Meeks stars as a notorious Texas criminal whose gang is slowly picked off one-by-one by an unknown killer.

Amused by the puppet, the men pause to listen to their pitch, only to become enraged when the salesman beats the boy.

After Goebel locks his children in with their mother's corpse, the Nixon gang barges into the house, seeking aid.

Sheriff Everheart and Deputy Peak chase after him, encouraged by the reward and the thought of being hailed as heroes.

That night, Barbee dreams of the bestial man, and wakes to find that Davis' throat has been slit.

The story was loosely inspired by the exploits of real-life outlaw Sam Bass, who operated in Texas in the nineteenth century.

After Duane Graves and Justin Meeks premiered an earlier collaboration, The Wild Man of the Navidad, they pitched the concept of a gritty Western to The Weinstein Company.

Although they lost their contacts at TWC, Kim Henkel, their former film instructor, recruited them to make Butcher Boys.

[4] Richard Whittaker of The Austin Chronicle wrote that the film's uncompromising authenticity can be a detriment, as it makes the dialog difficult to understand at times.

Whittaker says the film has more of a noir feel than most Westerns, and the characters, who become more realized in the second act, are mostly shades of gray.

[5] Chris Coffel of Bloody Disgusting rated it 3/5 stars and wrote that the film is worth watching despite its flaws, which include CGI blood and a somewhat confusing narrative.

Though he praised the acting of Meeks and McCarthy-Boyington, Coffel said the rest of the cast "leave a lot to be desired".

[6] Mark L. Miller of Ain't It Cool News compared it to 1960s Spaghetti Westerns, saying that it also includes themes from horror films.