TV writer, producer, and director Taylor Sheridan may have been popularized by his neo-Western series, Yellowstone, but as it turns out, he actually made his directorial debut with a horror movie that he now publicly dislikes. Sheridan has been part of the entertainment industry since the 1990s. Though he began his career as an actor, he eventually transitioned to screenwriting, and eventually showrunning. Currently, he has his hands full running an empire of popular neo-Western and thriller series, but long ago, he dipped his toes into another, more unexpected genre.

In general, audiences tend to be unfamiliar with Sheridan’s filmography prior to Yellowstone. Few people are aware that Sheridan wrote hit movies such as Hell or High Water and Sicario. In fact, Sheridan still has his hands in the movie business, with one of his most recent projects being 2021’s Those Who Wish Me ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, an action thriller that he wrote, directed, and produced himself. However, the most obscure project on Sheridan’s resume, hands down, would have to be his first ever feature film, Vile.

The First Movie Taylor Sheridan Directed & What He Said About It

What Critics Have Said About Vile

In 2011, Sheridan made his directorial debut with a horror movie тιтled Vile. The film follows a group of friends who are tricked into taking part in a twisted experiment after helping a woman at a gas station. Over the course of 22 hours, the captives are forced to endure horrible pain so that a chemical in their brain can be extracted for later use. According to Sheridan, this “bad horror movie” was not his own project, but was written by a friend who asked Sheridan to direct. Sheridan noted: “I kind of kept the ship pointed straight,” (Rotten Tomatoes.)

Essentially, Sheridan admits that Vile is technically his directorial debut, but he had no emotional attachment to the story, and really just stepped in for a friend. Additionally, his judgment of the film as bad isn’t too far off. On Rotten Tomatoes, Vile has no critics score and a 30% audience score. Viewers were mostly satisfied with the movie’s gore, but found that the story was full of plot holes, and were highly frustrated with the ending. Ultimately, it makes sense why Sheridan has stepped back from this film.

Wind River Makes Far More Sense As A Taylor Sheridan-Directed Movie

Wind River Proves What Sheridan Is Capable Of

Considering that Vile has nothing to do with Sheridan in terms of storytelling, it would make more sense to consider Wind River as his directorial debut. This 2017 neo-Western crime drama follows a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tracker and an FBI agent who team up to investigate the murder of a woman on a reservation. Unlike Vile, Wind River is perfectly in line with the types of stories Sheridan likes to tell. The movie combines a bleak Western setting with a mysterious crime to create a gripping and well-crafted tale.

Wind River is also a good representation of Sheridan because it proves what he is capable of. As both the writer and the director, audiences are able to see Sheridan’s talent for words, and also, his visual eye. The film is completely influenced by him and his tastes, which is not true for Vile in the slightest. Therefore, those who want to get a taste of Taylor Sheridan’s earlier work should pick up Wind River rather than Vile.