It is always entertaining to watch slasher films were sadistic killers become limited by an opponent they considered their next victim. Unfortunately this is not the case for Butchers as it lags behind, repeatedly stalling the formula without any satisfaction.

During the summer of 1998, four friends are on a road trip to celebrate Jenna’s (Julie Mainville) birthday. The radiator seems to fail and they decide to ask for help at the next gas station. This unleashes a chain of horrors, for whatever is left to be seen, caused by a couple of brothers who slashes everyone that stands in their way. Filled with secrets and moments that seem to be interesting, the only remaining question is what this group of friends will do to keep themselves safe. Basically, not much because they forget quickly, even their survival instinct remains incognito.

Butchers is not a terrible movie but it is a tired movie drained of energy and ideas. The concept is good–there are many films with identical plots. But, the difference from other movies in the Butchers category, considering only those that fall into an average favorable range, is the lack of motive and this is an element that even the antagonist uses as a rhetorical question to poke fun at–and yet we never get an answer.

At the beginning we can see how the characters are somewhat empty but begin to fill their own profiles as the story progresses and details of each one are aware. However, the story takes so many twists and turns and always only to return to the same spot. The way the active sequences make you believe that some lucky turn is on the way, allows you to wonder if the surprise factor will be present at all times— and wonder is all you might do. When you think something will happen, nothing actually happens and the story repeats itself all the way to the ending.

The only thing that stands out from this tumultuous film is the photography; it is clear, precise, has good angles and natural colors that give the right vibe for the era it represents— not to mention that the fashion used was more of the beginning of the decade.

Butchers tries to bring in fresh meat without sustenance by replicating a bit of movies like Wrong Turn and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and it probably would have been a hit in the decade it was based on. The only unexpected twist is finding out who the central character in the film really is–though compared to 2000’s movies, the surprise could get spoiled.

5 OUT OF 10 BONESAWS