Butchers is a horror movie directed by Adrian Langley. It stars Simon Phillips, Michael Swatton, Julie Mainville, James Hicks, Anne-Carolyne Binnette, Nick Allan, Samantha De Benedet, Frederick Storm, and Blake Canning. It was released on 12th January 2021 on Video on Demand.
Jenna (Julie Mainville) and Taylor (Anne-Carolyne Binette) and their boyfriends Chris (Frederik Storm) and Mike (James Hicks) are going back home after celebrating Jenna's birthday but in the middle of nowhere, their car breaks down. One couple heads out to find some help while the other stays with the car. They found a local garage run by the Watson brothers, Owen (Simon Phillips) and Oswald (Michael Swatton). The four friends soon get into trouble as the help is the last thing the mechanic brothers have in their mind and they see the four as nothing more than a lump of meat.
The film is penned by Adrian Langley and Daniel Weissenberger. The film is not at all original or fresh and seems to have taken inspiration from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Wrong Turn, The Hills Have Eyes and even The Midnight Meat Train. The story is set in 1998, that's why cellphones are absent otherwise it could have ruined it more by delivering cliched lines, "Do you have any signal?", " No Bars!!". The characters are also not that different and are very conventional and common characters like the ones you find in these films generally.
The portrayals of the villains are nicely done and don't feels annoying but frankly saying I signed up for this B-Horror film as after seeing the trailer, the violence, and the chaos, I was looking for hardcore violence and gore like Eli Roth's movie. But all the killings and the slashing are done off-screen but the aftermath is shown. Overall, it disappoints. The movie may appear different due to its treatment but at its core, it is like The Midnight Meat Train, hence I was not at all surprised with that twist in the end. The director could have concentrated more on blood and gore, rather than being so simple.
Simon Phillips and Michael Swatton are terrific as the villainous Watson brothers. Julie Mainville as Jenna, James Hicks as Mike, Anne-Carolyne Binnette as Taylor, and Frederik Storm as Chris are just about okay. Other supporting actors were also decent.
The cinematography is also by Adrian Langley which is quite nice but the music fails to deliver that impact. The editing also by Adrian Langley is okay.
Overall, Butchers by Adrian Langley is not at all impressive. It has thrills and violence, but there are plenty of movies like this out there, some are even better. It should have tried to focus more on blood and gore rather than just blandly walking on a simple path delivering nothing memorable. Skip it.
Rating:- 1/5
Now available via Video On Demand.
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