What actually happens
A leg wound that starts the whole mess
In the 1890s, two outlaws named Purvis and Buddy come across a Native American burial site and are ambushed there. Buddy dies and Purvis escapes to the town of Bright Hope, where he buries his loot. Deputy Chicory sees this and reports him to Sheriff Franklin Hunt, who questions Purvis and shoots him in the leg when he tries to run. Hunt sends the gunslinger John Brooder to fetch the town doctor, but Brooder returns with Samantha O'Dwyer, the doctor's assistant, who is busy looking after her husband Arthur's injured leg. Hunt leaves Samantha at his office, where his other deputy, Nick, waits while she treats Purvis.
Reading this instead of watching it is the correct decision. Scaredy Cat makes that decision automatic, for free.
An arrow left on a desk
That night a stable boy is killed. Hunt goes to his office and finds it empty except for an arrow. The Professor, who is an educated Native American, connects the arrow with a tribe of troglodytes and finds their valley on a map. He tells Hunt they are inbred cannibals, and that other tribes shun them and keep clear. Hunt is sure Samantha, Nick and Purvis have been captured, so he puts together a rescue party that includes Chicory and Brooder. Arthur insists on coming too, injured leg and all.
A long ride on a bad leg
A few days into the ride, two strangers wander into the camp, and Brooder kills them since he suspects they are scouts for a raiding party. The party sets up a new camp, but raiders ambush them, hurt Brooder's horse and take the others. The next day Brooder and Arthur fight, which makes Arthur's leg worse. Chicory leaves him behind to recover, and he, Hunt and Brooder continue on foot. When they reach the valley the troglodytes ambush them. The rescuers kill three of them, but Brooder is killed, and Hunt and Chicory are captured.
A liquor flask and a very bad cave
This is the scene to brace for, and it comes after the rescuers are captured. Hunt and Chicory are held in a cave near Samantha and Nick. Samantha tells them the cannibals have already killed and eaten Purvis. The captives then watch as Nick is stripped, scalped, cut in half while still alive, and eaten. Hunt tricks several of the cannibals into drinking from his liquor flask, which he has laced with opium tincture. They throw the flask into a campfire, and one of them dies while another passes out. Samantha estimates that seven males are left.
The ending, explained
Arthur tracks the rescue party into the valley and kills two cannibals, learns that they whistle with an animal bone in their windpipes, blows on it to lure another, and kills him too. Inside the cave, the leader is furious about the poisoning. The cannibals cut open Hunt's abdomen, push the heated flask into the wound, and then shoot him. Arthur arrives and helps Hunt kill the leader, then frees Samantha and Chicory. Hunt, dying, stays behind with a rifle and promises to shoot the remaining three males when they return so they never reach Bright Hope. On the way out, the survivors see two pregnant women of the tribe, whose limbs have been cut off and whose eyes have been staked. Later Arthur blows the bone whistle and gets no answer. Soon after, they hear three gunshots in the distance.
The post-credits ruling
Nobody has confirmed whether there's a scene after the credits.
✓ Spoiled safelyDog status: not fine, but it happens off-screen.
Questions people ask at 1am
Is Bone Tomahawk scary?
Yes. Bone Tomahawk is a 7 out of 10 with a high dread level. It has almost no jump scares, and the fear comes from a slow ride toward a cave with a very graphic stretch near the end.
How does Bone Tomahawk end?
Arthur, Samantha and Chicory escape the valley after Arthur helps Hunt kill the cannibals' leader. Hunt, dying, stays behind with a rifle, and the survivors later hear three gunshots.
Does the dog die in Bone Tomahawk?
Yes, the dog dies in Bone Tomahawk, though it may be a wolf. It is shot off-screen and can be heard whimpering. A horse is also shot after an injury, out of sight.
Is there a post-credits scene in Bone Tomahawk?
Nobody has confirmed whether Bone Tomahawk has a scene after the credits.
Who are the cannibals in Bone Tomahawk?
The Professor describes them as a tribe of inbred cannibals who live in a valley he finds on a map. Other native tribes shun them and keep clear.
