Butcher House (2006 Video) User Reviews

Enter at your own risk

[horrorhorrorhorror69 · 3/10 · 11 April 2007]

There's an impostor stalking the on demand and dtv circuit. It looks like a horror film. It smells like a horror film. But beware; it's a sheep in wolf's clothing. Butcher House is a bland, stand-in. A film that's seen a few other horror movies and tries hard to emulate them, but fails miserably. Kinda like a frat guy trying to act punk rock, or really outta touch parent trying to relate to his hipster kid. Even worse, it's an obvious attempt to rake in some cash, by folks with little or no respect or understanding of horror films or what makes them work. For further proof take a look at the director's filmorgraphy.

BH moves through it's very, very long feeling 80 odd minutes with no sense of pace, horror or story telling. The plot revolves around five or six generic teen horror stereotypes (moonlighting as characters), whose job it is to take inventory of an abandoned butcher house. The filmmakers make these kids an "eclectic mix" of skaters and Goths. I suppose that's supposed to give it some kind of indie cred. But, to no avail. You could keep all the dialog exactly the same and stock the movie with Abercrombie and Fitch models with gap wardrobe and the movie would play no different. Except for one lame reference to the "Goth" girl. Blah, blah, blah exposition, ancient Indian burial ground (sure why not), ancient curse, Freddy Krueger riffing, poorly staged horror, some decent effects, overlong third act. End. Yay.

There's been a disturbing trend in horror films in last few years to over rely on quick cuts and close ups in murder and suspense scenes. This trend is taken to new lows in Butcher House (where the horror scenes look more like a 9 inch nails video than a horror movie.) When are they gonna learn that in suspense scenes more cuts = less tension. Of course that's a generality and there are plenty of successful exceptions. Butcher House is not one.

Waste of time. I save one or two's for totally inept movies. Butcher House it at least professionally put together. IE you can see and hear everything. On second thought maybe it's better if we couldn't.

One of the worst horrors in recent releases

[info-6816 · 1/10 · 18 October 2007]

I do not know how anyone could give this a rating over 5 let alone close to 10. It was painful to sit through. The characters were cliché, the special effects average and the script was not anything special. I could not give anything less than one star or I would have.

I am a fan of horrors and can often see enjoyment in even lowly ranked movies. This one though was a major letdown. The story of a cursed house, a evil butcher and a group of teens could be made to work, with the right producer.

I would say I wish I had never watched it, but I collect horrors so this is just another for that. It is not something I will ever watch again and I hope my review saves someone else the time I wasted.

For those out there who have lost all use of their brain..

[strange-eons · 1/10 · 1 August 2008]

Just simply awful. A complete waste of film and people. You will watch a cliché cast stumble through a horridly contrived plot with some of the most hideous editing ever. A laughable killer who looks like a lost Quaid brother chases kids through an old damned building they are supposed to be surveying(!). Each character makes the dumbest choices imaginable as to ensure that they die on cue. The lighting is beyond dark, and a deep thrum accompanies all of the kills. Did I mention the camera work? Uninspired. This is not a movie, but moreso a film created by people who THINK they know what people want to see. Dreadful, insulting, it is the cinematic equivalent to vomit.

Pretty average gorefest.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 6/10 · 6 March 2007]

Christopher Hutson's "Butcher House" was recently released in Poland on DVD,so naturally I had to buy it expecting nasty and gruesome gorefest.Unfortunately the film left me a little bit disappointed.In the mid 1960's slaughterhouse worker Sam Gaines becomes possessed by an ancient Aztec spirit and promptly butchers his co-workers including the owner's eldest son.The owner closes the slaughterhouse.Forty years later the building is sold to Stan Williams,who intends to convert the place into condos.He sends his son Tyler and five of his son's friends to clear out the place.One of the teenagers unleashes the evil spirit of The Butcher,who starts killing them one by one."Butcher House" is just average.It certainly offers plenty of blood and gore,but the acting is weak and there are some irritating plot holes.The location is truly creepy,though.If you like slasher flicks you can give it a look.

Fun Horror!!

[ttboy200 · 8/10 · 25 February 2007]

Finally a bloody horror flick! Rented on video on demand and loved it. Although I wasn't sold on the Aztec story, I was sold on the Butcher. I don't see this movie as a big movie, but it does rank up there with a good horror. I have to disagree with "asshemp" on the story. I liked the story and the way the teens were caught up in the Butcher's killings. By the way the blood was great! This kind of flick wouldn't work with comedy, what worked was the way the Butcher killed the kids as they were stuck in the old place. I do agree it seemed a bit classic horror, but I had fun, so what.

The acting was great, and I thought the director made it very scary, and the way the lighting and the dirty look of the scenes. Although the characters were typical, I thought they were believable. A great change from the bimbos and dumb jocks. Refreshing!

a slightly bloody diversion

[nekojiru67 · 6/10 · 2 November 2007]

This is a low-budget, shot on video film about a group of teens who are sent into an abandoned, cursed meat-packing plant to take an inventory of its contents. The teens reawaken an Aztec-demon-possessed butcher who killed his coworkers 40 years ago (oops!) and are possessed and murdered one by one.

The good: nice location, reasonably well-lit, though more variation in the large empty rooms would have added to the film. For the most part the actors (especially the main teen in charge of the inventory) do a good job.

The bad: hammy butcher villain isn't scary, Aztec curse "rules" never really explained, little plot problems (characters screaming at one end of a basement aren't heard by other characters a few hallways/rooms away?), awkwardly handled nudity.

You've got a ghost/demon that only appears to people who are just about to be killed, yet the film never really does anything special with that. The characters always wait/watch him close in on them and kill them, instead of, say, telling their friends where he's at in the room so they can help fight him off. Some scenes of the butcher menacing a teen (especially the final showdown) are ANNOYINGLY edited with lots of cuts. Eventually the scenes become boring.

After watching the movie I was left with the feeling that it could have been so much more.

Excellent Horror Flick

[McJohnny-1 · 9/10 · 30 October 2006]

I was fortunate enough to see the world premier of this movie @ the Eerie Horror Film Fest. The movie kept you on your seat and looking over your shoulder the whole time.

I was able to meet some of the actors and man they were all a great group of people.

Lighting was awesome, most movies in dark places you can see anything not Butcher House. Very well done. I think this movie puts a lot of super high budget films to shame.

The acting was also spectacular, which lacks in most horror movies.

I can't wait to see more From you guys... It will definitely be something I'll "Wanna Watch"!!!