Lion Gates Home Entertainment has been getting their hands on quite a few low budget horror films as of late, some are good, some are bad, but all in all it’s good to see a company that gives some of these films and the people involved a chance to break out. Now most films will be ripped to shreds by critics and horror fans alike. Mainly because they are kind or boring or out of touch. And this is true with most direct to DVD horror films. However this film, The Butcher can be debated for hours, it is a film that does take a lot from other movies, however the quality of production value and acting is a lot better than expected.
The Butcher is a kind of a mix between Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Hills Have Eyes, and oddly enough, The People Under the Stairs. The film follows a bunch of twenty something year old kids, who are on their way to Las Vegas on vacation. Well like with most films, they run onto a side road and run into a crazy guy driving a truck via what seems to resemble the Jeepers Creepers Truck. While placing a bet playing stripe poker in the car one of the girls is dared to flash the guy in the truck while doing so from the sunroof of the truck. They are then run forced to run the car off the road into a low wooded area, because of someone running in front of the truck. Thus causing the girl with half her body out of the sun roof to be split in half from the waist up by the car going underneath a low hanging tree limb. Scared and not knowing what to do, the group of young people flee the truck to go and search for help. They see smoke in the air a few miles away and walk towards it, when they arrive there they film the house used in The Devil’s Reject’s. (It’s true, The actual house used in The Devil’s Reject’s was used for exterior shots for The Butcher as well.) They find the house and see that the smoke was coming from a garbage pit. They walk towards the house and this is where the terror begins.
You can see how this film relates in more ways than one to a lot of well known horror films, it’s made very apparent throughout the whole film, and I know that this tends to turn many people off. However although it sound like just another rip off, it is in fact a lot better than most of the other rip off horror films out there. The script is not half bad, although towards the end things become a bit confusing when it comes to describing the history of the family. But overall it’s a well produced and well paced script, that will at least keep your attention.
I will praise most of the acting in this film. I was very surprised that the acting was so well, that I honestly think it hurt the film overall. First and foremost Catherine Wreford performance as Rachel was great, not only is she a great looking girl, but she has one hell of an acting ability, she was very convincing and was well cast in the lead role. Same goes for Annie Mackay as Angel, a hard part indeed to follow, and she did a great job with that part as well. Alan Ritchson was probably the best annoying guy I’ve ever seen in an indie horror film, as much as his character did piss me off. The rest of the cast was very dam good, and my hats are off to them. Not once did I roll my eyes at this cast, and trust me with these kind of films I’m always bitching about the acting. Edward Gorsuch did a great job directing this cast as well. Can’t give the actors all the credit.
The Special Effect were pretty good, I mean there is no CGI really, if their was I missed it. But the make-up effects were pretty dam good. The overall production value was pretty good also. My only complaint was that I thought the film should of been lit a bit more darker to make the overall film seem a bit more eerie. I though they used to much harsh lighting on the film and it took away from the overall scare factor.
Overall, The Butcher is a pretty decent Direct to DVD film. It’s not the best movie in the world, and I’m sure plenty of horror fans will be turned off with the fact that the idea has been done before, and the fact that it is very similar to a lot of popular horror favorites. However I saw past that and I think it’s a pretty decent homage film overall. It’s worth renting or maybe even buying. In my opinion, if your going to copy an idea from a great horror film, this is the way the film should at least be made. With good acting, and decent production value.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
