The Butcher Boys are Rehashing Some Old Meat: A Movie Review

*full disclosure: a DVD screener of this film was provided by Phase 4 Films

Directors: Duane Graves and Justin Meeks.

Writer: Kim Henkel.

Cast: Ali Faulkner, Edwin Neal, Marilyn Burns, Derek Lee Nixon, Karrie Cox and Sonny Carl Davis.

Butcher Boys is a cannibal film set in Texas, from writer Kim Henkel. Horror fans will recognize Henkel's name from the original The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). Henkel is still churning out cannibal films, but the Butcher Boys is tainted meat. Shot on a sparse budget, the Butcher Boys is full of cat and mouse chase sequences and not much more. Instead, the film seems to spin its wheels in the second and third acts.

The story begins with four twentysomethings. You will hardly figure out their names before these two couples are being chased by a group of thugs, straight out of S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders. Several minutes are spent with chase sequences, in an old industrial park. Eventually, the protagonists are caught and spiced up for future eating. Henkel has basically taken a page from Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) and added very little spice.

The Butcher Boys is an homage to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre films. Several actors from these previous films, like Bill Wise (Return of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and Bill Johnson (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2) are shown in cameos. They are usually just dodging the main villains, in a scene or two. They are not necessary to the script or the story. And, the film's premise is based on a dysfunctional, Texas family who are cannibals. Though, the gore and bloodshed is almost completely missing in this newest film. Overall, the Butcher Boys comes across much like a fan film to a bygone era.

The Butcher Boys is not a very good film. From the lack of dialogue, to the over reliance on chase sequences, the Butcher Boys is a letdown. Josh Morrow's music is consistently uneven and eerie. But, the characterizations in this film seem flat. The villains only speak a word or two through the first act and they come across as cardboard cutouts. All of the characters across the board needed more background and more dialogue. As well, the film relies on action rather than story. Actress Ali Faulkner as Sissy is probably running through sixty of the film's eighty plus minutes. This style of action creates some mystery in early sequences. But, by acts two and three, these scenes become repetitive. Also, fans who are looking for some explanation on the film's premise will be disappointed by the conclusion. Instead, this thriller transitions into a mild comedy, in favour of rocket launchers and heroic Mexicans. The story for the film is all over the place. While the Butcher Boys is never boring, the film misses any opportunity to be tense, unsettling or even focused.

The Butcher Boys is not recommended for most horror fans. Fans of Henkel's might be curious as to what he has been up to; he has, simply, been rehashing elements of his earlier work. There is not much new to be seen here and this critic was disappointed by the film, overall. The Butcher Boys lost their mystery early and the movie lost its teeth halfway through the film.

Overall: 5.5 out of 10 (not recommended, little is explained, the film has a surreal atmosphere similar to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2).

Diehard horror fans can find more on the release at Phase 4 Films:

The Butcher Boys at Phase 4 Films


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