PopHorror Let's Get Scared
William Instone and Matt Rifely joined forces to create a great slasher movie, Butcher’s Bluff. Though it is my favorite subgenre, I still have limits. Butcher’s Bluff checked almost every box for me. Butcher’s Bluff has all you need to enjoy an absurdly good slasher movie. Everything I love about slashers came to life here, and I was left a feral young kid again, soaking up some over-the-top kills.
Let’s get into the review.
Synopsis
When four college students set out to investigate the legend of the Hogman for their film thesis, they expect to uncover little more than small-town folklore. But as they dig deeper into the dark history of Emerald Falls, they realize the brutal killer may be more than just a myth. Wearing a grotesque hog mask, the Hogman is a relentless force of terror, hunting down anyone who crosses into his domain. As the students’ project turns into a desperate fight for survival, they must unravel the truth behind the blood-soaked legend before they become his next victims.
Packed with gruesome kills, intense suspense, and a heavy dose of ’80s slasher nostalgia, Butcher’s Bluff delivers a wild, gore-filled ride that horror fans won’t want to miss.
The Rundown
Butcher’s Bluff is part of a movement over the past few years to bring back the spirit of the ’80s slasher. Searching for premarital sex and lots of mind-altering substances. The plot is pretty basic, but how in-depth should it get? I see a lot of complaints about that Slasher movie magic lately. We have evolved as a genre to be a little snobby sometimes. The horror genre needs movies like Butcher’s Bluff because it doesn’t stray far from what it should be. Lately, we just can’t let people enjoy things. The era of the armchair critic is here, and it’s after films like this that we are trying to end a legacy of what many of us grew up on.
Butcher’s Bluff takes you somewhere else for a few hours, somewhere familiar and comforting in a twisted way. Are the acting and story phenomenal? Not exactly, but it doesn’t have to be. Sometimes a film can be silly and simple, it gives us that escape from reality for a while. The artistry in the film shows that someone has done their homework on slasher movies. Butcher’s Bluff meets all the criteria of a legendary slasher. Just like Michael Myers or Freddy Krueger, Hogman deserves his recognition. Horror does not need to win Oscars; as a matter of fact, the best horror creators stay far away from awards.
In The End
Butcher’s Bluff has the perfect mix of cringey moments you have to imagine yourself and tasteful gore. There didn’t need to be any over-the-top kills here like we see in Terrifier. Butcher’s Bluff is on its spectrum from modern movies.
I will always support the indie scene because there are so many films like Butcher’s Bluff that do not get the recognition they deserve. The only box that wasn’t checked on my list was the length. Butcher’s Bluff runs a little long at a stern 2 hours, and after a while, you have to fight getting distracted because almost everything happens at once. There are not too many slow and menacing instances, and oddly, that’s OK with me.
Normally, I am the first to complain or notice a squirrel while watching a slasher movie at this length. It was easy to fight off with this film because you feel the love and excitement. Butcvher’s Bluff was made out of pure love and holds a fantastic cast, including a special appearance by Jeremy London (Mallrats, 1995) and starring Bill Oberst Jr. (3 From Hell, 2019).
Give yourself a break and have a good time with Butcher’s Bluff, and if you live in the woods… Leave the light on.
