In the mid-1960s, the runaway success of Sergio Leones Dollars trilogy gave rise to an explosion of similar productions. Filmmakers by the dozen sought to capitalize on this new, uniquely Italian take on the western, which was characterized by their deeply cynical outlook, morally compromised antiheroes and unflinching depictions of savage violence. This specially curated selection gathers four outstanding examples of the genre from the height of its popularity, all centred around the theme of blood money.

In Romolo Guerrieris $10,000 Blood Money (1967; aka $10,000 for a Massacre), Gianni Garko - best known for his portrayal of supernatural gunslinger Sartana - takes on the part of another beloved western antihero, Django, who is on the trail of bandit Manuel Vasquez (Claudio Camaso, A Bay of Blood). But what started as a job for hire soon turns personal, with Django swearing vengeance against the unscrupulous outlaw. Then, in the films spiritual successor, Giovanni Fagos Vengeance is Mine (1967; aka $100,000 for a Killing), Garko and Camaso once again lead the cast, this time as estranged half-brothers - one a Confederate soldier now riding with renegade outlaws, the other a bounty hunter tasked with bringing him in alive.

Next, in Giuliano Carnimeos Find a Place to Die (1968), Jeffrey Hunter (The Searchers) plays Joe Collins, a disgraced former soldier who assembles a ragtag band of scoundrels. They are lured into helping a woman (Pascale Petit, A Queen for Caesar) to rescue her prospector husband, who is trapped at their gold mine cave-in - though in reality, they have designs on the gold strike themselves. Finally, in Cesare Canevaris psychedelic Matalo! (Kill Him) (1970), double- and triple-crosses abound as a band of outlaws, having holed up in an isolated ghost town, set about terrorizing travellers Ray (Lou Castel, Orgasmo) and Bridget (Ana María Mendoza, 7 Wome