Butcher Boys (also known as Bone Boys) is a 2012 American horror film directed by Duane Graves and Justin Meeks from a screenplay by Kim Henkel (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, 1974). It stars Ali Faulkner, Edwin Neal, Marilyn Burns (the latter two were also in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, 1974), Johnny Walter, Derek Lee Nixon, John Dugan, Sonny Carl Davis, Tory Tompkins and Gregory Kelly.
A birthday celebration at an upscale restaurant sets in motion events that bring Sissy, her brother, Mikey, and friends, Kenny and Barbie, face to face with the macabre world of the Boneboys. Inspired by Jonathan Swift’s cannibalistic tale A Modest Proposal, the Boneboys are international predators who deal in human flesh – dead or alive. Their hunting grounds are the cities of the world.
“Potentially interesting elements are thrown at us constantly, but none of them are explored enough to paint a complete picture. And there’s not enough gore to make up for the film’s massive narrative shortcomings (though there is one moment of really inventive cannibalistic violence). The film also has a weird penchant for suddenly throwing a line or two from some random old person for no reason. It took me a while to recognize these as awkward Texas Chain Saw Massacre alumni cameos.” Evan Saathoff, Badass Digest
“It’s a hodgepodge of what’s come before, and somewhat lazy in its execution, and even though Butcher Boys finally does find itself in familiar territory, the rest of the film doesn’t really care how it actually gets there in the end. In a film that doesn’t share a title with the Chainsaw legacy, Butcher Boys tries to distance itself from the original in an attempt at social commentary, but at the same time it wants to pay homage to what came before.” Drew Tinnin, Dread Central
“So what else does the film have to offer besides a revisionist tale of madness? A whole lot really. Basically, check your senses at the door and hold on. The entire town is populated with crazies’ straight outta the original Crow comic. Not to say that the film is dated, it’s simply that they don’t really tell these kinda urban decay stories anymore. The film is a kin to classic (or not so classic fare) like Future Kill, but with a more gruesome M.O. In looking at it in terms of a throwback film, this is definitely the way to do it. It’s definitely a retro film, from plotting to style, but it doesn’t rely on cheap gimmicks, film scratches, or obvious visual cues to remind you of its origins.” Christopher Jimenez, Shock Till You Drop
“To say that Butcher Boys is a disappointment is an understatement. Despite something of a novel setup, it’s all down the drain with cardboard characters and borrowing from much better films, topped off with pacing issues and a genuine lack of anything interesting. While it’s nice that Henkel sought to give his fellow Texas Chainsaw Massacreparticipants some work, it does nothing to add to the film, and just cheapens the overall experience. There are better ways to spend 90 minutes of your time. Don’t spend them watching this.” Pat Torfe, Bloody Disgusting
IMDb | Some images courtesy of Necrotic Cinema (also read their negative review)
