This 25-Year-Old Cult Horror-Western Is The Perfect Follow-up To Bone Tomahawk

Bone Tomahawk has been praised by audiences and critics for its successful blend of horror and Western elements – a trick arguably pioneered by a cult genre flick released in 1999. On the surface, it may not seem like the sweeping romance of traditional Western stories has much compatibility with the oppressive, often nihilistic tone of many horror projects. However, as Bone Tomahawk and its 25-year-old predecessor prove, it can be a match made in heaven.

Whereas many horror movies rely on supernatural thrills, Bone Tomahawk‘s success comes from its unflinching and undeniably disturbing brutality. The story centers around a rescue mission mounted by Kurt Russell’s Sheriff Franklin Hunt, who sets out to retrieve some townsfolk from a tribe of murderous troglodytes. The drama is unremittingly violent, centering on the cannibalistic habits of the antagonists. This key detail clearly relates Bone Tomahawk to an underrated horror release – Guy Pearce’s 1999 horror-Western, Ravenous.

Ravenous Is In Many Ways The Original Bone Tomahawk

Both Movies Feature Similar Stories And Villains

Much like Bone Tomahawk, Ravenous derives its horror from cannibalism. The story centers around a cowardly captain on the American frontier (Guy Pearce), who joins a garrison high in the Sierra Nevada mountains. One day, the garrison is visited by a stranger, who tells them that he and his group became stranded in a remote pass, eventually being forced to resort to cannibalism to survive. Pearce’s character, along with several others, mount a rescue mission, only to be confronted with the terrifying truth that the stranger is now addicted to human flesh and plans to take over the garrison.

As of writing,
Ravenous
is available to stream on Apple TV+.

The narrative of a motley crew of frontiersmen heading out into the wilderness to uncover the truth about a group of cannibals is clearly reminiscent of Kurt Russell’s 2015 release. While other horror-Westerns, such as Near Dark and From Dusk Till Dawn use Western trappings to spin an explicitly supernatural story, Ravenous and Bone Tomahawk‘s use of the cannibal motif connects the movies to real stories of violence and horror on the frontier. While Ravenous is much more hyperbolic – explicitly identifying itself with the Wendigo myth – it is a clear narrative forerunner of S. Craig Zahler’s critically acclaimed genre entry.

Ravenous And Bone Tomahawk Explore Similar Ideas

Cannibalism Connects The Movies

It’s not just narrative similarities that connect Ravenous and Bone Tomahawk. By centering on cannibalism as a key theme, the two movies explore very similar ideas about the savagery of the Old West and what limits humanity will push to ensure survival. In both films, cannibalism is more than a grisly excuse to feature some macabre set-pieces. It has a thematic resonance, evoking the idea of consumption and humanity’s inherent barbarism. In their own ways, the two movies set out to examine the idea that, when humanity returns to the wild, something terrifying and primal has the potential to be released.

Whereas
Bone Tomahawk
explicitly explores the clash between so-called civil society and the dangerous ”
other
“…
Ravenous
posits that the wilderness itself has the power to corrupt…

There’s no doubt that Ravenous is a lot more sensationalist in its sensibilities than Bone Tomahawk. Whereas Bone Tomahawk explicitly explores the clash between so-called civil society and the dangerous “other” (embodied by Bone Tomahawk‘s mysterious troglodytes), Ravenous posits that the wilderness itself has the power to corrupt – turning anyone towards their baser instincts. However, while these two themes represent a different approach, they clearly constitute two sides of the same grisly coin.

Bone Tomahawk Is Better Than Ravenous – Although Ravenous Has Its Strengths

Its Genre Blend Is Much More Effective

Custom image by Simone Ashmoore

Like many other horror-Westerns, neither Bone Tomahawk nor Ravenous was a commercial success. In fact, both movies disappointed at the box office, with Bone Tomahawk making just $475,000 against a $1.8 million budget, and Ravenous proving even more of a flop – taking just $2 million from a $12 million production cost. However, while the films shared similar financial misfortunes, there is a clear gap when it comes to their critical reception.

Movie	Budget	Box Office	RT Critics Score	RT Audience Score
Ravenous	$12 million	$2 million	52%	78%
Bone Tomahawk	$1.8 million	$475,000	91%	74%

While it was by no means a total turkey, Ravenous divided critics – earning 52% positive reviews according to the aggregator, Rotten Tomatoes. Its more positive audience score of 78% underlines its status as a cult classic, but still indicates that it is some way off being considered a critical hit. By contrast, Bone Tomahawk was critically acclaimed, earning 91% positive reviews from critics. A 74% audience score is indicative of its more challenging subject matter, but it’s clear that Bone Tomahawk enjoys a more positive general reception.

There are several reasons for this. For one, the movie offers a more grounded and nuanced psychological portrait of its characters, interspersed with moments of genuinely shocking violence. While Ravenous is more action-packed, it is less subtle in its exploration of deeper themes like human nature and the limits of survival. As a result, while both movies have their strengths, Bone Tomahawk‘s reputation has only grown since its release, while Ravenous remains an underrated cult classic.