Butchers Bluff

This was a film that I learned about thanks to Lauren from Breaking Glass Pictures. They sent over a press release with the chance to see the screener. The poster that I saw looked interesting. Seeing that this has been doing festivals made me intrigued to check it out, especially since its wide release is 2025. There's another bonus that a member of horror movie podcast groups that I'm in, Michael Fischer, starred. I've also now given it a second watch to see how it held up.

Synopsis: when a group of students are looking to make a documentary about the legendary killer The Hogman (William Instone), they get more than they bargained for in this modern take on 1980s slashers.

We start this off with a cold open. There is a couple in a truck, with the male being Chris (Jeremy London). They're hooking up. They take a break to use the bathroom and she is nervous about someone watching them. They're then attacked by this figure in a pig mask.

It is from there that we get the opening titles. Underneath are images of people being brutally killed. We also start to learn more about our killer, The Hogman. It is thought to be a mentally disturbed boy who escaped from a nearby institution. The people of the town know the lore, they tend to stay away from the woods, but no one is fully sure if The Hogman truly exists.

This story is what draws Rodger (Fischer), Nicole (Paige Steakley) and Derick (Johnny Huang). They see an easy opportunity to make a documentary for a school project. They also invite along friends to make the most of the trip. They include Rodger's friend Bobby (Dakota Millett) as well Jake (Santiago Sky), Tina (Kayla Anderson) and Samantha (Samantha Holland). Something here is that Bobby tries too hard to hook up with the women and they mock him for it.

They arrive and catch the attention of Sheriff Joe (Paul T. Taylor). He doesn't believe in the legend, but also doesn't want them messing around in the woods. Others living here who get interviewed are Mrs. Carpenter (Brinke Stevens) and Jed (Bill Oberst Jr.). There are varying people that claim to have seen The Hogman and tell their stories. Our team gets to see that he's all too real and this trip turns into a nightmare.

That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I'll start is with my own history with slasher films. Growing up, I loved them. I've come to realize that my favorites are the classics. The next tier has ones that I enjoy. It then comes down to two things for me. We need to either have good characters or kills. Interestingly, this one does have both. Let me delve more into what I thought then for this one.

Starting with the premise, I rather enjoyed that. It feels like it is paying homage to something like Friday the 13th, The Burning, Madman or any of the slasher films where there is this local legend about the killer. This gives just enough backstory and mystery to make our characters wonder who is committing these crimes. It even uses the troupe where it is told over a campfire. There's that element of our group we follow are outsiders. This is a small out of the way village. It made me wonder, did our group cause the killings to happen due to them going to places they shouldn't or is this just something that's been building and finally broke. Gary (Shawn C. Phillips) and a couple of hunters go out to steal marijuana. They get more than they bargained for. That was good to increase the body count. I also like this theme of staying out of the woods and not going places you don't belong. This setup works for me.

Then to start getting into what I look for in this subgenre, let's discuss the characters. Rodger and his crew are interesting. Not all the characters are likeable, but that's not an issue. It works in its favor as they're all distinct. We then have an interesting group of townspeople, who aren't as recognizable but that feature cameos by the likes of Stevens, Oberst, Phillips and London. We have a larger number of characters for cannon fodder. When it comes to slasher films, that works in its favor so I'll credit there.

Let's shift over to talk about the acting performances. This is the first thing I've seen Fischer in and I'll be honest, he's solid. He was my favorite character. Credit to his performance. Steakley, Huang, Millet, Sky, Anderson and Holland are all distinct in their roles as this main group. That worked. The cameos that I referenced previously were fun. I could see them pulling in viewers potentially. Taylor is good as the sheriff as well. Instone brings good size to The Hogman. Everyone fits their role for a movie like this.

All that is left then would be the filmmaking aspects. The first thing is that we have a great setting. This takes place in a cabin near the woods. Classic slasher set up there. I thought that the cinematography and framing capture the setting. The nearby small town adds to it as well. Something that was impressive was the kills. This goes brutal at times without going over the top. They do cut away and my guess is that this was practically done so they hid the seams. Credit to the team there. The killer wearing a pig mask is good. I appreciated that. The soundtrack and design also fit. There is a major gripe that I have is that this runs too long. Trimming this to 90 minutes would be best. Even just 15 minutes off could help. I also don't love that this ends with a potential set up for a sequel. It just feels a bit incomplete for how long it goes on.

In conclusion, I rather enjoyed this homage to slashers of the 1980s. This is inspired by the set-up, location and the folklore. We have a distinct enough group of characters as well as enough to be 'cannon fodder'. The acting was good in bringing them to life. We got a solid array of brutal kills, which made me smile. I'd also say this was made well with the practical effects, cinematography, framing and setting leading the way. The biggest gripe that I have is that this runs too long. It bogs down a bit due to that while also not ruining this. If you're a slasher fan, I'd recommend checking this out. It also held up with a second go around, I will admit though, I felt the runtime even more.

My Rating: 7 out of 10.

Curious about a local legend, a group of students decides to investigate a famed serial killer said to live in the local woods and begin shooting their documentary about him, only to realize there's a real killer in the woods far more dangerous than they expected and must get out alive.

This was a fairly intriguing if somewhat flawed indie slasher. Among the bright spots here is a rather solid and engaging throwback-style setup that provides this one with the proper tone and feel for this kind of film. The perfect small-town type of story here focusing on the backstory of the kid who went crazy on the kids who bullied him, forcing him into the sanitarium to pay for his crimes, and then escaping to go on a rampage against the citizens makes this appropriately old-school as a nice bit of information on the killer. The idea of tying this into the series of disappearances and missing persons' cases over the years involving the people that are known to be attacked and missing through family reports and missing persons' cases as well as the series of random passersby that get knocked off make everything here settle into a solid enough story to get the filmmakers' attention to do a story on. This gets them into the woods to investigate everything while also making the locals noteworthy for their reluctance and warnings to keep away. That provides a solid setup so that the series of stalking and encounters that take place with the killer loose in the area. The initial series of indie stalking and quick-shot ambushes come into play here with the series of random figures brought into the film to serve as a quick death including the couple who get struck with car trouble on the side of the road, a resident who they try to interview, or the hikers out in the woods looking for a secret stash they believe is in the woods. These set the stage for more involved and engrossing setpieces including the series of attacks in the woods chasing around the group who go out wandering around looking for pieces to their project. Featuring some effective practical effects and creative setups to handle the carnage on display with the hulking killer chasing and slaughtering them through the woods, giving it some likable enough features. There are some issues here holding this one back. The main overriding drawback is the obviously apparent and egregious length here as there's no earthly reason an indie film of this caliber should run over two hours. There's a lot of extra padding here, either letting scenes run on way too long, have no purpose for being there other than to provide a cameo for someone of supposed importance to sell the film on or letting multiple scenes play out that could've been combined into one without letting excessive moments play out. It feels its length quite easily with these unnecessary features and desperately needs a trim to get to a more reasonable and appropriate old-school setup that's being attempted here. That would also be fine in eliminating some of the cliches present here, which tends to become quite apparent early on, making for a not-as-shocking finale as it thinks it is when it drops a revelation coming from a mile away that's supposed to be clever. Overall, these are what manage to hold this one back.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, Nudity, a sex scene, and drug use.

The other reviews will be best for finding out about the film. Mine is more about bringing some balance.

I came across this title by accident and was excited when I saw a 7/10 on IMDb. 7/10 is pretty difficult for horror films to get so thought oh this must be great. Nope, acting was mid and disjointed, editing was off - always too long a pause between characters, pacing was very slow with no real payoff in either creepiness or scares. Other than sharing 80's tropes this really doesn't feel like 80's horror at all. More like everything else Tubi has at the moment.

The 7/10 must be bot inflated because whilst this is not a bad horror film it really is just very average so would realistically be around 4/10.

In the moonlit thickets of Texas, where shadows whisper of forgotten sins, Butcher's Bluff (2023), directed by William Instone and Matt Rifley, unleashes a blood-soaked love letter to the slasher golden age. This indie horror gem follows a group of Austin film students-led by Michael Fischer's earnest Roger, Paige Steakley's haunted Nicole, and Johnny Huang's brash Derick-who venture into the eerie hamlet of Emerald Falls to document the legend of the Hogman, a pig-masked killer tied to 28 vanishings over two decades. Written by Instone and Renfield Rasputin, produced by Instone, Rifley, and a dedicated micro-budget crew, and backed by Breaking Glass Pictures, this film revels in its 1980s-inspired carnage while carving out a distinct, if uneven, place in the modern horror canon.

From the opening frame-a lurid, breast-baring pickup truck tryst that ends in a brutal Hogman ambush-Butcher's Bluff grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go. Instone and Rifley's direction channels the raw, unpolished energy of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), with Joe Castro's practical gore effects delivering jaw-dropping kills: think heads cleaved in half and bodies skewered with grotesque ingenuity. The Hogman (played with hulking menace by Instone himself) is a standout, his hand-stitched pig mask looming like a nightmare stitched from Leatherface and Jason Voorhees' DNA. The cinematography, led by Robert T. McDorman and Ronald Mercado, paints Emerald Falls with a gritty, sepia-toned dread, while the soundscape is a visceral triumph. Mikael Johnston of Mephisto Odyssey, wielding his re-recording mixing and sound editing prowess, crafts an auditory slaughterhouse-every squelch of blood, snap of bone, and rustle of leaves pulses with primal terror, amplifying the Hogman's presence into a sonic specter that haunts long after the credits roll. Johnston's work, like a butcher's cleaver, cuts through the film's low-budget constraints, making each kill resonate with bone-chilling clarity.

The cast, peppered with horror veterans like Bill Oberst Jr., Brinke Stevens, and Paul T. Taylor's grizzled Sheriff Joe, brings surprising depth to a familiar setup. Fischer's Roger is a relatable everyman, while Steakley's Nicole offers a compelling emotional tether to the killer's lore, hinting at deeper traumas. The film's themes-bullying's lasting scars, the voyeuristic thrill of urban legends-add a layer of psychological heft, though it never strays far from its gleeful body count. Cameos from Felissa Rose and Tuesday Knight are delicious nods to slasher fandom, ensuring a wink to those in the know.

Yet, Butcher's Bluff isn't without its missteps. Clocking in at a bloated two hours, the pacing sags in the middle, with some scenes lingering like a guest who overstays their welcome at a bloodbath. The script, while earnest, occasionally leans on tired tropes-stoner sidekicks and disposable locals-that feel more derivative than homage. Characters like Samantha (Samantha Holland) and Bobby (Dakota Millett) could use more fleshing out to earn their gruesome fates. These flaws, though, are forgivable in a film that swings so boldly for the fences on a shoestring budget.

Butcher's Bluff earns a robust 8/10-a must-watch for slasher purists craving a nostalgic gut-punch. It stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Hatchet (2006) for its unapologetic gore and The Burning (1981) for its campfire-legend vibe, cementing Instone as a director to watch. Johnston's sound work, in particular, deserves a standing ovation, turning every scream into a symphony of dread.

In the end, Butcher's Bluff reminds us that fear lurks not just in the woods, but in the echoes of our own cruelty, amplified by a soundscape that cuts as deep as the Hogman's blade.

Dr. Elias Dread.

Butchers Bluff swings straight from the blood-soaked heart of 80s slashers, campy, chaotic, and chopped full of carnage. The kills? Axes to the max. The practical effects are killer (literally). It doesn't just nod to the classics, it charges at them with an axe. The story takes you on a wild ride and the characters are true to any old 80s horror film. This movie is horrific and bloody disgusting in the best way!

I met The Hog Man himself in Texas on Saturday... and lived to squeal about it. If you love your horror; wild, gory, and grinning with menace, Butchers Bluff is a must-chop... I mean, must-watch.