It’s a foursome of flicks about big baddies in the woods bashing brains left and right, but the difference is day and night. Like, literally, some of them take place in daylight, and others in the dark.
CREEPER IN THE WOODS (2025)
This movie is 80 minutes long, yet after the opening kill, the next kill doesn’t happen until about 50 minutes in.
The first kill scene is simple but serviceable. A couple having sex by a lake gets stabbed with a pitchfork.
Then we meet some main characters as they chat while playing pool at a bar. A pregnancy is mentioned, but it doesn’t play any role in the rest of the movie. Neither does much character development or subplots. There are, however, two actors from Psycho Science, which I just covered the other day.
Our main group of friends heads into the wilderness to camp. The fact that the whole movie takes place in daylight makes it really obvious that the same location is used over and over—a perfectly mowed, car-width path in “the middle of nowhere”.
There’s a camp setup montage, the group sits around talking, and then they go exploring…on that mowed path.
43 minutes in, we are introduced to a threatening redneck dude. Then we meet his brother, who wears an animal skull mask. The first kill is with a gun. Yawn. But after that, there are plenty of stabbings. Nothing all that gory, but at least there’s blood.
It’s just a series of chase scenes—down that mowed path—as the friends try to escape the baddies and eventually fight back.
In the end, one survivor hops into a car that’s driving by on the deserted road at just the right time. If you can’t guess the twist, you’re a total horror amateur.
My favorite part of the film is the song used during the end credits. “The Last Time” by 10eighty6 is definitely getting played on my Future Flashbacks show.
BUTCHERS BOOK TWO: RAGHORN (2024)
This sequel to Butchers, about a cannibal family in the woods with one mutant goon member (that we never actually get to see a full-on, clear face shot of), doesn’t seem to be connected to the first film as far as I can tell. There are no retuning actors, and the names of the characters in the family are not the same.
The opener is a goodie, with the mutant squishing a woman’s head with his hand. No CGI here. It’s all practical effects gore.
Then we meet the very unpleasant main group. They’ve clearly done something illegal and are on the run in a car on a desolate road, but there isn’t much depth of plot or characters here either. The group argues, they hit a deer, and the leader of their pack dies (and he’s played by the shirtless bully from Ghoul House, which I covered in the same post as Psycho Science!).
Turns out the group has someone tied up in the trunk of the car. They take the prisoner out and traipse through the woods. They are abducted by the cannibal family and brought to a cabin for some torture.
The movie is grisly, including a graphic penis severing, but don’t expect suspense or scares. Or any nighttime scenes for that matter. This is another movie that takes place entirely during the day. However, there is one unique twist, and it involves an androgynous main character without any real acknowledgment or explanation. Cool.
BUTCHERS BOOK THREE: BONESAW (2024)
So, there’s definitely no connection between the three Butchers movies other than the goon whose face barely see. And that’s okay, because each film really has a vibe all its own.
This one takes place entirely at night and is sleazy and gory. It’s a bit long for what little story it has to offer, but it really captures the feel of the brutal hack n’ slash movies of the Wrong Turn era.
This time, the goon is working totally alone…out of a van…in the area surrounding a strip club. The setting feels more urban than backwoods, but there is a whole lot of desolate road stuff going on, so I guess it’s still supposed to be a rural area or small town.
The goon hacks up plenty of random victims in the back of his van, but he also gets drawn into the drama of the strippers from the club. One girl has been fired. Another girl is buying drugs from a dealer and then selling them for a profit at the club. And a third girl consults a psychic to determine her future. The prediction couldn’t be clearer, yet she still ends up in the back of the van.
The gritty look and feel are perfect, a guy whips out his dick for a blowjob (blurry shot), there are gruesome mutilations, the goon finally mutters some dialogue, and two of the strippers have a great final battle with the goon in his van, which even leads to a car chase! Despite being longer than necessary, I definitely like the dark tone of this one better than Book 2.
MR. BUZZKILL (2025)
What a great title for a slasher about a killer wielding a buzzsaw. The film runs only 73 minutes long, and while it’s essentially a straightforward slasher with tight kills balanced by subtle humorous moments, it takes a roundabout narrative approach.
It’s the 26th anniversary of a massacre of the Mr. Buzzkill massacre. A group of friends is hanging out at a campfire near the site of the slashing, so naturally the conversation turns to the kills.
We learn how Mr. Buzzkill became a masked killer as a child, then we see a quick series of his kills as an adult (all daylight scenes), including lots of boobs, and a girl who cries and screams like Tara Reid in Urban Legend. Awesome.
Next, the campfire story turns to the tale of a group of friends that went to party at a cabin in the woods and was then slaughtered by Mr. Buzzkill. This is where you get the traditional template, with them partying, having sex, and being sliced, diced, and sawed by Mr.Buzzkill, who has a great, ominous presence.
Like I said, the humor is understated, but indie horror king Jason Crowe is the one who gave me a giggle…right before a gruesome death by bong.
The main slasher segment takes place at night, and the kills are delivered with indie horror practical effects perfection. There’s a chase scene, cops show up to raise the body count, and then the movie ends with no resolution, promising a sequel.
