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Film: Butchers Bluff
Year: 2023
Director: William Instone and Matt Rifley
Writer: William Instone and Matt Rifley
Starring: Michael Fischer, Paige Steakley and William Instone
Review:
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.
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 mental 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 project. They decide to 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. 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 searching for The Hogman too. 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 here. 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.
My Rating: 7 out of 10