Ladies, gentlemen, and everything in between, I give you my favorite horror film of 2015 so far. Let me preface this review with a few honest facts about me that may or may not have swayed my opinion on this movie.



1. Tombstone is one of my favorite movies ever.

2. I grew up on Kurt Russell (The Thing, Tombstone, Big Trouble in Little China, Backdraft, Overboard, etc)

3. I love slow-burn horror.

Bone Tomahawk, written and directed by S. Craig Zahler, is served best by its incredible cast and simple and effective storyline. Kurt Russell leads as Sheriff Franklyn Hunt, assisted by his "backup deputy," Chicory, played by an absolutely incredible and almost unrecognizable Richard Jenkins, the witty and morally ambiguous John Brooder (Matthew Fox), and desperate-to-save-his-wife-from-cannibals and crippled Arthur O'Dwyer (Patrick Wilson of Conjuring fame). They make a perfect group of old west rough-riders heading into the unknown to save kidnapped loved ones against all odds. It's not exactly a ground-breaking plot line, but it's done damn well.



We open on a couple of cowardly thieves (Sid Haig and David Arquette), slitting the throats of sleeping men to steal from them. They stumble upon sacred tribal ground and quickly pay the price. Arquette's character finds his way to the nearest town and is quickly arrested by Sheriff Hunt. Over the course of the night, the tribe (insidious cannibal sub-humans) come for their escaped prey and kidnap him, taking the town doctor, Mrs. Samantha O'Dwyer (Lili Simmons) and deputy Nick (Evan Jonigkeit) with them. In the morning, the Sherriff rounds up a posse, joined by assistant deputy Chicory, Mrs. O'Dwyer's despondent husband, and local gunslinger John Brooder, who feels responsible for getting the good doctor involved. They head out on the road to save their missing friends and it just gets darker from there. I'm not going to reveal much more of the plot here, because it's just too much fun to watch.

Kurt Russell's Sheriff is a hell of an archetypal character and he plays it effortlessly. He's the thick-mustached, grizzled, no-nonsense lawman who shoots a suspect in the leg quicker than he can take ten steps to the exit of the bar. Throughout the film, Russell keeps this character calm and intimidating in an effortless way, lending a real sense of period drama to the film that holds up throughout. He really provides a rock-solid foundation for the film, even at its most violent and darkest moments.

Honestly, the performance I can't say enough for here is Richard Jenkins'. Having seen him in off-the-wall comedies like Step Brothers, dramas like The Visitor and in small rolls in the horror films The Cabin in the Woods and Let Me In, I knew I liked the man, but holy cow! He takes the best parts of the comic-relief/ol' coot sidekick of the John Wayne western days and injects the character with such a believable sympathetic and loyal personality that really makes you love the guy. Even down to hanging around in his pajamas and continuing to pontificate on nonsense after being politely asked to shut up several times, he rings as a very honest character and is lovingly portrayed.

The pacing in the film is slow, but not boring. Stress and dread build as the four horsemen make their way to the cave-dwellings of the cannibals, but not through any silly stereotypical devices. Music is used incredibly sparingly, the setting is really allowed to speak for itself and the struggles of the protagonists are well-done and never sensationalized. Your patient attention will be rewarded with a good half hour of solid action, violence and horror at the end (seriously, there is a death scene here that's as effective as anything I've seen). The cannibals are scary, the stakes are high and the chaos is merciless. This film is very much aware of its genre(s) and plays into both the Western rescue mission and the grotesque horror film.

Bone Tomahawk is done well enough that it will appeal to fans of horror, fans of westerns, and just fans of good film making. Check it out. For real. It's a great experience.