A Practical Guide to Understanding The Only Good Indians
The 2022 film The Only Good Indians follows four Blackfeet men in Montana whose decision to kill a sacred buffalo as part of a traditional ceremony sets off a chain of violent events. It premiered at South by Southwest and was directed by Wheeler Dobson in his feature debut. The film stars Julian Black Antelope, Adam Beach, and Wes Studi. This isn't your typical slasher. The film blends body horror with indigenous folklore, drawing on Blackfeet spiritual beliefs about respect for nature and consequences for violating them. The creature design by Make-Up Artist's Guild winner Doniella Davy leans heavily into practical effects, which gives the film a tangible quality that CGI often lacks. Watching it in theaters during its limited run, I noticed how the sound design and practical gore work together better than many bigger-budget horror films released the same year. The story centers on two brothers, Joe and Cody St. John, and their childhood friend Curtis after they perform a ritual that kills a sacred buffalo. Years later, Curtis disappears into the wilderness alone and is found nearly dead. The other three men become convinced he knows something terrible happened, or perhaps summoned something. What follows is an exploration of guilt, tradition, and the consequences of crossing spiritual boundaries.
The film draws heavily from actual Blackfeet cultural practices and spiritual beliefs. Wheeler Dobson worked closely with cultural consultants to ensure the depiction of the buffalo hunt and subsequent consequences rang true to the community. The buffalo isn't just a plot device here; it represents something specific within Blackfeet cosmology that the characters violate.
How to Watch The Only Good Indians
The film had a theatrical release in 2022, playing at select venues before moving to digital platforms. You can currently find it streaming on Amazon Prime Video and available for rent on Apple TV, Google Play, and Vudu. The Digital HD and 4K UHD Blu-ray came out in 2023 through Lionsgate Home Entertainment. If you want the best viewing experience, I'd recommend watching it on the largest screen you have access to. The practical effects and sound design lose something on smaller displays. The color grading also benefits from proper calibration — dark scenes can look muddy on uncalibrated TVs.
What Makes This Film Different
Most horror films use indigenous spirituality as set dressing or atmospheric flavor. The Only Good Indians actually engages with the consequences of disrespecting those traditions. The buffalo hunting sequence at the beginning isn't just shock value; it establishes the spiritual violation that drives everything that follows. Understanding that context changes how you interpret every scene afterward. The creature effects deserve special mention. Rather than showing a single monster design throughout, the film evolves what appears on screen as each character encounters the consequences differently. This approach costs more in practical effects work but pays off in visual variety. Some sequences took over a week to shoot due to the complexity of the makeup and prosthetics required.
A Few Things Beginners Miss
First, the film works best when you pay attention to the Buffalo woman figure that appears throughout. She represents judgment and consequences within the cultural framework the story draws from. Second, the ending isn't as ambiguous as some viewers claim. The film makes specific statements about tradition and respect that repeat across different scenes. The soundtrack by Jeff Rona also deserves attention if you want to understand the film's spiritual themes. His score incorporates traditional Blackfeet musical elements alongside modern ambient techniques.
Technical Details and Specifications
The runtime sits at 98 minutes with an R rating for strong violent content, gore, and some language. It was shot primarily in Alberta, Canada, despite being set in Montana. The production design team recreated Blackfeet community settings based on research and consultation rather than generic Native American stereotypes. Aspect ratio is 2.39:1 for the theatrical cut and 1.78:1 for streaming versions. Audio options include Dolby Atmos for the physical media release.
Whether This Is Worth Your Time
If you're looking for straightforward jump scares, this might disappoint. The horror builds slowly through atmosphere and dread rather than sudden shocks. The middle section particularly requires patience — the pacing deliberately slows to let the consequences of the characters' actions weigh on you. That said, the film avoids many of the genre's typical pitfalls. It doesn't rely on sexual violence as horror motivation, which is unfortunately common in slashers. The indigenous characters are complex individuals rather than plot devices. The acting holds up across the board, with Julian Black Antelope delivering what might be the strongest performance in the supporting cast. The film runs approximately 100 minutes total, which is reasonable for the genre but longer than many contemporaries. Several horror fans I've talked to noted that removing ten minutes from the second act would actually improve the pacing without losing any important story beats. That's a minor criticism though — the film still delivers on its premise when given a chance.
For those interested in horror that engages seriously with indigenous perspectives rather than appropriating them, The Only Good Indians offers something relatively rare in mainstream releases. The practical effects work continues to impress when revisited, and the cultural consultation shows in the details that casual viewers might miss entirely.
