And God Said to Cain (1970)
This has a simple plot (Kinsksi gets released from imprisonment and seeks revenge over him who put him there) that is stretched over its runtime, so it is a slow burn but engaging from start to finish. Its gothic aesthetic and Kinski’s more calm and calculated demeanor (in contrast to the usual madness from him) gets under your skin. It clearly borrows from various horror aesthetics, like an almost constant howling wind, having most scenes take place at night and a church playing a central role. While Kinski shoots plenty of bad guys in typical western fashion, there are also a couple almost slasher-like kills like one involving a church bell. The final showdown is absolutely spectacular looking with a creative use of mirrors. Spaghetti westerns like this really shows how it is possible to make very different movies with very similar scripts. The synopsis of this sounds like every other revenge plot, but there is so much more to it than that.
Rating: 4