Hello horror fiends! Are you ready to get on a train to the shadows of horror with us? Yes a train, because this is not going to be an ordinary journey, this is a horror, blood-soaked ride! Today, we are on a trip to…. DRUMROLL! Clive Baker’s – The Midnight Meat Train! For those who have not read the book, you’re in for an early-season Halloween-sized treat.
In this video, we will be taking you through the most important character of the story, the Butcher. The centre stage is taken by Mahogany the Butcher, in this epic gruesome tale. A Butcher and a train? It’s confusing. Also what drives the Butcher, the secret behind the meat? Join us as we carefully and a little hysterically dissect the character. We will be going through the key highlights like his origin, role and chilling presence. Plus as an extra treat, we will be talking about the character not only in reference to the book but also in reference to its 2008 film adaptation.
Let’s go! Don’t forget your seat belts as this ride is as scary as it gets!
WHO IS HE?
The legend himself, even though he needs no introduction but for all those who are new to the myth of man with the meat hook let’s explore! In The Midnight Meat Train, written by Clive Barker, Mahogany the Butcher is not an ordinary serial killer. He is a seasoned killer in a sinister machine, far older and darker than he will ever be! According to the Books of Blood short story, as his name suggests, he has been butchering subway passengers for over a decade. But his name Mahogany suggests such a rich and poised personality, it literally means a type of wood of fine quality but maybe that’s how it is. His name is a mere distraction like his polished exterior or maybe it is a symbol of the bloodthirsty rigid purpose of his character. His backstory is also here and there, leaving us with pieces of the puzzle not enough to make an objective story out of it but fragments of the past to piece back together.
He has a life beyond these killings, he is not just a serial killer. He has been married at least twice, yet somehow is devoted to his task in the subway shadows. In the story, Clive Barker suggests he is not a psychopath as some people may judge him to be, but in fact, he is bound by sacred duty. He has no personal vendetta to fulfil. The character, Mahogany, believes he is serving a higher purpose, by butchering people in the subway. He is a faithful servant of an ancient entity, which dwells beneath New York City. They are called the Fathers. He accepts that his purpose is to feed the fathers and by doing so he is fulfilling his destiny. All this elevates and removes him from the cage of being a mere murderer, he is a ritualistic servant, a priest of a higher, more demonic power, on a journey that is far beyond his own desires.
You must be searching for a reason, a backstory that might make it all seem a little understandable. But there is no deep tragic villain past to this anti-hero and that’s intentional too. Clive Barker, made a character whose identity is his role, and nothing more. We just have a man who has found a purpose in slaughter, no childhood traumas or tragic incidents to make him slip into darkness or madness. This mysteriousness makes his character even more unsettling, it’s chilling! For some he may look like a pawn in an ancient dark game and for some, he may be just a devotee. All this makes it ambiguous but one thing is for certain – mahogany’s life is in the subway, he spills blood to keep the city’s monsters underground and a secret.
What sets him apart from a typical killer? It’s his conviction that he is not killing for pleasure or acting out of trauma response, he is killing out of necessity, like a duty. Even though his backstory does not hold much depth but tells us enough about the character he is, trading a mundane normal lifestyle for a sinister legacy, only to be passed on to another soon.
THE BUTCHER’S ROLE IN THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN
Mahogany’s role as The Butcher in The Midnight Meat Train is the heart of Clive Barker’s story. In the short story, he stalks the people of New York City taking the subway, he is the silent predator. He does his job with precision, his only job being, stalking people late at night, killing one of them and hanging their body to the subway handles like they are meat at a slaughterhouse. As we already talked about, these murders are a ritual for him instead of just random acts of violence. This ritual feeds the Fathers living beneath New York City. In conclusion, his role is of a humble servant, provider and executioner. He makes sure the darkness stays underground.
If we read the story we will find that the Butcher is careful but still often makes mistakes. We think it’s his age catching up on him, it also shows how he has been on it for years. His hands often slip, one would expect a steady hand on a person of his routine. The Butcher is also aware of his responsibility, he will have to pass the torch to a successor, and he is aware of his mortality. When Mahogany meets the protagonist of the story, Leon Kaufman the guard shifts, and the power struggle is on display. The killings by the Butcher are also described in excruciating detail, the pooling blood, bodies gutted, and frightening murders. The butcher takes this as a craftsmanship, preparing a buffet of meat for the Fathers.
Enough about the book, let me tell you a little bit about its film adaptation from 2008. It was directed by Ryuhei Kitamura. Apart from shifting some details here and there, the character of the Butcher remains loosely the same. In the film, the character of the Butcher is played by Vinnie Johns. He is tall and well-built but mute, and his lack of dialogue adds to the chilling presence he brings to the screen. The silence is haunting. The killings are the same, as horrifying as written in the short story, but you have to agree that movies add a visual flair to the details. The brilliant acting of Vinnie Johns also makes you feel the physical toll and internal struggle of the character at a deeper level. Unlike the story which had the Butcher’s internal thoughts laid out to be read, the film doesn’t do that. Like we said, Vinnie Johns did an extraordinary work at delivering his performance, the character feels robotic with a dedication to a supernatural level. The director wanted to create a new horror hero and the film did just that, it made the Butcher iconic, keeping the character just like the short story, a tool for a larger system. He works like a gatekeeper between New York City and the evil beneath it, doing his duty and maintaining an ancient balance even if it is slaughtering to stop the horror from unravelling.
THE BUTCHER’S LOOKS
The Butcher’s looks are not complementing his duty as a humble servant. In the short story, his looks show a striking contrast to his actions. He is described as a middle-aged man, with a polished and charming look. He looks professional as well, with his suit and tie giving him a mysterious tint in his personality. The suit also makes him look like a businessman of death. His physical attributes are not described in much detail, at least not beyond his work but his methodology and precision are described in great lengths. His skills with a cleaver and the knife make him seem like a professional Butcher.
In the movie, there are some slight contrasts. It transforms the Butcher into a bald, well-built and overpowering character. He is still dressed in a tailored suit that bleeds menace. Vinnie Johns did an exceptional performance by adding glitter to the character with his cold eyes that rarely blinked giving him a robotic appearance, like he is inhuman and just a killing machine.
THE BUTCHER’S ABILITIES
The butcher does not have supernatural abilities. His primary ability lies in his efficiency. In the short story, he uses the cleaver and knife with the precision of a surgeon preparing the bodies for the fathers. As we said, he does not have supernatural abilities so what makes him formidable? His experience, his experience and accuracy bring a layer to his character making you wonder if there is a possibility for supernatural traits. Although there is no evidence, some fans have crazy theories about the Butcher, they believe the Butcher is centuries old and lives on through the dark powers of Fathers. You must be thinking, the Butcher did so many brutal murders and no one ever questioned him or suspected him. His ability to deflect detection points to a conspiracy at a much bigger level. The cops live through the ideology of “ignorance is bliss” so that Butcher’s work continues uninterrupted.
THE BUTCHER’S GOALS
Mahagony’s only goal is to serve the fathers. In both the short story and the film his goal remains constant, he provides meat to serve his fathers, preventing them from leaving the underworld and destroying the earth. His killings are not born out of personal grudges but a necessity to keep an ancient pact. His other goal can be, his search for a successor. In the short story, he is seen searching for someone to take over as his age is taking over him and he is not as swift and precise as he used to be anymore. He achieves his goal, and he passes his legacy to Leon Kaufman like he is a worthy heir. The film shows this in more detail, the death of Mahogany and the birth of a new Butcher, Leon Kaufman.
THE BUTCHER’S PERSONALITY
According to the short story, we see snippets of his internal thoughts. The butcher seems proud of himself, he is proud of the work he puts in, and he is serving a higher purpose. He has convinced himself that his killings bring a balance to the cosmos. Although his old age and weariness bring out his human side very often, the film strips away this introspection. The film shows Mahogany as a silent emotionless robot at work.
There are certain examples in the narrative that show his duality, like his inner thoughts during the killing, he sees himself as only a servant and his knife and cleaver as a weapon wielded by a higher power beyond his free will. His only words in the film were during the confrontation with Leon Kaufman, like a chilling sermon. His silence throughout the film is intense but what’s even more intense is his final act of passing the torch to Leon Kaufman, he shows how it was a ritualistic responsibility and he becomes a mentor of horror.
MARVELLOUS VERDICT
Clive Barker’s genius comes alive in the form of Mahogany the Butcher as he is not a regular killer. From the raw short story, The Midnight Meat Train to Vinnie Johns’s portrayal in the film the character carries the weight of purpose-driven horrors. His story is devoid of any backstory and is filled with relentless mission; this is what sets him apart and makes him iconic. Whether you are attracted by the gruesome details in the short story or the film’s intensity, the Butcher leaves a legacy like blood stains on railway tracks. Drop in your thoughts about the butcher in the comment section below!
