Butcher’s Bluff

All sorts of decorations and furniture pieces made with skulls and bone are on display in the Hogman’s lair. Amongst the remains are ruined little girl dolls, which always works with making everything creepy to the max. The only drawback is that Instone and Rasputin also emulate the storyline of the first Chainsaw, which leads to some predictable outcomes.

However, it would be a crime for a made-in-Texas horror movie not to pay tribute to the big daddy of them all, so everything derivative is forgiven. Also, talk about living the dream—the director of the horror movie, playing the masked killer. It’s like Argento’s stabbing glove taken to the nth degree. Bravo, sir! Also, bravo for the well-played cameo by ’80s scream queen Brinke Stevens as the hat shop owner.

As is the defining feature of the heritage slasher—to honor all of the classic slasher tropes—Butcher’s Bluff goes out of its way to deliver an old-school bloodbath to wash away life’s boredom. Extra points are being given for telling the campfire story that sets up the killer’s legend around an actual campfire.

“Butcher’s Bluff doesn’t stray from the well-taken paths, and that is part of the fun.”

Like a lot of those heavily censored slashers of yesteryear, the film is strategic with its bloodshed, going for impact instead of volume. The special effects by Jenna Green have long fangs that dig deep, especially the two exceptionally effective beheadings, both being violently yummy.

There is also some beautiful bloody corpse nudity that hits as hard as the visuals from the back cover of a Witchfinder General album. The ample helpings of skin included also harken back to the traditions of the slasher, though more from the degenerate boobs-and-blood period. However, the film manages to handle its bra removals strategically so as not to overwhelm the dread stream with nipple ripples.

The kill scenes are a little abrupt, as sometimes the Hogman is a one-chop chump and murders too quickly. Better to build up the suspense with some stalking, which works well here when it is done. Everything is set up for a sequel that I am eager to see, especially since it will need to rely on a more advanced plot structure.

Butcher’s Bluff doesn’t stray from the well-taken paths, and that is part of the fun. For a good old-fashioned scare-fest, call this film’s bluff and watch it.