Why Bone Tomahawk's Death Scene Is So Gruesome (2024)

Director S. Craig Zahler has received a reputation for his unflinching portrayals of gruesome violence, but perhaps none of his cinematic moments matched quite the same levels of disturbing brutality as the infamous scene from his debut feature, Bone Tomahawk. The horror Western is a slow-moving but suspenseful narrative that follows a vengeful posse as they hunt for a clan of cannibalistic cave-dwellers that terrorizes their small town. Zahler holds back from showing any extreme gore for the majority of the film, but his restraint pays off in the explosively bloody Bone Tomahawk death scene towards the climax.

Despite its horror premise, Bone Tomahawk is a genre-bending affair that mixes elements of mystery, action-adventure, and, of course, Western genres in its story. It's also highly influenced by Italian cannibal films, a subgenre with its own notorious penchant for outrageous death scenes. Stretching over two hours in length, Zahler's script establishes character motivations and stakes before it lets loose a flurry of bloodshed in the final act.

What Happens In Bone Tomahawk's Brutal Death Scene

The Cannibals Pull No Punches In The Western Horror

While the movie hints at the cannibal tribe's gruesome deeds throughout, absolutely nothing prepares viewers for the brutality Zahler puts on full display during the film's most infamous scene. As a frightened Nick is pulled out of his cage by a group of cannibals, Sherriff Hunt tries in vain to escape from his cell. He can do nothing but witness his friend and deputy get stripped down naked and scalped alive as he promises that the cavalry is on its way to wreak vengeance, even though this is a lie.

All the while, Nick is still conscious, screaming in agony as his captors nail his scalp to the inside of his mouth and turn him over so that his exposed skull is touching the ground. His torturers then spread his legs open and gash his crotch open with a tomahawk, using their strength to finish the job and rip him in two. In an emotional coda to the traumatizing moment, Hunt reveals to Chicory that he would have wanted to believe that cavalry was coming if he were in the same situation.

The way the camera lingers on Nick's execution allows the viewer to take in every gruesome detail of the slaughter, effectively placing the audience in Sheriff Hunt's eyes. The sound design also adds to the sickening atmosphere, as Nick's wails cut through the cave and are muffled by his own scalp as it's stuffed into his mouth, finally subsiding with the crunch and tear of his bisection. Finally, Hunt's reassurances show that he cares about Nick, adding a layer of tragedy to the horrifying mess.

Why The Bone Tomahawk Death Scene Hits So Hard

The Kill Feels So Brutal Because Of A Skillful Director

The Bone Tomahawk death scene demonstrates the directorial finesse of S. Craig Zahler. A key reason it's so shocking is the effective slow burn that is the rest of the movie. After spending so long with the cast without much bloodshed, the moment Nick's death arrives becomes much more impactful than it would have been had the story contained more violence.

The main cast of Bone Tomahawk consists of Sheriff Franklin Hunt (Kurt Russell), his backup deputy Chicory (Richard Jenkins), the mysterious gunslinger John Brooder (Matthew Fox), and injured foreman Arthur O'Dwyer (Patrick Wilson), all with their own reasons for hunting down the mutated tribesmen. The audience travels with this group as Zahler waits to reveal the cannibals the men are searching for, adding to the terror and shock when Sherriff Hunt and Chicory are captured and witness the horrific ways in which the cannibals punish their prisoners.

The two lawmen eventually meet up with Deputy Nick and O'Dwyer's wife, Samantha. As the panicked Nick explains that the man-eating tribe has already eaten their fellow prisoner, the tension rackets up as the audience becomes more familiar with the clan's ruthless mentality. These troglodytes are animalistic enough to engage in feral acts of violence but intelligent enough to understand that imprisoning people means they can save them for later meals.

By the time Nick's death finally arrives, the information Zahler has drip-fed to the audience has built enough dread to make it feel truly horrific. Plus, at this point in Bone Tomahawk, the audience has also spent significant time traveling with the same group of people, which means viewers are fully invested in their fates. All of these elements combined make Bone Tomahawk one of the gruesomest and most disturbing death scenes in recent horror memory.

Bone Tomahawk Has Another Gruesome Scene

The Troglodytes Are Equally Brutal To Their Own

While Nick’s horrific demise stands out for good reason, Bone Tomahawk is a movie filled with violent and shocking moments that leave the audience deeply unsettled. In fact, it could be argued that Nick’s fate in the movie is not even the worst out of all the horrors encountered. Near the end of Bone Tomahawk, the heroes are making their escape from the cave when they come across a disturbing scene of two pregnant Troglodyte women, with their limbs amputated and stakes through their eyes to blind them.

It is a quick moment that doesn’t allow the audience to linger on it as much as it does with Nick’s death. However, the implications are clear. These women are used for breeding within the tribe but live a tortured life of being unable to move and unable to see.

While Nick suffered greatly before he died, these women are left to linger in agony for a long period, treated inhumanly and horrifically abused. It is another sign that S. Craig Zahler is not shy about making his viewers encounter some truly upsetting things that will stick with them long after the credits roll.

Bone Tomahawk

Western

Adventure

Documentary

Horror

Thriller

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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.

Director

S. Craig Zahler

Release Date

October 23, 2015

Cast

Patrick Wilson , Kurt Russell , Sean Young , Lili Simmons , Matthew Fox , Zahn McClarnon

Runtime

132 minutes