Bone Tomahawk (2015) Review

Bone Tomahawk (2015) Review

It’s not that uncommon for a horror movie to be disguised as a thriller, but what about horror disguised as a western? I can only think of one example: Bone Tomahawk.

The movie begins with two thieves played by Sid Haig (The Devil’s Rejects) and David Arquette (Scream) evading authorities and stumbling across a Native American burial site. It ends badly for one of them, and this sets the tone for the film…sort of. 

The plot is about a man’s wife getting kidnapped by a tribe of cannibals that live in a cave far from the nearest town. Kurt Russell plays the town sheriff, who sets out to rescue the woman, but the husband, played by Patrick Wilson (Insidious), insists on coming with him, even though he has a broken leg and is in poor condition. The other men that go with them are the town’s backup deputy and a well-dressed womanizer. They have guns, horses, and confidence. That should be all they need to kill the cannibals and save the woman, right? 

The first act sets up the characters and situation quite well, then a large portion that follows is just them travelling to the cannibal’s cave. The characters are all interesting and unique. They clash constantly, and though not a lot happens in terms of action (or horror), it never gets boring, because of the fine acting and dialogue. Then, when they do reach cannibal territory, the movie takes a sharp turn into pure terror. 

These guys are not as prepared as they thought they were. The cannibals get the jump on them. Brutal deaths occur on both sides, but the cannibals capture members of the rescue team and take them back to the cave, where they’re thrown in cages and dispatched, one by one, and eaten by the tribe. I’m being vague, because I don’t want to spoil who gets captured and who gets killed, or who escapes. 

Bone Tomahawk is perhaps only half of a horror movie, because the first half is a pretty standard western—that’s not to say it’s bad because it’s standard, but it definitely isn’t focused on being horrific. Then in the second half, they go all out with the horror. The cannibals are terrifying, mainly in their realistic depiction. The violence, too, is extreme. One of the deaths at the hands of the cannibals is seriously one of the most disturbing on-screen deaths I have ever seen. It is ultraviolent and the effects are practically seamless. 

I don’t recommend this movie lightly to those only wanting to see a story about cowboys in the old west. If you want a realistic, intense horror film with a different kind of setting and compelling heroes and villains, then Bone Tomahawk is a must-see.