Hot Spur is a 1968 film directed by Lee Frost with Angel Carter, James Arena, Wes Bishop, and John Alderman.
In 1863 in border country, Carlo, a young Mexican, is forced to watch a group of American ranch hands, led by Wes and Jerry, humiliate and repeatedly rape his 17-year-old sister. The last man to rape her is Jason O'Hare, owner of a large Arizona cattle ranch. Carlo's sister dies as a result of the attack, and he is haunted by the thought of cowboys mounting her as they would a horse. Six years later, Carlo sees O'Hare's distinctive ring during a fight in a cantina. Now having identified his target, Carlo undertakes his revenge. He gets a job as a stableboy on O'Hare's ranch, but Susan, Jason's voluptuous wife, will not let a Mexican near her horse. She washes the horse herself, and in her clinging clothing she excites onlookers. The ranch hands then cavort with some Mexican prostitutes, arousing Jason to the point that he forces himself on his wife. Carlo watches and remembers once more his sister's cruel rape. He is thrown off the ranch that night by Tom and Wes but the next day returns to kidnap Susan. Telling her about Jason's crime, he takes her to a mine shaft in the hills, where he rapes her. Carlo deliberately has left clues leading to the mine, and Jason sends his men in pursuit. The men find Susan nude, hanging by her wrists; and Carlo manages to shoot or stab all of them but is himself wounded. Jason arrives to find all his men dead and Susan still hanging. Carlo taunts him, and in the final shootout with Jason, Carlo dies. Susan manages to cut herself free and, in blind fury, stabs Jason, mistaking him for Carlo, then turns the knife on herself.
Tropes:
- Bear Trap: Carlo plants a bear trap on the trail leading to the cabin where he is holding Susan. Tom steps in it while fleeing Carlo and breaks his leg.
- Catapult Nightmare: Carlo wakes from a Flashback Nightmare of his sister being raped by sitting bolt upright in the stall where he is sleeping.
- Conveniently Placed Sharp Thing: When Susan is tied up in the mining shack, she is able to grab a knife off the table with her teeth and drop it on the floor, then get it with her hands and use it to saw through her bonds.
- Counting Bullets: Two of O'Hare's men get in a shootout with Carlo outside the shack. Carlo fires a sixshooter and one of the counts his shots, announcing "He's empty!" after six shots. The two charge him, not realizing that Carlo had cached weapons all over his camp. The first one over the rise wears both barrels of a shotgun in the face.
- Distracted by the Sexy: The first of O'Hare's men to enter the mining shack is distracted by the naked form of Susan hanging by he wrists. As he attempts to untie her, Carlo throws a knife into his back.
- Driven to Suicide: Carlo's sister committed suicide because she could not bear the shame of being raped. Following the bloodbath at the end of the film, Sole Survivor Susan kills herself.
- "Everybody Dies" Ending: All of O'Hare's men have been killed by Carlo. Carlo is killed by O'Hare. O'Hare gets stabbed to death by his wife Susan in a case of mistaken identity. Susan then kills herself.
- Flashback Nightmare: Carlo has nightmares in which he revisits his sister's rape, which he had been Forced to Watch when he was 11 years old. Sometimes, he awakes sitting bolt upright.
- Forced to Watch: The 11 year old Carlo was forced to watch while O'Hare and two of men raped his 17 year old sister.
- Girl on Girl Is Hot: The ranch hands cavorting with the Mexican prostitutes in the bunkhouse make the two girls kiss and caress each other while they watch on in enjoyment.
- Going Commando: The dancing girl in the cantina being harassed by Wes and Jerry is not wearing any underwear: a fact revealed when they flip her skirt up.
- Grievous Bottley Harm: Carlo gets a bottle broken over his head while trying to pull the cowhands off the dancing girl in the cantina.
- Heir Club for Men: During their argument, Jason O'Hara bitterly taunts his wife Susan that he has given her everything she ever wanted, but she has failed to give him the one thing he wants: a son.
- Rape and Revenge: Carlo is taking revenge for the rape, and subsequent death, of his sister.
- Revenge by Proxy: Carlo kidnaps O'Hare's wife Susan and forces her to endure all of the things that O'Hare had inflicted on his sister.
- Self-Offense: When Jason arrives to free her, Susan mistakes him for Carlo and stabs him to death in a blind fury.
- Shameful Strip: Carlo does this as part of his humiliation of Susan after he kidnaps her.
- Signature Item Clue: Six years after the attack on his sister, Carlo identifies Jason O'Hare as the leader of the rapists because of his distinctive wolf's head ring.
- Spiteful Spit: When Jason is ripping her a new one for leading on the cowhands, Susan spits in his face.
- A Taste of the Lash: Carlo flogs the naked Susan as part of his revenge.
