Stephen King, the author responsible for horror bestsellers likeThe Shining,It,Pet Sematary, andCarrie, among others, is no stranger to the appraisal of horror movies. His latest endorsement was forBone Tomahawk, theWestern horror film directed by S. Craig Zahler, which he has called “well worth watching.” Using his usual channel of communication, his X account, King wrote a few words of appreciation for the film that, in 2015, shocked every viewer who saw it. The reason? Let King tell you in his post.
King took almost eight years to claim his love for the film, but it’s never too late for cult horror films that feel as original asBone Tomahawk. He was also quite clear about the film’s noteworthy gory scene. In his post, the horror author says:
BONE TOMAHAWK: I was expecting nothing but a time-passer on a rainy Wednesday morning, and got a low-budget Western epic. The dialogue alone makes it well worth watching. Beware the last act, when a man is literally torn apart.
Bone Tomahawk
A few tweets later, he replied and still remarked on the horrific moment in which one of the victims is split apart.For a writer whose work is ridden with violence, it must be difficult to impress King with a gory image(he writes gory scenes with explicit details for a living). It seems Zahler’s film finally made him crack: “What a nice surprise (except for the guy split open, of course, and even that was sickly watchable).”
[https://twitter.com/StephenKing/status/1816104530557251694]
The author’s lovefor Western films is undeniable. Atone point, he called Christopher McQuarrie’sThe Way of the Guna “real classic,” and he also pointed out the importance of movies as an art form: “Movies are the highest popular art of our times, and art has the ability to change lives. That means that some movies matter, and the best matter a lot. Every time I go, I go with the highest of high hopes, my ticket money in one hand and my heart in the other.” Yesterday, King also shared his reaction toThe Thicketpreview, calling the trailer for the Western film with Peter Dinklage “excellent:”
[https://twitter.com/StephenKing/status/1815837454479380598]
Bone Tomahawk Is One of the Best Westerns in Modern Cinema
InBone Tomahawk, Sheriff Franklin Hunt is trying to restore order in his town. It’s the late 1800s, and sometimes laws are just a suggestion. When a thief shows up in his village, he injures the man during the interrogation. Hunt is forced to call Samantha, the doctor’s daughter, to take care of the man’s wounds. However, while Hunt investigates a murder, Samantha is taken. The only clue to her whereabouts is an arrow that links the abduction to a tribe of inbred cannibals. Hunt gathers a party to try and rescue Samantha, but as it turns out, the Troglodytes are nothing like they imagined.
Best Western Horror Movies, Ranked
Merging the Western genre with horror movies is rare, but when attempted, the results are often unique. These are some of the best.
Zahler’s directorial debutbefore he went on to makeBrawl in Cell Block 99andDragged Across Concrete,Bone Tomahawkis a star-studded Western epic that turned into a cult film rather quickly, and many compared it to John Ford’sThe Searchersbecause of obvious plot similarities. The cast includes Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, Zahn McClarnon, Sean Young, Richard Jenkins, Sid Haig, and David Arquette, among others. Upon release, the acclaim by critics was instant (the Rotten Tomatoes score still sits at 91%), which is not very common for a film as insanely violent as this one.Watch it through the links below.
Bone Tomahawkis available to stream forfree on Pluto TV. and also streaming onNetflixandHulu.
