Birth of the Acid Western is a work in progress documentary on film culture in New Mexico since the turn
of the 19th century up to the “birth” of the acid western genre with Orville Wanzer’s 1965 film The Devil’s
Mistress, and the fraught relationship between artists and their art.
The Devil’s Mistress transforms the Western into what Wanzer described as a “modern western, without
the cavalry and without the Indians.” The movie tells the story of four robbers on the lam, escaping toward
the Organ Mountains when they happen upon the devil and his mistress, and meet their doom.
Thank you for your support and your commitment to advancing independent film in New Mexico
About the Film
Birth of the Acid Western is a documentry film about movies and moviemakers beginning in Las
Cruces, NM, with Orville Wanzer's 1965 film acid western, The Devil's Mistress
Former NMSU professor’s feature film to return to Rio Grande Theatre
Wanzer’s 1965 cult classic was the first feature film created and produced in the Las Cruces
area and premiered nationally at the Rio Grande Theatre.
Wanzer’s fully sustainable and self-made hermitage
The house has been taken over by rattlesnakes beneath the floorboards, vermin in every
cranny of the house, and layers of dust from years of abandonment when Bud’s health declined
in the 2000’s.