“Bone Tomahawk” officially premiered at the Fantastic Fest in 2015 and later released on DVD/Blu-Ray in stores. It received praise from critics and movie goers alike. Bone Tomahawk became a modern cult classic for both Western and Horror fans. Anyway, it’s Halloween Month. I’ll be watching and posting Horror movies throughout October. I thought about giving this Horror Western movie a shot. Which Horror movies should I post next? Please leave a comment.
Today’s review contains no SPOILERS. Keep in mind, this is a short review. It’s not a 3 hour plus epic like “Apocalypse Now.” Just a simplistic independent film.
Alive & Dead Qualities
Alive: Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, David Arquette & Richard Jenkins all did a terrific job for their respective performances.
James Tolkan (Principal Strickland from Back to the Future) appears as a piano player. I saw him signing autographs at Fan Expo Dallas 2025 to honor the 40th anniversary of “Back to the Future.”
Sid Haig (Captain Spaulding from House of 1000 Corpses) & Sean Young (Rachel from Blade Runner) make brief appearances.
S. Craig Zahler did a great job directing. He also wrote the script.
Action Sequences are brutal and not for the faint of heart. Especially Act 3. If you have a weak stomach, bring a barf bag.
Random Thoughts
- Every time I see a cannibal in a movie or TV show, I always recite Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka’s line, “But that is called, cannibalism my dear children and is in fact frowned upon in most societies.”
- Seeing cowboys in a Horror movie makes me wanna replay “Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare.”
- Although a low budget independent film shot nearly three weeks, this feels like a high quality $50 million+ film. It doesn’t matter if a film needs to be expensive to make it Class A. Quality and substance is the key.
Fun Facts
- Kurt also starred in another Western in 2015, Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight.”
- Fred Raskin edited the film. He also edited The Hateful Eight that same year.
Costume Designs and Set Pieces were manually crafted.
Sheriff Franklin’s chemistry with his fellow deputies serve as the main highlight.
Act 2 feels like your typical western with cowboys going on an adventure. Suddenly, Act 3 becomes a Horror flick.
Cinematography can be janky at times.
Dead: Pacing’s a slow burn. Acts 1 took a while like a constipated horse struggling to poop. Act 2 gets better when Franklin and his posse saddle up for adventure.
The Final Verdict: B, FOR BENEVOLENT!
Despite two nitpicks, Bone Tomahawk is a unique Horror Western hybrid. If you’re a Horror or Western fan looking for something different to watch, give Bone Tomahawk a shot.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 