ASouthernHorrorFan "Butchered" is a neatly packed, burst of low-budget slasher horror directed by Charles Stewart Jr. with co-directors Sheila Brothers and Shaun O'Rourke. Honestly I hope those are more honorary co-directing credits, because I don't see why a film that falls just over an hour really needs multiple directors, but whateve. That is no issue really. "Butchered"stars the standard cast of characters played by Timothy Woodward Jr., Nikki Beall, Cory Broadwater, Robert Covington, Kit Johnson, D.J. Naylor, Jaime Moffett, plus a few other actors in a story that follows a group of friends, who take off on vacay to a small secluded island, off the coast of the Carolinas. The story is a nice, classic nightmare of slasher fanfare that places the young up against the force of a homicidal psycho, butcher. The set- up is thought out, leading us through a nice, "all fall down" scenario that, considering the budget and talent, manages to create an easy, story arc. The dialog is a bit underwhelming, and melodramatic, but it gets you there fundamentally. Personally I think the writing is too "over-thought" with the material seeming cliché and unauthentic. However this is only a slight hindrance and nothing that effects the ability to watch the film. Some characters are more driven to emote the stories intentions while a couple stagger through the lines and scenes systematically. Still this is a "slice-n-dice" flick so all they need to do is be there and die for the camera. This they definitely do. The acting is the quality you would expect in a low-budget flick like this, like I stated before some actors give a better performance than others. The actual dialog and character development is sort of weak, often creating disconnected and unconvincing performances. Still there are moments when the acting and dramatic character interactions pick-up and deliver, giving us some suspense and enough connection to move the story along. The actual story is a pretty nice "birth of a slasher" narrative with recognizable 80 slasher influence. As for the special effects and sound effects in "Butchered" I am split on both. The music and instrumental created the desired effect that Stewart was aiming for, my issue is I felt it was hokey, white-washed and too damn sugary. Plus the timing for these elements coming in to the scenes, guiding the feeling of the story, often seemed "over produced" and a bit too clichéd. It created an unintended cheese factor that came off more Disney than horror. The special effects on the other hand worked for most of the kill scenes, with nice camera angles, little editing tricks that leave the gore implied, like the vintage horror films used, give credibility to the scenes.The blood and visceral elements are practical effects. They are limited with most deaths and brutality implied, but enough shows to create a nice effect. The killer is a menacing monster guy with the stoic brutality of any antagonist in slasher horror. I know it sounds like I didn't like the film but I did, actually. It isn't anything special but for a cut-down film that is only a few minutes over an hour, "Butchered" gives a comparable, quick, slasher nightmare.

dbs630-697-952794 While most might argue that the Butcher was a terrible movie, I try to find the positive side of the light. While they weren't laying any new mile stones for the horror genre they did have a good back story to the main character. I liked the idea that he was a Desert Storm Vet who went nuts, but I would have liked it a lot more had they made him a little less "big and dumb." In the beginning we see a great montage of torture and gore, but when push comes to shove all he does is hack up the characters on the island. Why didn't he torture them? Why didn't he make things out of their bodies? Some butcher. There are a couple of nice nudity scenes in the film, hot chicks, okay dialogue, nice cinematography and editing. 71 minutes made it just barely a feature, why they couldn't have filmed another 20 minutes of footage is beyond me. It could have been a masterpiece of indie horror but they just didn't get all the way to the finish line.

Woodyanders A bunch of high school seniors go to a secluded island to party prior to heading off to college. The kids run afoul of a vicious axe-brandishing psycho Gulf War veteran known as the Butcher (an effectively menacing portrayal by hulking behemoth D.J. Naylor). Directors Charles Stweart, Jr., Sheila Brothers, and Shaun O'Rourke relate the familiar, but still engrossing story at a constant brisk pace, develop a good deal of tension, present characters who are both well drawn and sympathetic, deliver a fair amount of graphic gore, and sprinkle a decent dab of tasty gratuitous female nudity for good measure. The competent acting from the solid no-name cast rates as another big plus, with especially praiseworthy contributions by Tim Woodward, Jr. as the willful, conflicted Dylan, Melissa Lukon as the sweet Jenna, Kristina Sipes as the perky Hope, Shaun O'Rourke as Dylan's regretful older brother Brody, and Kit Johnson as hot brunette babe Chloe. Joseph Colyer's sharp cinematography gives this picture an impressive polished look. The lively and rattling score by Tommy Brothers and Jack Bowden Faulker hits the stirring'n'shivery spot. Moreover, the tight 71 minute running time ensures that this movie never becomes dull or overstays its welcome. A worthwhile little slice'n'dice opus.

Patrick Mason (lordplayboyman) Being an Avid Fan of Horror movies, I had high hopes of this film - Sadly, those hopes were dashed. Quickly. I was expecting this horror/thriller film that was worthy of being a big part of my library, and now I know it will never be. I'm expecting a Horror Film that actually scares you. Instead, I got bad acting and a weak storyline. This is NOT what makes a great horror movie. Granted, Most horror movies do have cheesy dialog at times, but the good ones don't have the cheesy dialog all the way through. Another issue I have is with the horror scenes - There is nothing wrong with a little gore in some death scenes, let alone a special effect or two. *POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT* And I'm pretty sure there is a TON of voice-over work in the latter part of the film, more then usual. If there is only one thing to take from this movie, it's the fact that this movie serves as a baseline as to what you don't do when you are making a horror film. This movie is NOT worth the time.