Bone Tomahawk

In the film’s conclusion, Sheriff Hunt finds himself trapped in the Troglodytes’ cave, where the tribe gruesomely kills one of his deputies before Hunt manages to outsmart them by tricking them into drinking opium. This act incapacitates at least one of the monsters and renders another unconscious, allowing Hunt and the others to free Samantha and Chicory. Hunt then kills the tribe’s brutal leader. Instead of escaping quickly, Hunt chooses to stay inside the cave, knowing his injuries are severe and death is imminent. His goal is to hold off any surviving Troglodytes so the others can escape safely.

Meanwhile, Arthur, arriving late, helps eliminate some of the remaining Troglodytes and then secretly enters the cave, where he discovers the tribe’s horrifying custom of using animal bones lodged in their windpipes to communicate—a disturbing detail that contributes to their monstrous depiction. The story ends ambiguously, implying that Hunt may have killed any Troglodytes returning to the cave and possibly taken his own life afterward. As they leave the cave, Arthur uses a bone whistle—previously used by the Troglodytes to lure their monsters—to call the beasts out, but finds no sign of the monsters remaining. The final sounds are gunshots from the cave, suggesting Hunt either killed the returning monsters or their female captives, whose fate is left deliberately uncertain. The women of the tribe are portrayed as victims of extreme brutality; they are blinded, have their limbs amputated, and are implied to be used for reproductive purposes, a stark and controversial aspect of the film that highlights the tribe’s brutality.

Hunt’s sacrifice and use of cunning with the opium trick underscore the grim, violent tone of the story, emphasizing a brutal conflict between humans and monsters that reflects distorted, exaggerated fears. The ending leaves viewers questioning Hunt’s ultimate fate—whether he succumbed to his injuries, killed himself, or possibly committed mercy killings—heightening the film’s bleak outlook on justice, mercy, and savagery in the West. The scene’s ambiguity, combined with the gruesome visuals and unsettling themes, cements the conclusion as a powerful yet disturbing finale that critiques the mythic Western hero’s morality in the face of monstrous evil.

Last Updated: June 25, 2025 at 09:00