PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I’m a huge fan of slacker comedies (mainly Kevin Smith’s films) as well as horror comedies. Butcher The Bakers, the latest indie horror film from Tyler Amm, is one that combines the two to frequently hilarious and gory results.
Butcher the Bakers is the latest film from Tyler Amm (Grace’s Room 2016) from a script he wrote with Virginia Campbell (who also wrote Grace’s Room). The film stars Ryan Matthew Ziegler (Grace’s Room 2016), Sean Walsh (Grace’s Room 2016), Alex Dittmer (River City Panic 2015), Mike Behrens, Lisa Wojcik, Devon Ford, Joe Buckley (Honeycrisp 2017), Nicholas Swartz (Grace’s Room 2016), Renee Renholder, and Dan Churney (River City Panic 2015).
Synopsis for Butcher the Bakers:
Recently fired, a grim reaper terrorizes a small town, killing and collecting souls for a purpose only he knows. Sam and Martin, slackers who work at the local bakery, are hired by a mysterious stranger to stop him from killing again.
Butcher the Bakers is a hell of a lot of fun. The film owes a great deal to previous slacker comedies, namely Clerks and the Bill and Ted series. It manages to tap into what made those films so great – memorable and likable characters and crazy situations – all on an indie film budget. These characters would be nothing without an excellent cast (most of them newcomers). Ryan Matthew Ziegler and Sean Walsh play Martin and Sam, the lovable loser bakers of the title. Their interaction and banter make the film a blast to watch, even before all hell breaks loose.
As much as I loved these guys, my favorites were Lisa Wojcik and Devon Ford as Pat and Dani, two friends out to avenge the death of Dani’s father, which intersects with the quest of the film’s unlikely heroes. Wojcik and Ford have excellent chemistry with each other, and I couldn’t get enough of them. Pat is loud, vulgar, and the best friend Dani could ask for. Dani is obsessed with her quest for vengeance to the point that she is pretty fucking scary, but ultimately still lovable. These two characters could use a spinoff.
Rounding out our heroes is Joe, a lovable yet batshit crazy sidekick who is spawned from the villain’s picky nail. I shit you not. Mike Behrens and Rene Renholder do great jobs as the villains, Drag and Bones. Drag reminded me of the glory days of ’90s films where wrestlers frequently played villains and Bones being calm and cool… until the time comes to kill, and she loses her shit. The film features enough one-liners and gags to please horror comedy fans and enough carnage and grue to satisfy gorehounds.
Final Thoughts
Butcher the Bakers is gruesome horror comedy that is an absolute blast from start to finish. The film is chock full of gore, one-liners, and fun and memorable characters. If you are a fan of slacker comedies, horror comedies or just like indie horror in general, you can’t go wrong with Butcher the Bakers.
