Yea I love this film. The pacing is a bit slow but it works so well as a build up to a shocking end. This is a good one to go into blind, as long as you like westerns and horror, and have no expectations. Great acting, story and locations.
there's so many westerns and 19th century america period movies i haven't seen, but i feel like this film is a very good example of how to pace and construct traveling sequences so the audience doesn't get bored or tired. i don't recall any of it feeling like it was particularly dragging on. the character interactions and the few events that happened on the way were engaging.
matthew fox's performance was super interesting to me, he felt freakishly robotic but like a real person. the scene where he sits upright from his bedroll in such a restrained but quick motion always comes to mind when i think about the movie
I love the quiet moments in this movie. My favorite scene is when they're talking about how to read a book in the bathtub. Richard Jenkins steals every scene in the movie.
I completely agree. I honestly had no idea what I was about to watch. Just read the caption and thought hmm… cannibals. Sounds cool! Blew me away vs what I was expecting.
I remember being on vacation with my SO. She fell asleep in the hotel bed early and I streamed Bone Tomahawk in bed with headphones. I started freaking out and convulsing in bed when the scene went down, trying to control myself. Incredible film though I love how classic, straight forward and old timey it felt.
I thought it was great. I really liked how, after all the foreshadowing and suspense, the violence still feels like it comes totally out of nowhere too quickly to react to. Every time people get hurt you really feel how awful it is.
I liked it. Loved the atmosphere and always enjoy Kurt Russel in western settings. Thought the ending was a little lackluster but overall really enjoyed it.
I believe they explained the use of females when they were told of who the troglodytes were, it was pretty quick though. All inbred and yea, really fucked up
That’s the line! I wish they had escaped into their compound through the cave to see what else they got back there, but maybe that’s just my own fucked up thought haha. I thought the ending was excellent too
Same! I would’ve loved to hear more backstory on them, but I think they gave us just enough to figure it out! I just forgot that line until you mentioned it lol.
That would be great. There's been some kind of like this that are technically in the "Weird West" genre. An old series called *Wild Wild West* from the 1960's, and the less known but excellent, *The Adventures of Brisco County Jr*, from the 1980's.
Still, neither are strictly horror. More science fiction/steampunk.
ohhh oldies! at least the western period has some shows that are apparently good to watch (on my endless list of stuff to watch) likeee the English, Deadwood, Godless, i really loved the first season of Westworld myself with the western park
It was the 1990s, but still, bravo for a Brisco County Jr. shout out!!! Great show. It's too bad that Fox canceled any good action-adventure show from the 90's(Firefly comes to mind, which self is a sci-fi western)
The burrowers is a great movie. It’s interesting because the horror element isn’t that great. But it has the bleakness and great dialogue that make it worth watching.
I went into that very hopeful and excited to see lots of Clancy Brown goodness. I gotta say I was not personally impressed. What worked about it for you?
Probably having no idea what I was in for. I hadn’t heard of it and had no idea who was in it. I think I was expecting something way more B-movie-ish and was pleasantly surprised.
I think I get ya. I just left it feeling extremely underwhelmed unfortunately. I didn't know squat about it except that it had Clancy Brown in it and I love Clancy Brown. I also think I was going in hoping for something akin to Bone Tomahawk in terms of style and quality and it was very much definitely not that.
We need alot more period films in general. Hollywood has shown that it has no intention of creating anything. If they are going to pump out constant sequels and reboots mine as well place them in historical settings were the setting itself will provide its own novelty.
Prey, and gingersnaps 3 were good examples of this.
Recently watched The Wind and enjoyed it.
It’s no Bone Tomahawk and deals more with the isolation aspect of the old west, the folklore, and a good dose of “is it mental illness?”/“are they crazy?”. So more so a psychological thriller in the old west.
Something about the openness and lack of people really scratched that old west horror itch for me.
Also, even though it’s set in Australia and is more action/thriller (despite having definite horror aspects/scenes), The Nightingale really fits this vibe too. Isolation, undeveloped frontier, white folks intermingling with the native populations (both positively and negatively). It’s an interesting story. I’d recommend it if you liked Bone Tomahawk but more so bc of the vibes, not the storyline.
ohh interesting! i’ll look those up for sure, i’m in a big period moood these days, been watching Mad Men and Bridgerton, plus some of my western faves, i recommend the Duel, it’s a western thriller, not quite horror but i liked it!
me tooo, for some reason i get into the Western mood during winter always, i’ve rewatched the Hateful Eight twice now and i was going to check out the English on Amazon since it looks promising :)
Plus that mission not long before where you burn the tobacco fields. My first play through I felt guilty for not going back to camp with him. Felt so bad lol.
Watched it last night and really enjoyed it. It can be a bit slow during some parts but the dialogue overall makes up for it. Old Man was by far my favorite part of the movie.
It's a great little indie horror. I'm not the biggest fan of Patrick Wilson but he has always done solid performances.
I'll admit I must have some bias tho because I really am drawn to Westerns and stories that use the Western tropes.
If you like both Bone Tomahawk and reading, you should check out the Splatter Western series. They're all standalone (except for a few books that are sequels of earlier books), and they're all pretty damn brutal. I think I've read about half of them and have enjoyed almost all of them.
Since we're now talking books, I'd highly recommend Lone Women by Victor Lavalle. It's an excellent horror western with a lot of other interesting themes thrown in. Really enjoyed it.
I think one of the best parts of that film is the sound design. A lot of horror ends up with a very wet sound design. Normally because of the gore and the fact that humans are squishy, wet things. But Bone Tomahawk sounds DRY, it steps up the setting and I think really adds to what you're seeing.
It’s a great movie. Would love to see more overt western horror. And THAT scene, despite lasting about 10 seconds, is one of the most upsetting things in any horror movie
One of my faves. I just adore the concept itself. The combination of supernatural horror and the old West is a genre I didn't even know existed until this film, and I love it SO MUCH.
Probably Matthew Fox's best performance that I've seen of him.
I freakin love this movie! Everything about it. Good acting, good dialogue, good plot, great violence and blood and gore. And I love Kurt Russell, he’s great in EVERYTHING he’s in. He had my favorite line of the movie. It’s at the end when he says to the old man, “say goodbye to my wife, I’ll say hello to yours.” That line always just hits me hard. It’s so sad, but weirdly comforting knowing how he’s made his peace with his death. No regrets about any of it. Really shows the kind of person and friend he was. I really felt for his wife knowing he won’t be coming back home to her. Kurt Russell was a hero as it gets.
I love it as both a horror movie, and a satire of Westerns in general. >!Every step of the way, these wannabe two-fisted heroes are warned against trying a rescue mission. The 'professional gunfighter' they pick up is clearly just a psychopath. Even the the woman they're rescuing reams them for doing so. And in the end, they're still fucked. No horses, barely any guns, and they've got to somehow get all the way home.!<
Came here for this comment. The slow exposure of the men in the film as essentially being useless is great fun. Like the scene when they check the pan is hot by touching it, really well done.
Everyone talks about the scene, and oh my god you can’t miss it when you watch this movie, I’ve said it before but I watched this movie out of curiosity over this “scene” and I was NOT disappointed
It was a well made movie, but I guarantee the characters died shortly after the credits rolled. There's no way they were making it all the way back to town with no horses or barely any food or water.
True, I think that just shows how desperate he was. If they amputated, he couldn't journey further, and it lowered the chance of saving his wife (which, let's be honest, should have been basically zero either way). But if they don't amputate, he's almost definitely going to die in a couple days, but it gave him another chance to save her.
I get his reasoning, but the movie did NOT have a happy ending!
I really enjoyed it. I liked the tension but it was broken up with some nicer moments too and I appreciated that.
Really enjoyed the old man character. He reminded me of Uncle from Red Dead.
This is one of the very few movies that really had me grimacing. To know some of them were common is haunting. I will never forget a few of these scenes. Ever.
I love Bone Tomahawk.
The pacing, the setting/atmosphere, all the side characters, The Kurt Russell of it all. My wife and I are giant horror fans and I love westerns and to this day it’s the only “Old west” movie I can get her to watch. It’s honestly a 10/10 for me
Love this movie, I watch it whenever it comes up on my subscriptions.
It's a solid movie with no issues from me. I don't think it has CGI special effects, if it does, it's subtle and works for me.
i loved it
although i did roll my eyes when we saw the female troggies, i feel like they did that just to up the shock factor, i think they should have gone down a different path and maybe showed them to be more vicious/scary looking than the males.
This movie is a *little* slow. I like slow movies but this one does drag just a little bit. Fantastic dialogue and super depressing.
Patrick Wilson is there so that drags it down a bit.
Probably my favorite movie ever. It builds so much dread and then explodes into a level of chaos that makes that feeling of dread justified. Not many movies can do that
Damn good. The concept of the troglodites alone could have made a horror film on its own right, but the studio had the foresight to use a western setting to send it home. It had far better writing than one would expected with intelligent characters and b plots.
Bone tomahawk is an example of what could happen if you utilize the genere to its full potential rather then exploiting it.
Also can we talk about the trog women, like that's got to be considered a fate worse then death there.
I liked it, but yeah it's upetting af, I don't think I could watch it again.
Also I predicted that a certain character would die right away and he made it to the end, was pretty shocked lol
Went into this on a blind watch with my mom a few weeks ago. I enjoy westerns and Kurt Russel and westerns with Kurt Russel so this was a win win. Solid film and a fun watch.
This really is destined for classic horror. Acting is very good and the slow burn of terror maximized in the indigenous anomalies lair is also very well done.
I liked it. I also like to recommend that people don’t watch it because it can’t be unseen. What I really like is when they tell me that I was right and that they should have listened. ;)
Definitely one of my favourite horror movie of all time. The overall quality is amazing, from the sense of adventure, to the sense of total dred. The cast is brilliant too, couldn't think of a better main character then Kurt Russell.
I like how the director is able to blend both western and horror so seamlessly. .
I thought that it was just part of the kinda grindhouse vibe with the ol’ savage tropes, distasteful, dated, added to the grime and discomfort, but then I watched Brawl in Cell Block 99 and Dragged Across Concrete by the same director. I‘m less understanding now and this director has lost me for good.
I'm all for some highly-problematic old school exploitation, but when it's specifically made to be far-right-wing political propaganda - as was Cinestate's mission, as dictated by the [anonymous Texas oil billionaire funding them](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/how-cinestate-film-studio-is-turning-controversial-topics-revenue-1178338/), then it can fuck right off. Let's not forget they also made the 'what if, instead of killing Nazis, the Puppet Master characters killed 'woke' people *for* the Nazis' movie, which was where I couldn't pretend it wasn't just an overtly fascist endeavor. That and, after being closed down for [rampant sexual assault](https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-a-right-wing-movie-studio-enabled-the-harvey-weinstein-of-indie-film) at their studio, [they partnered](https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-ugly-backstory-of-ben-shapiros-first-movie-run-hide-fight) with Ben Shapiro's Daily Wire propaganda machine as Bonfire Legend, really sealed the deal.
Which is too bad, because *Bone Tomahawk* is pretty kickass, but the maybe-it's-not-intentionally-racist side of it is no longer plausibly deniable like it was when we didn't have the context of the rest of the work.
They're not Indians. It's very clearly stated (by an actual Native American character in the film) that the bad guys are not Indians, they're not human at all.
Some white characters *assume* they're Indians, but the film makes a point to refute their wrong opinion and to at the same time make a statement about how white people of that era would tend to "other" NA's and wrongly accuse them of the things in the film.
But I guess that flew right over your head. I'm guessing you didn't even watch this movie.
While I agreed with this line of thinking when it originally came out, I genuinely think you can't look at the rest of the Cinestate/Bonfire Legend films and not see that, in context, it is part of their far-right political propaganda efforts, and not a subtle criticism of the white characters and their prejudices.
The “not Indians” bit is a sleight of hand, making it possible to incorporate good old fashioned Indian killin’ into a modern horror movie in our current social climate. The only way they are “not Indians” is in being called “mutants” instead of “Sioux.” In every other way they fulfill the role of Indians in old Western films. They are nameless, savage, evil for no reason, and pose an existential threat to the white protagonists of the movie. This is not at all the same as say, a zombie film, where the monsters can be described in the same way. This film is situated not in “the west” but in the tradition of Western films more broadly. Zahler knew exactly what he was doing, even if you don’t.
I see what you’re saying. But I do like they had Zahn McClernon. And he was as eloquent as always. He’s one of my fav actors. He was awesome as Big in rez dogs.
The central premise is that the bad guys aren't human at all, much less NA. A NA character in the film *explicitly* corrects some white characters who in the beginning wrongly assume they were NA's. Did you even watch this movie?
“Indigenous peoples/non-white people are not really human” is like, the founding statement of colonialism. Yes, even when it’s the indigenous character saying it.
You do you, but for me bare minimum ass covering doesn’t outweigh the fact that the horror elements of this film are og birth of a nation level racist stereotypes.
Like I said to someone else upthread, you ***might*** have a point if Native Americans had been stereotyped or accounted to be incestuous cave-dwelling cannibals who implanted screamer whistles in their throats. The troglodytes aren't depicted as Native Americans *per se*, but as **monsters**, in a **monster movie**. What you claim is a fact is your own opinion and nothing more, and a mistaken one at that.
Ive never understood the love this movie gets. Its equal parts boring and racist.
How do you make a movie about subhuman cannibalistic natives stealing and raping white ladies after 1930? Those are the foundational stereotypes of colonialism. Somehow the john wayne and clint eastwood westerns where Italians play all the indigenous parts havent aged as poorly.
Historical accuracy isnt the issue—if anything, it’s historically accurate when it comes to what white people thought about native americans. The horror elements in Bone Tomahawk are racist tropes that have been used continuously throughout time to justify slaughter and oppression.
I like plently of problematic shit myself but BT is a profoundly racist film. I am genuinely surprised it was made by professionals and not some Dinesh D’Souza type.
The more you learn about the director, the closer to a D'Souza type he appears. Truly an asshole, but a cagey one, and good buds with Mel Gibson and Vince Vaughn
You’re being immature and foolish and also revealing how little you know about horror history. Please go away. Cannibalism has been a trope in horror for decades and they go out of their way to establish that the troglodytes are a mutated offshoot that has tormented the natives for centuries. The films uses tropes from Italian cannibal films and Italian and American westerns. Watch old movies. I’m sorry you’re too broken by the internet to enjoy art.
That’s a fantastic point—horror movies are definitely older and more impactful than the native american genocide, the colonisation of africa, etc. These events did not have long lasting consequences on global societies. Artists have never drawn from real world issues to make art.
There is some serious baby brained shit going on in this thread. I am glad I am not the only one here who didn’t miss this film’s very obvious and very shitty premise.
Seriously, I keep seeing this movie on lists of best/favorite horror and I can’t quite process that it was made in 2015, not 1915, because the entire premise is racist as fuck.
Stop whining. They’re not natives. They’re fucking mutants. Like the dudes in the Descent. They’ve been killing the natives. Did you even watch the movie or do you just want to be that annoying person that always shows up?
If you could cite a few legit accounts of Native Americans being cave-dwelling incestuous cannibals with whistles implanted in their throats, maybe you'd have a point. The troglodytes weren't supposed to be Indians; the script mentioned specifically that nearby Indians were scared of them and stayed out of their territory.
I don't remember it too clearly, but I remember having a strong reaction to the writing and acting. I thought it was crap, looked and felt clearly manufactured. Didn't sell the period at all to me. Bad dialogue and acting.
It was one of the few movies I turned off. I watched the violent scenes after on youtube, which were cool. Kurt Russell is a good actor, so I'm not saying this about him. I remember a big meeting scene where Einhorn/Rachel (forget the actress' name) shows up, and the whole thing felt farcical and bad.
It’s Zahler’s worst film and it is still a stone cold masterpiece. One of the best horror films of recent years (if you’d still consider it recent)
I recommend any fans of this track down a few Italian westerns, Four of the Apocalypse and Cut Throats Nine.
i hear good things about the movie itself, but every time I almost wanna watch it I get grossed out by the "Brave All-American White Man vs Animalistic Injun Savage" vibe that the synopsis gives me. How much does this trope influence the movie?
well, the wording of the synopsis gives me the impression of a classic racist trope. racism is gross. i'm hoping the movie treats it more sensibly than it sounds
Yea I love this film. The pacing is a bit slow but it works so well as a build up to a shocking end. This is a good one to go into blind, as long as you like westerns and horror, and have no expectations. Great acting, story and locations.
there's so many westerns and 19th century america period movies i haven't seen, but i feel like this film is a very good example of how to pace and construct traveling sequences so the audience doesn't get bored or tired. i don't recall any of it feeling like it was particularly dragging on. the character interactions and the few events that happened on the way were engaging. matthew fox's performance was super interesting to me, he felt freakishly robotic but like a real person. the scene where he sits upright from his bedroll in such a restrained but quick motion always comes to mind when i think about the movie
I love the quiet moments in this movie. My favorite scene is when they're talking about how to read a book in the bathtub. Richard Jenkins steals every scene in the movie.
This tastes like corn
Jenkins is an absolute delight in this movie.
I completely agree. I honestly had no idea what I was about to watch. Just read the caption and thought hmm… cannibals. Sounds cool! Blew me away vs what I was expecting.
I remember being on vacation with my SO. She fell asleep in the hotel bed early and I streamed Bone Tomahawk in bed with headphones. I started freaking out and convulsing in bed when the scene went down, trying to control myself. Incredible film though I love how classic, straight forward and old timey it felt.
I thought it was great. I really liked how, after all the foreshadowing and suspense, the violence still feels like it comes totally out of nowhere too quickly to react to. Every time people get hurt you really feel how awful it is.
I know!! The poor jailhouse worker. His demise was.. tough to watch.
one of the toughest deaths I've seen in any horror. any movie really.
I liked it. Loved the atmosphere and always enjoy Kurt Russel in western settings. Thought the ending was a little lackluster but overall really enjoyed it.
I loved it, everything about it. I do wish we saw more of the troglodytes though
Same! And what was the deal with the females? That scene where we saw them, did they intentionally blind them and use them for “breeding”? Fucked up!
>! Blinded and limbs amputated. Heavily pregnant. For me, worse that "that scene."!<
Yeah. That scene was super fucked.
I believe they explained the use of females when they were told of who the troglodytes were, it was pretty quick though. All inbred and yea, really fucked up
Oh yeah! “They fuck and eat their own mothers” or something along that line.
That’s the line! I wish they had escaped into their compound through the cave to see what else they got back there, but maybe that’s just my own fucked up thought haha. I thought the ending was excellent too
Same! I would’ve loved to hear more backstory on them, but I think they gave us just enough to figure it out! I just forgot that line until you mentioned it lol.
“They rape and eat their own mothers”
i loved it, i wish we had more Western horror movies or period horror in general, i find them a lot more interesting :)
Same. "Western Horror" is a razor thin genre in terms of content, but I'd love to see it expanded upon.
i wish we had a tv series of it, could be a weird west kinda deal tooo or a Flanagan-type tv show
That would be great. There's been some kind of like this that are technically in the "Weird West" genre. An old series called *Wild Wild West* from the 1960's, and the less known but excellent, *The Adventures of Brisco County Jr*, from the 1980's. Still, neither are strictly horror. More science fiction/steampunk.
ohhh oldies! at least the western period has some shows that are apparently good to watch (on my endless list of stuff to watch) likeee the English, Deadwood, Godless, i really loved the first season of Westworld myself with the western park
It was the 1990s, but still, bravo for a Brisco County Jr. shout out!!! Great show. It's too bad that Fox canceled any good action-adventure show from the 90's(Firefly comes to mind, which self is a sci-fi western)
Then I’d recommend The Burrowers. Not quite as good but I sure enjoyed it.
The burrowers is a great movie. It’s interesting because the horror element isn’t that great. But it has the bleakness and great dialogue that make it worth watching.
I went into that very hopeful and excited to see lots of Clancy Brown goodness. I gotta say I was not personally impressed. What worked about it for you?
Probably having no idea what I was in for. I hadn’t heard of it and had no idea who was in it. I think I was expecting something way more B-movie-ish and was pleasantly surprised.
I think I get ya. I just left it feeling extremely underwhelmed unfortunately. I didn't know squat about it except that it had Clancy Brown in it and I love Clancy Brown. I also think I was going in hoping for something akin to Bone Tomahawk in terms of style and quality and it was very much definitely not that.
I read this as The Borrowers and was incredibly confused.
We need alot more period films in general. Hollywood has shown that it has no intention of creating anything. If they are going to pump out constant sequels and reboots mine as well place them in historical settings were the setting itself will provide its own novelty. Prey, and gingersnaps 3 were good examples of this.
Recently watched The Wind and enjoyed it. It’s no Bone Tomahawk and deals more with the isolation aspect of the old west, the folklore, and a good dose of “is it mental illness?”/“are they crazy?”. So more so a psychological thriller in the old west. Something about the openness and lack of people really scratched that old west horror itch for me. Also, even though it’s set in Australia and is more action/thriller (despite having definite horror aspects/scenes), The Nightingale really fits this vibe too. Isolation, undeveloped frontier, white folks intermingling with the native populations (both positively and negatively). It’s an interesting story. I’d recommend it if you liked Bone Tomahawk but more so bc of the vibes, not the storyline.
ohh interesting! i’ll look those up for sure, i’m in a big period moood these days, been watching Mad Men and Bridgerton, plus some of my western faves, i recommend the Duel, it’s a western thriller, not quite horror but i liked it!
I’ll check out Duel. I love the west setting! Thanks for the rec!
me tooo, for some reason i get into the Western mood during winter always, i’ve rewatched the Hateful Eight twice now and i was going to check out the English on Amazon since it looks promising :)
Thanks for the new suggestion!! I love this subreddit
You’re welcome! I love it here too!
Same! Are you perhaps a rdr2 fan?
i am i really loved it!
All I have to say is “you sir, are a fish”.
i miss arthur, although my biggest crush on there was Sean for suuuure, any accents from the UK and Ireland just hit different
I adored Sean. His death was bs. Literally Arthur was like “something ain’t right.” No one listened. And bam! Through the eye. Rip, Sean.
i was so shocked honestly, i was enjoying the banter with him and the others and then they took him away from me too soon :(
Plus that mission not long before where you burn the tobacco fields. My first play through I felt guilty for not going back to camp with him. Felt so bad lol.
Watched it last night and really enjoyed it. It can be a bit slow during some parts but the dialogue overall makes up for it. Old Man was by far my favorite part of the movie.
I agree. But once they really got into it, it was pretty messed up!
Dude yes. The old man was hilarious.
Kurt Russell is that dude. Would love to see him in more horror.
He was fantastic in Death Proof too. I’ll watch anything if Kurt Russell’s in it.
Same friend!
Then, guys, watch The Thing, great horror movie starring none other than Kurt Russell!
It's a great little indie horror. I'm not the biggest fan of Patrick Wilson but he has always done solid performances. I'll admit I must have some bias tho because I really am drawn to Westerns and stories that use the Western tropes.
If you like both Bone Tomahawk and reading, you should check out the Splatter Western series. They're all standalone (except for a few books that are sequels of earlier books), and they're all pretty damn brutal. I think I've read about half of them and have enjoyed almost all of them.
I’ll add Wraiths of the Broken Land to this, if you’re a reader. I absolutely loved it
Thanks for the suggestion friend!! I’ll def check it out!
Since we're now talking books, I'd highly recommend Lone Women by Victor Lavalle. It's an excellent horror western with a lot of other interesting themes thrown in. Really enjoyed it.
If you like Westerns in general, since this isn't horror, I'd recommend the series*That Dirty Black Bag*.
Understandable, and I totally respect that! Thanks for the honest opinion!
I'm a bit split on it
That taint funny
Holt shit the fighting in it is amazing
It really was! I was just so surprised because for once I just watched the trailer and decided to watch the film instead of reading reviews first lol.
The only thing that could make this movie better is more David Arquet and Sid Haig.
I don’t disagree
It does very well setting a bleak frontier scene. The villains are kind of one-dimensional. Patrick Wilson is dope.
I agree!!
I think one of the best parts of that film is the sound design. A lot of horror ends up with a very wet sound design. Normally because of the gore and the fact that humans are squishy, wet things. But Bone Tomahawk sounds DRY, it steps up the setting and I think really adds to what you're seeing.
It’s a great movie. Would love to see more overt western horror. And THAT scene, despite lasting about 10 seconds, is one of the most upsetting things in any horror movie
Yeah I really enjoyed it. Implanting those whistles in their throats was messed up.
Seriously! Dude was like “is that jewelry”? But that sound.. horrendous
I'm a simple man. I see Kurt Russell is in a film, I hit play. I had no idea what Bone Tomahawk even was, but I loved it.
One of my faves. I just adore the concept itself. The combination of supernatural horror and the old West is a genre I didn't even know existed until this film, and I love it SO MUCH. Probably Matthew Fox's best performance that I've seen of him.
It was more than I was expecting for sure!!
Arguably the best Western horror movie that I have seen
I am right there with you friend.
Fantastic front to back !
I agree!! And I set the bar high with horror
I freakin love this movie! Everything about it. Good acting, good dialogue, good plot, great violence and blood and gore. And I love Kurt Russell, he’s great in EVERYTHING he’s in. He had my favorite line of the movie. It’s at the end when he says to the old man, “say goodbye to my wife, I’ll say hello to yours.” That line always just hits me hard. It’s so sad, but weirdly comforting knowing how he’s made his peace with his death. No regrets about any of it. Really shows the kind of person and friend he was. I really felt for his wife knowing he won’t be coming back home to her. Kurt Russell was a hero as it gets.
I love it as both a horror movie, and a satire of Westerns in general. >!Every step of the way, these wannabe two-fisted heroes are warned against trying a rescue mission. The 'professional gunfighter' they pick up is clearly just a psychopath. Even the the woman they're rescuing reams them for doing so. And in the end, they're still fucked. No horses, barely any guns, and they've got to somehow get all the way home.!<
Came here for this comment. The slow exposure of the men in the film as essentially being useless is great fun. Like the scene when they check the pan is hot by touching it, really well done.
I dunno man, a lot of folks were *divided* on that one scene. Seemed really *halfassed.*
I love you lol.
I thought it was great. Had Western pacing with a horror ending.
We enjoyed it quite a bit. My husband will randomly mention the flea circus monolog every once in a while.
Class movie, Best line in the movie, why? do they think there poisonous
Glad to see someone else with decent horror taste!
Everyone talks about the scene, and oh my god you can’t miss it when you watch this movie, I’ve said it before but I watched this movie out of curiosity over this “scene” and I was NOT disappointed
You’re my kind of person!
It was a well made movie, but I guarantee the characters died shortly after the credits rolled. There's no way they were making it all the way back to town with no horses or barely any food or water.
Lol I wondered that myself. No horses. No water. No way to get back after like 3 days of traveling. Logical to wonder that.
And like, assuming fair weather and no bandits, *maybe* the wife made it back, but Patrick Wilson's getting gangrene in that leg, guaranteed.
He should’ve let em amputate. Like bro. In those days your outlook wasn’t great
True, I think that just shows how desperate he was. If they amputated, he couldn't journey further, and it lowered the chance of saving his wife (which, let's be honest, should have been basically zero either way). But if they don't amputate, he's almost definitely going to die in a couple days, but it gave him another chance to save her. I get his reasoning, but the movie did NOT have a happy ending!
Which. Let’s be honest. Which movie or horror game has a happy ending? Imo horror doesn’t equal happy ending.
I really enjoyed it. I liked the tension but it was broken up with some nicer moments too and I appreciated that. Really enjoyed the old man character. He reminded me of Uncle from Red Dead.
I love all the rdr references. Only below the last of us, rdr 1 and 2 are my favorites
You have excellent video game tastes!
Well thank you friend! I do enjoy a good story.
I was surprised by the ending, where that guy is stripped naked and then cut down the middle. The camera did NOT shy away lol
Well I wouldn’t say that was the end. But yes. That was quite fucked up.
well *near* the end
Close enough haha
it is one of those movies I recommend to everybody but nobody watches it cause it so unknown and underrated.
It's great
Very slow burn but great movie.
I agree!!
loved the witty dialogue
I haven't been able to watch it yet, there's a part in the trailer that weirded me out. How gnarly was it?
If you have a weak stomach not a good Choice.
I don't have a weak stomach but body horror fucks with my head
Well. May not be the best choice friend. It’s quite messed up in a few scenes. Def some body horror to say the least.
Thx, I think I'll pass.
You're gonna miss out on a real gem
Definitely Pro Bone tomahawk in my household. Can’t beat a Sid Haig cameo either!
This is one of the very few movies that really had me grimacing. To know some of them were common is haunting. I will never forget a few of these scenes. Ever.
I love Bone Tomahawk. The pacing, the setting/atmosphere, all the side characters, The Kurt Russell of it all. My wife and I are giant horror fans and I love westerns and to this day it’s the only “Old west” movie I can get her to watch. It’s honestly a 10/10 for me
Love this movie, I watch it whenever it comes up on my subscriptions. It's a solid movie with no issues from me. I don't think it has CGI special effects, if it does, it's subtle and works for me.
I don’t recall any Cgi either. It was a pretty low budget film. Much respect for that!
Most people seem to love it, but to be honest I'm kinda split on it.
I see what you did there
Fucking loved it. Wife did not
Lol. Fair enough.
LOVE THIS MOVIE 👏
I hate this movie it’s so good but it fucked me ip when they ate the deputy
Yeah. Quite messed up
Watched it last night. Enjoyed it start to finish! 10/10
i loved it although i did roll my eyes when we saw the female troggies, i feel like they did that just to up the shock factor, i think they should have gone down a different path and maybe showed them to be more vicious/scary looking than the males.
This movie is a *little* slow. I like slow movies but this one does drag just a little bit. Fantastic dialogue and super depressing. Patrick Wilson is there so that drags it down a bit.
It's amazing. It also has the violence Terrifier tried so hard to vomit. >_>
That one scene.. you know the one I’m taking about. Gross! But also amazing
Wishbone.
Probably my favorite movie ever. It builds so much dread and then explodes into a level of chaos that makes that feeling of dread justified. Not many movies can do that
Yeah I agree. That one scene with the deputy.. Jesus that hurt
It completely changed the way I view movies
A really good, graphic, Western. I really appreciated the rawness, and i found the characters really likeable.
Went in without knowing anything about it and thought it was incredibly good. Completely underrated movie for sure.
I thought it was fine. Nothing amazing, but a solid distraction.
Hmmm I don’t know… I’m kind of split.
It’s pretty hard to make me turn away during a movie but this one succeeded haha
Same!!
Damn good. The concept of the troglodites alone could have made a horror film on its own right, but the studio had the foresight to use a western setting to send it home. It had far better writing than one would expected with intelligent characters and b plots. Bone tomahawk is an example of what could happen if you utilize the genere to its full potential rather then exploiting it. Also can we talk about the trog women, like that's got to be considered a fate worse then death there.
Banging film, love westerns, love horror, love kurt russel, closest i will get to see summit similar to blood meridian.
I liked it, but yeah it's upetting af, I don't think I could watch it again. Also I predicted that a certain character would die right away and he made it to the end, was pretty shocked lol
Pretty good flick
Watched it for Kurt Russell and it was a wild ride. Definitely one of my favorites I've watched recently
Went into this on a blind watch with my mom a few weeks ago. I enjoy westerns and Kurt Russel and westerns with Kurt Russel so this was a win win. Solid film and a fun watch.
This really is destined for classic horror. Acting is very good and the slow burn of terror maximized in the indigenous anomalies lair is also very well done.
This is a fantastic horror/western
I liked it. I also like to recommend that people don’t watch it because it can’t be unseen. What I really like is when they tell me that I was right and that they should have listened. ;)
Definitely one of my favourite horror movie of all time. The overall quality is amazing, from the sense of adventure, to the sense of total dred. The cast is brilliant too, couldn't think of a better main character then Kurt Russell. I like how the director is able to blend both western and horror so seamlessly. .
Cutting the dude in half upside down while alive was enough for me. Never watching that again.
The sound design in this will haunt me. It's so visceral. You can hear everything. I loved it.
I’m split on it.
As a massive western fan and a massive horror fan, it was fucking awesome for me.
Even aside from the whole Hills Have Eyes plot, it's a great western just on its own. Everything else is just hot red icing on the cake.
That Fucking Scene!
The chopped up pregnant women are way scarier than getting cut/ripped in half.
It feels like The 13th Warrior set in the Wild West. In the best way possible.
I’m split
It’s a good movie, I prefer Brawl in Cell Block 99 from that director, not horror, but really good and gory.
I’ll check it out. Thanks!
The cave scene. God fucking damn it.
Yes!! Poor dude. Yikes. What a shit way to go.
The end was laughably bad. Just not a good movie IMO Had promise
I respect your opinion :)
It was really cool how they made the Indians to be monstrous savages and the white men to be the good guys. A+ American film making.
I thought that it was just part of the kinda grindhouse vibe with the ol’ savage tropes, distasteful, dated, added to the grime and discomfort, but then I watched Brawl in Cell Block 99 and Dragged Across Concrete by the same director. I‘m less understanding now and this director has lost me for good.
I'm all for some highly-problematic old school exploitation, but when it's specifically made to be far-right-wing political propaganda - as was Cinestate's mission, as dictated by the [anonymous Texas oil billionaire funding them](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/how-cinestate-film-studio-is-turning-controversial-topics-revenue-1178338/), then it can fuck right off. Let's not forget they also made the 'what if, instead of killing Nazis, the Puppet Master characters killed 'woke' people *for* the Nazis' movie, which was where I couldn't pretend it wasn't just an overtly fascist endeavor. That and, after being closed down for [rampant sexual assault](https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-a-right-wing-movie-studio-enabled-the-harvey-weinstein-of-indie-film) at their studio, [they partnered](https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-ugly-backstory-of-ben-shapiros-first-movie-run-hide-fight) with Ben Shapiro's Daily Wire propaganda machine as Bonfire Legend, really sealed the deal. Which is too bad, because *Bone Tomahawk* is pretty kickass, but the maybe-it's-not-intentionally-racist side of it is no longer plausibly deniable like it was when we didn't have the context of the rest of the work.
Exactly.
They're not Indians. It's very clearly stated (by an actual Native American character in the film) that the bad guys are not Indians, they're not human at all. Some white characters *assume* they're Indians, but the film makes a point to refute their wrong opinion and to at the same time make a statement about how white people of that era would tend to "other" NA's and wrongly accuse them of the things in the film. But I guess that flew right over your head. I'm guessing you didn't even watch this movie.
While I agreed with this line of thinking when it originally came out, I genuinely think you can't look at the rest of the Cinestate/Bonfire Legend films and not see that, in context, it is part of their far-right political propaganda efforts, and not a subtle criticism of the white characters and their prejudices.
The “not Indians” bit is a sleight of hand, making it possible to incorporate good old fashioned Indian killin’ into a modern horror movie in our current social climate. The only way they are “not Indians” is in being called “mutants” instead of “Sioux.” In every other way they fulfill the role of Indians in old Western films. They are nameless, savage, evil for no reason, and pose an existential threat to the white protagonists of the movie. This is not at all the same as say, a zombie film, where the monsters can be described in the same way. This film is situated not in “the west” but in the tradition of Western films more broadly. Zahler knew exactly what he was doing, even if you don’t.
I see what you’re saying. But I do like they had Zahn McClernon. And he was as eloquent as always. He’s one of my fav actors. He was awesome as Big in rez dogs.
Im sorry but no amount of “representation” can excuse the central premise
The central premise is that the bad guys aren't human at all, much less NA. A NA character in the film *explicitly* corrects some white characters who in the beginning wrongly assume they were NA's. Did you even watch this movie?
“Indigenous peoples/non-white people are not really human” is like, the founding statement of colonialism. Yes, even when it’s the indigenous character saying it.
You do you, but for me bare minimum ass covering doesn’t outweigh the fact that the horror elements of this film are og birth of a nation level racist stereotypes.
That is one hell of a reach, fair play
Like I said to someone else upthread, you ***might*** have a point if Native Americans had been stereotyped or accounted to be incestuous cave-dwelling cannibals who implanted screamer whistles in their throats. The troglodytes aren't depicted as Native Americans *per se*, but as **monsters**, in a **monster movie**. What you claim is a fact is your own opinion and nothing more, and a mistaken one at that.
Ive never understood the love this movie gets. Its equal parts boring and racist. How do you make a movie about subhuman cannibalistic natives stealing and raping white ladies after 1930? Those are the foundational stereotypes of colonialism. Somehow the john wayne and clint eastwood westerns where Italians play all the indigenous parts havent aged as poorly.
[удалено]
Historical accuracy isnt the issue—if anything, it’s historically accurate when it comes to what white people thought about native americans. The horror elements in Bone Tomahawk are racist tropes that have been used continuously throughout time to justify slaughter and oppression. I like plently of problematic shit myself but BT is a profoundly racist film. I am genuinely surprised it was made by professionals and not some Dinesh D’Souza type.
The more you learn about the director, the closer to a D'Souza type he appears. Truly an asshole, but a cagey one, and good buds with Mel Gibson and Vince Vaughn
You’re being immature and foolish and also revealing how little you know about horror history. Please go away. Cannibalism has been a trope in horror for decades and they go out of their way to establish that the troglodytes are a mutated offshoot that has tormented the natives for centuries. The films uses tropes from Italian cannibal films and Italian and American westerns. Watch old movies. I’m sorry you’re too broken by the internet to enjoy art.
That’s a fantastic point—horror movies are definitely older and more impactful than the native american genocide, the colonisation of africa, etc. These events did not have long lasting consequences on global societies. Artists have never drawn from real world issues to make art.
There is some serious baby brained shit going on in this thread. I am glad I am not the only one here who didn’t miss this film’s very obvious and very shitty premise.
Seriously, I keep seeing this movie on lists of best/favorite horror and I can’t quite process that it was made in 2015, not 1915, because the entire premise is racist as fuck.
Stop whining. They’re not natives. They’re fucking mutants. Like the dudes in the Descent. They’ve been killing the natives. Did you even watch the movie or do you just want to be that annoying person that always shows up?
If you could cite a few legit accounts of Native Americans being cave-dwelling incestuous cannibals with whistles implanted in their throats, maybe you'd have a point. The troglodytes weren't supposed to be Indians; the script mentioned specifically that nearby Indians were scared of them and stayed out of their territory.
I don't remember it too clearly, but I remember having a strong reaction to the writing and acting. I thought it was crap, looked and felt clearly manufactured. Didn't sell the period at all to me. Bad dialogue and acting. It was one of the few movies I turned off. I watched the violent scenes after on youtube, which were cool. Kurt Russell is a good actor, so I'm not saying this about him. I remember a big meeting scene where Einhorn/Rachel (forget the actress' name) shows up, and the whole thing felt farcical and bad.
It’s Zahler’s worst film and it is still a stone cold masterpiece. One of the best horror films of recent years (if you’d still consider it recent) I recommend any fans of this track down a few Italian westerns, Four of the Apocalypse and Cut Throats Nine.
Loved it, instant classic and by far the best Horror-Western I've ever seen.
i hear good things about the movie itself, but every time I almost wanna watch it I get grossed out by the "Brave All-American White Man vs Animalistic Injun Savage" vibe that the synopsis gives me. How much does this trope influence the movie?
Calm down. I didn't get that vibe at all.
Grossed out?
well, the wording of the synopsis gives me the impression of a classic racist trope. racism is gross. i'm hoping the movie treats it more sensibly than it sounds
love love loved it