We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
Taylor Sheridan has become one of the most important people in Hollywood. As the creator of “Yellowstone”, in addition to being the sole screenwriter of the serieshe has managed to build a veritable television empire that extends beyond his successful western. There are spin-offs, as well as other hit shows like “Tulsa King,” “Lioness” and “Landman,” all from the mind of Sheridan. Yet the filmmaker had relatively humble beginnings behind the camera – his first feature was a horror film that one would be forgiven for not being aware of.
The film in question is called “Vile” and was released in 2012. It is a very low budget film, not at all very popular in the subgenre of, for lack of a better term, “pornography of torture” which became popular in the early 2000s, largely thanks to the success of the “Saw” franchise. For those who have seen “Vile”, it is not worth remembering. Still, it’s an important part of Sheridan’s filmography.
In a 2017 interview with Rotten TomatoesSheridan talked a bit about “Vile” during the press tour for his thriller “Wind River.” This movie East highly regarded and, although not technically true, Sheridan considers it his first feature film. Here’s what he had to say at the time:
“I would say [Wind River] is my first feature film. A friend of mine raised – I don’t know how much – $20,000 or something, picked his friends and wrote this bad horror movie, which I told him not to make. He was going to direct it and produce it, and he started and freaked out, and called and said, “Can you help me?” I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll try.'”
Vile attempted to capitalize on Saw’s popularity
“Vile” was written by Eric Beck and Rob Kowsaluk. The film centers on a group of strangers who find themselves trapped in a house. Not knowing why they are there or who is behind it, they are quickly enlightened by a video informing them that there is a way out. Ultimately, they must endure excruciating suffering and torture to gain their freedom. While it’s not a carbon copy, it should look familiar to anyone who has seen even one “Saw” movie. It’s also a cousin to other contemporary films like “Hostel” and “The Collector.”
Despite all the success Sheridan has enjoyed, “Vile” is by far considered his worst filmbut it’s also clearly not representative of what he was capable of as a filmmaker. Speaking later in that same interview, he explained that he saw his role in the film as more useful than actually being the director. Regardless, what he learned on that set helped him later:
“I kind of kept the ship pointed straight, and they went off and went up, and did what they did. I think it’s generous to call me the director. I think he was trying to say thank you, one way or another. It was a great opportunity to point a camera and learn some lessons that really benefited me on “Wind River.”
What’s interesting is that in horror, it seems like no movie really dies. To that end, this film has found some semblance of an audience over the years. “Vile” is even available on Blu-ray, which you can grab on Amazon. Not that getting a Blu-ray release is a price these days, but it’s more than many other low-budget direct-to-video horror films are offered. Having Sheridan’s name attached certainly doesn’t hurt, but it’s also why we remember films like “Duel,” which served as Steven Spielberg’s first feature film. Without his name, would we still be talking about it?
I’m certainly not saying that these films are in the same situation, I’m just pointing out that the name of a great filmmaker can help certain films endure in the public consciousness instead of disappearing completely as they might have done without the attachment of said filmmaker. Regardless, it’s fascinating to look back on this as the start of Sheridan’s directing career.
“Vile” is now streaming on Tubi.
