When I was a kid actor Jean Hackman made a movie on the little island I grew up on. And they shot it right on my family's property.

We all went out to see it in the theaters. We could not wait.

AND IT TOTALLY SUCKED!

Honestly, I can't express how bad it was.

I've made my home in Wyoming for quite a few years now and that got me thinking, how many movies are supposed to be set here that turned out to be just HORRIBLE?

Well, it's not hard to look up.

Wikipedia has a list of films set in Wyoming.

That does not mean that they were made here, but their storyline takes place in Wyoming.

Here is a short list of the ones that REALLY SUCKED!

Man in the Wilderness

This 1971 American revisionist Western film is about a scout for a group of mountain men who are traversing Wyoming during the 1820s.

The scout is mauled by a bear and left to die by his companions.

He survives and recuperates sufficiently to track his former comrades, forcing a confrontation over his abandonment.

The story is loosely based on the life of Hugh Glass.

The expedition in the movie is notable for bringing a large boat with it, borne on wheels. (What the hell?)

Dawn Rider

This movie does not have a single backdrop that looks like Wyoming. But it's supposed to take place here.

Cincinnati John Mason, who says he has never been to Cincinnati, visited his father in Promise, Wyoming in 1883.

His father is not happy to see him, but they do get to spend some time together before the father is killed by a masked gang robbing the mail.

Mason's friend Rudd needs $5000 to save his ranch and he doesn't care how he gets it, even putting the ranch before his sister Alice.

Mason wants to find this gang because they killed his father, while a bounty hunter named Cochrane is after Mason.

One way to attract the gang, and possibly save Rudd's ranch, is the payroll for railway workers which is being delivered to Promise and must be taken from there to the railroad.

Dear Prudence

This is a Hallmark Channel movie, so you know it's going to SUCK!

Prudence Macintyre (Jane Seymour) is the host of the fictitious hit "do-it-yourself" television show Dear Prudence giving out 'Pru Pointers' to her viewers.

She is interrupted by her boss who insists that she take the company jet and fly to his lodge in Wyoming for the week to rest.

Arriving at the airport, Pru is met by Ruth (Tantoo Cardinal) who shows her around the location and to sacred ground.

The lodge is built on the last remnant of Indian land. Yeah, sure it is.

She gets involved in a murder investigation with her assistant Nigel.

Heaven's Gate (Not the cult)

Loosely based on the Johnson County War, it revolves around a dispute between land barons and European immigrants in Wyoming in the 1890s.

Cimino's follow-up to his critically acclaimed film The Deer Hunter (1978), the film's production faced numerous setbacks, including cost overruns, significant retakes, bad press (including allegations of animal abuse on set), and rumors about Cimino's allegedly authoritarian directorial style.

Cimino had an expensive and ambitious vision for the film, pushing the film nearly four times over its planned budget.

After its premiere in November 1980, the film received significant critical backlash, prompting United Artists to pull it from theaters.

Yeah, that's right, it was so bad it was pulled out of theaters.

Vintage Wyoming Movie Posters

I love walking down the hallway of a modern movie theater and looking at the old posters of vintage movies.

That got me thinking about old Westerns based on Wyoming. How many of those posters are still around?

Many are, and many are for sale online, if you want to decorate your home, or even home theater, with classic and mostly forgotten movie posters.

Most of these films were made before the era of television. Hollywood was cranking out these things as fast as they could.

The plots, the scrips, the acting, directing, and editing were SO BAD, they were good.

Gallery Credit: Glenn Woods

Must Read Books From Wyoming Authors

Gallery Credit: Glenn Woods