The following contains descriptions of gore and death from the filmBone Tomahawk, now streaming on Netflix
Summary
Bone Tomahawkhas one of the single most brutal deaths in cinematic history, and it still haunts me even a decade after the film debuted. Starring Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, Richard Jenkins, Lili Simmons, Zahn McClarnon, and David Arquette, Bone Tomahawk focuses on a small town in the old west who find themselves dealing with a cannibalistic tribe hiding in the nearby mountain caves. Theold-school western vibes ofBone Tomahawkdraw the viewers in, but the film is far more of a horror movie than it initially lets on.
I certainly wasn’t expecting it to become as brutal as it does, but the “Troglodytes” are a truly terrifying threat throughout the film. As the movie goes on and I saw more of their treatment of their own clan as well as their prisoners, I embraced the film’s increasing shift towards horror. Even then, I wasn’t ready forBone Tomahawk’s most gruesome death scene, which still ranks among the most gruesome things I’ve ever seen in a horror movie.
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Bone Tomahawk’s Most Brutal Death, Explained
Not For The Faint Of Heart
Bone Tomahawk’s most memorable moment is also its most brutal death, as the dismemberment of Evan Jonigkeit’s Deputy Nick is absolutely horrifying.Bone Tomahawkfocuses on Kurt Russell’s Sheriff Franklin Hunt, who embarks on a mission into the nearby mountains after multiple townsfolk are captured or killed by the nearby hidden clan of Troglodytes. After being captured and brought into the caves, alongside Deputy Chicory, Hunt is forced to watch as the Troglodytes strip the still alive Nick before scalping him. After stuffing his mouth with the top of his own head.
After that, they turn him upside down and chop him in half, starting from the groin, andultimately pull him apart before eating him. It’s an absolutely horrifying turn of events, the most brutal death in a movie full of them. It’s never hidden from the viewer, with the audience stuck watching it all happen alongside Hunt. The first time I sawBone Tomahawk, the sequence shocked me. Even when aware that the film was willing to feature plenty of gore, I was unprepared for just how far the movie would be willing to take things.
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Almost A Decade Later,Bone Tomahawk’s Most Brutal Kill Still Stands Out
The horror genre has never been a stranger to over-the-top death scenes. Manyhorror films have tried to one-up another with their most brutal deaths. Movies likeTerriferandMidsommarhave featured some pretty gruesome death scenes.In A Violent Naturelikewise features a truly ridiculous death scene for Aurora, where she gets her head pulled through a hole punched through her stomach by the murderous masked killer, Johnny. However, there’s something to be said for justhow harrowing and hopeless Nick’s death inBone Tomahawkfeels.
Bone Tomahawkadds a layer of in-universe horror by having multiple characters witness the demise. Part of the scene’s terror is watching Hunt try to give Nick comfort by promising to send his belongings to his relatives and vowing vengeance. By the end of the scene, even that bravado fades. Hunt can only watch in muted terror as his deputy is pulled apart in a truly brutal fashion, with the dawning horror that he may be next also washing over the audience. This touch adds to the horror of the situation and makes the scene even more brutal.
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Bone Tomahawk Still Gives Me Nightmares Almost A Decade After It Came Out
Bone TomahawkIs One Of The Most Brutal Horror Movies I’ve Ever Seen
There’s something to be said for a movie that can surprise even seasoned fans. As someone who’s grown up watching horror movies, I’m more than familiar with blood and gore. However, the sheer vicious nature and simple blunt depiction of Nick’s death makeBone Tomahawkone of the most memorable horrifying filmsI’ve ever seen. Revisiting it brings back the terrible anticipation I had the first time I saw the movie. A friend who’d recommended it told me that the film had teased the movie had “one scene” I’d never forget, and he was right.
Bone Tomahawkis a compelling horror film partlybecause it initially doesn’t seem like one. At the onset, the film appears to be a more traditional Western, that steadily reveals the true monstrous nature of the threat hiding in the shadows. It’s only when the heroes are captured that they (and the audience) realize the true depths the film is willing to mine. It’s a very brutal and effective tonal shift that transforms the film around it, and that helps elevateBone Tomahawkas an underrated horror classic.
Bone Tomahawk
Cast
Bone Tomahawk is a Western film that follows Sheriff Franklin Hunt, who gathers together a group of fighters to save three kidnapped victims from a clan of cannibals. After the town’s doctor is kidnapped along with two others, forcing the sheriff to partner with the town’s Native American professor and find the tribe before it’s too late.
