Why Is the Death Scene of Bone Tomahawk So Beautiful?
Director of Bone Tomahawk S. Craig Zahler is well-known for his uncompromising depictions of violence. One of the most famous death scenes in his first feature is a perfect example. A slow-burning suspenseful Western, Bone Tomahawk tracks a posse searching for a cannibalistic tribe threatening their town. Zahler deliberately keeps back on gore for most of the movie, which accentuates the violent climax even more.
Bone Tomahawks: Western Genre-Bending Bone
Although the movie falls under the horror category, Bone Tomahawk crosses Western, mystery, and action-adventure lines. It also finds influence in Italian cannibal films, a subgenre infamous for its graphic violence. Zahler painstakingly creates suspense over two hours, setting character motivations and stakes before launching a tsunami of carnage in the last act.
The Brutal Death Scene in Bone Tomahawk: What Happens
Though it makes hints about the horrific customs of the cannibalistic tribe throughout, nothing gets viewers ready for the cruelty of the most notorious scene. Trapped in his cell, Sheriff Hunt sees the horrible execution of his friend and deputy as a terrified Nick is being hauled from his cage. The cannibals strip Nick naked, scalp him alive, then nail his scalp to the inside of his mouth. Still conscious, Nick yells in pain as they flip him over so his skull is on the ground. The cannibals then rip him in two, open his crotch with a tomahawk, and extend his legs. The camera stays on the graphic elements, so positioning the viewers in Sheriff Hunt's shoes. With Nick's screams muffled by his scalp, the sound design accentuates the horror until his bisection produces crunching sound. Hunt's fruitless attempt to console Nick adds a layer of emotional depth to the terrible spectacle, so augmenting the tragedy of the scene.
Why Does the Bone Tomahawk Death Scene Hit So Strong?
The success of the Bone Tomahawk death scene is evidence of Zahler's direction prowess. The film's slow-burning suspense accentuates the shocking sudden violence throughout. The audience has become emotionally engaged in the characters and their path, so enhancing the effect of Nick's passing. Zahler deftly creates suspense by introducing the cannibalistic tribe gradually and exposing their brutality via the terrified character accounts. The scene feels quite horrible by the time Nick's fate plays out since the audience is totally engross in the terror.
Bone Tomahawk features still another fantastic scene.
Nick's death stands out, but Bone Tomahawk is full of disturbing events that linger. Two pregnant cannibal women in another scene illustrating Zahler's uncompromising attitude to portraying violence also show this. Their limbs have been amputated, they are bound, and stakes pass through their eyes, so blind. Though the scene is short, the ramifications are terrifying. These imprisoned and tormented women stand for the terribleness and cruelty of the tribe. Nick dies quickly and brutally, while these women must live a protracted life of suffering, so underscoring the depravity of the cannibals.
