Upamanyu Biswas
In S. Craig Zahler’s ‘Bone Tomahawk,’ the residents of the uneventful town of Bright Hope get unsettled after a night of unrest caused by cannibalistic tribesmen who descend upon it. Remote, isolated, and at the edge of civilization, the town and its residents are the last vestiges of enlightenment. Nightmares await all who leave Bright Hope to seek the frontier’s dangers, thereby highlighting its warmth and protection. Set nearly at the turn of the 20th century, Sheriff Franklin Hunt finds himself in an unenviable position when madness comes knocking on the door of his town, leaving a trail of death and darkness behind. Like all old Western towns, Bright Hope presents a bastion of civility, one that protects its residents from the surrounding wilderness despite being on fragile ground!
Bright Hope is a Fictional Frontier Town
The town of Bright Hope in ‘Bone Tomahawk’ is fictional and cannot be found in reality. Crafted by writer and director S. Craig Zahler, the Wild West town is a tightly knit community of people who have interpersonal relationships with one another due to the proximity of each home. The town sports a paltry population of 268 individuals who live in wooden houses, all commuting to one saloon, The Learned Goat, and all known by name. Bright Hope has no strangers, as the small citizenry ensures everyone knows everyone with little difficulty. This is exemplified by Purvis, who wanders into town one night and is instantly identified as an outsider by Deputy Chicory. Bright Hope’s citizens quickly recognize even the local doctor, bartender, gunslinger, and other residents.
Such closely drawn social circles were common in remote towns back in the day. Town officials like sheriffs, mayors, and mail carriers had intimate knowledge about every person—alive or dead—within their jurisdiction. Due to the desolate wilderness of the frontier, trains, horses, and wagons were the only viable ways of commuting between settlements. When the group of gunmen led by Sheriff Franklin heads out to hunt down the Troglodyte clan, they have to travel for days before they reach the valley where the tribe is holed up. These long-distance rides were harrowing and often made towns like Bright Hope a godsend for any weary traveler, precisely as it turns out for the brigand Purvis.
To shoot the scenes that take place in the town, the production crew used the standing sets in Paramount Ranch at 2903 Cornell Road in Agoura Hills, California, to double as Bright Hope. These sets are part of the long history of Western films, a thread that Zahler picked up, saying, “That’s Paramount Ranch. When we were there, Kurt [Sheriff Franklin Hunt] remarked that the last time he [had] shot there was something like 50 years ago when he was working on ‘Gunsmoke.’ It’s a very storied Western town.”
While Bright Hope is fictional in its inception, the town reflects several real elements of old towns deep in the frontier, especially their isolation and proximity to the wild elements. Still, it ultimately remains a figment of fantasy that is authentically drawn by the creative mind of Zahler.
Read more: Is Franklin Hunt Based on an Actual Sheriff? Is He Dead or Alive in Bone Tomahawk?
