit one that struggles to fashion its halves into a compelling whole."<ref name="tomatoes">{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_pale_door|title=The Pale Door (2020)|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]]|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a weighted average score of 39 out of 100, based on reviews from 4 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-pale-door/critic-reviews |title=The Pale Door Reviews |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |work=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=September 22, 2020 }}</ref>

Tomris Laffly from [[Roger Ebert.com]] gave the film one star out of four, criticizing the film for its performances, "design elements", and lack of original ideas.<ref name="laffly2020">{{cite web |last1=Laffly |first1=Tomris |title=The Pale Door movie review & film summary (2020) |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-pale-door-movie-review-2020 |website=Roger Ebert.com |publisher=Ebert Digital LLC |access-date=September 22, 2020 |date=August 21, 2020}}</ref> Frank Scheck of ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' felt that film was too chaotic due to its poor staging and editing, as well as its unconvincing characters, and pacing. Scheck concluded his review by stating, "''The Pale Door'' represents yet another stylistic mash-up that ends up less than the sum of its parts".<ref name="scheck2020">{{cite web |last1=Scheck |first1=Frank |title='The Pale Door': Film Review |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/the-pale-door-film-review |website=Hollywood Reporter.com |publisher=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |access-date=September 22, 2020 |date=August 21, 2020}}</ref> ''Cinemalogue.com'' Todd Jorgenson felt that the film's admittedly intriguing concept was undermined by poor execution and blending of western and horror genre cliches.<ref name="jorgenson2020">{{cite web |last1=Jorgenson |first1=Todd |title=Capsule reviews for Aug. 21 – Cinemalogue |url=http://cinemalogue.com/2020/08/21/capsule-reviews-for-aug-21-2/ |website=Cinemalogue.com |publisher=Todd Jorgenson |access-date=September 23, 2020 |date=August 21, 2020}}</ref> Jonathan Christian of ''The Playlist'' gave the film score C−, calling it "disorganized", and criticized the use of genre cliches, pacing, "unfocused" plot, and soundtrack. Christian, however did commend the film for its retroactive style, and attention to period detail.<ref name="christian2020">{{cite web |last1=Christian |first1=Johnathan |title='The Pale Door': A Disorganized Mix of Western Archetypes And Horror Clichés [Review] |url=https://theplaylist.net/pale-door-horror-cliches-review-20200821/ |website=The Playlist.net |publisher=Johnathan Christian |access-date=September 23, 2020 |date=August 21, 2020}}</ref>

Becca James of ''[[The Chicago Reader]]'' called it "a raucous ride through a different type of wild west", commending the film's plot, and mixture of horror and western genre elements.<ref name="james2020">{{cite web |last1=James |first1=Becca |title=The Pale Door |url=https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/the-pale-door/Film?oid=82153235 |website=Chicago Reader.com |publisher=[[The Chicago Reader]] |access-date=September 22, 2020 |date=August 21, 2020}}</ref> ''[[The Austin Chronicle]]''{{'}}s Matthew Managle gave the film three out of five stars, commending the performances, particularly Walters', and horror/western elements. Managle did criticize the film for its soundtrack, and budgetary limitations.<ref name="monagle2020">{{cite web |last1=Monagle |first1=Matthew |title=The Pale Door – Movie Review |url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/events/film/2020-08-21/the-pale-door/ |website=Austin Chronicle.com |publisher=Austin Chronicle Corporation |access-date=September 22, 2020 |date=August 21, 2020}}</ref> Grant Hermanns from [[ComingSoon.net]] noted that, while the film's first half was sluggishly paced, the film's cinematography, direction, and performances from the rest of its cast more than made up for its shortcomings.<ref name="comingsoon2020">{{cite web |last1=Hermanns |first1=Grant |title=The Pale Door Review: Slow Start Followed by Thrilling Genre Blend |url=https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/reviews/1145925-the-pale-door-review-slow-start-followed-by-thrilling-genre-blend |website=ComingSoon.net |publisher=Grant Hermans |access-date=September 23, 2020 |date=August 21, 2020}}</ref> Michelle Swope of [[Dread Central]] rated the film four out of five stars, commending the cast, direction, and use of practical effects. Swope concluded her review by calling it "a wildly entertaining combination of great practical effects and an outstanding cast that is sure to please any horror fan."<ref name="dreadcentral2020">{{cite web |last1=Swope |first1=Michelle |title=THE PALE DOOR Review – Outlaw Gang Locks Horns with Coven of Witches in Bloody Horror Western |url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/reviews/336510/the-pale-door-review-outlaw-gang-locks-horns-with-coven-of-witches-in-bloody-horror-western/ |website=Dread Central.com |publisher=Michelle Swope |access-date=September 23, 2020 |date=August 21, 2020}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|9178402}}
* {{Metacritic film}}
* {{Rotten tomatoes|the_pale_door_2020|The Pale Door}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pale Door, The}}
[[Category:2020 films]]
[[Category:2020 horror films]]
[[Category:2020 independent films]]
[[Category:2020s Western (genre) horror films]]
[[Category:American Western (genre) horror films]]
[[Category:American independent films]]
[[Category:American psychological horror films]]
[[Category:American supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:Films about witchcraft]]
[[Category:Films directed by Aaron B. Koontz]]
[[Category:Films produced by Aaron B. Koontz]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Aaron B. Koontz]]
[[Category:Films shot in Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Works by Joe R. Lansdale]]
[[Category:2020 English-language films]]
[[Category:2020 American films]]
[[Category:English-language independent films]]
[[Category:English-language Western (genre) horror films]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=The Pale Door|access_date=2026-03-07}}