Massacre Time is a 1966 spaghetti western that stars Franco Nero and George Hilton, veterans of the genre, as brothers Tom and Jeff Corbett, respectively. The plot is simple in this one: revenge.
Tom Corbett hadn’t been home in many years. An urgent message reaches him to return home at once, no explanation given. When he arrives in Laramie Town, New Mexico, he finds the old home ranch abandoned, falling apart, with another brand on the property. Warned that Mr. Scott owns it, he’d best move along. The Scott brand is on almost every business in town.
He finds his brother is the town drunk.
When he tries to see his friend, gunmen wipe the man and his whole family. Tom is left alone though.
There’s a terrible secret here that Tom seems to be the only one not in on. In a saloon fight, he watches his drunk brother holding his own against a half dozen men, only stepping in when Jeff is finally overwhelmed and being beaten. Again, when someone goes to shoot him, he’s stopped and the gang leaves.
Tom decides he needs to see Scott. No one will tell him where the ranch is located, though, until his brother finally accompanies him. Jeff seems to function quite well for a drunk. The earlier fight, then riding hanging off his horse and shooting nine Scott men in two incidents easily. He turns back, though, once they reach the Scott property.
At the ranch is where Tom meets up with Junior, Scott’s sadistic son, an expert with a bullwhip, who beats him with it nearly to death, again being stopped. Tom is allowed to leave.
Back at his brother’s shack, he finally learns from his sibling what is going on after Mercedes, the old woman who looks after Jeff, is murdered(we won’t give this away; watch the movie)
As usual in this type of film, there is an ultimate showdown, a lot of violence and shooting, with the two brothers making an assault on the Scott stronghold.
I quite enjoyed this one directed by Lucio Fulci. I don’t believe I’ve seen any others from him though.
Here’s the trailer:
