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Cast: Melissa Lukon, Cari Moskow, David Schifter, Shaun O'Rourke, Jaime Moffett, Tim Woodward Jr., Brandon Luck, DJ Naylor
In the summer of their senior year, a group of high school friends sail to a secluded island to party before going their separate ways to college. But they're not the island's only visitors: a serial killer known as the Butcher is lying in wait. The axe-wielding maniac is eager for a fresh kill, and with nowhere to run, the kids are easy prey.
Butchered doesn't break any new ground as far as the genre goes but it still manages to be entertaining enough. The plot is pretty simple but the director does take a little time in introducing the teens and giving some background on the killer. We find out the "Butcher" was a real-life hero in the Gulf War but after coming home he just wasn't the same man and after hacking people up at a local deli he is sent to prison waiting to be put to death but he escapes and ends up on the same island the teens have decided to visit and have their party on. I felt the back story gave the film a little more of an edge over similar movies like it. The budget is obviously low but for the most part the production is pretty good and the cast all did a fine job here, I really did not notice any weak acting at all. Plus you have some naked women which is always an added bonus in a film such as this. The one thing I felt hurt the film was the off-screen killings, I suppose the budget had something to do with this but the film had the potential to be a classic if they had some good gore in it so as far as that goes the film falls a little short. The film's ending leaves it open for a sequel so I hope they can get a little bigger budget to add the effects needed to make it a solid slasher flick. Butchered is a horror most should enjoy but it certainly had more potential. Still with a run time of 77 minutes it is short and sweet and to the point from the it's opening frames which is a plus in any horror film, a lot of films like this one waste too much time with added drama that is not needed so I was happy to see this one get right into what I wanted to see right off the bat while still providing enough character development and back story. If you are a fan of slasher films I suggest picking this one up. The DVD comes with Special Features that include:
The David Long Story
Theatrical Trailer
You can find Butchered and many more great films at Anthem Pictures store HERE.
Released by Anthem Pictures
*** Out Of *****