Tucker and Dale VS Evil

Ever since the Scary Movie franchise came out, I think there’s been a negative stigma about horror-comedies. Sure, the first Scary Movie was decently funny, but after that the films just became worse and worse. There’s been a lot of junk put out there since then – Transylmania, Black Sheep, Psycho Beach Party, etc. However, a lot of great horror-comedies have been released since then too – Zombieland, Behind The Mask, Club Dread, and Shaun of The Dead, to name a few. I am happy to say that Tucker & Dale VS Evil is a great, one of a kind horror-comedy. Tucker & Dale VS Evil is one of a kind because it gives you lots of gore without there actually being a killer…until the end.

In Tucker & Dale, two hillbilles (Tucker and Dale) buy their dream vacation home in the middle of the woods. The dilapidated house seems awe-inspiring to them, but would be described as “haunted” or “owned by a serial killer,” by other people. Coincidently, shortly after moving into their home, a bunch of out of control college kids decide to go camping in the same area. One night while going night swimming, one of the college kids is injured but rescued by Tucker and Dale. From the college kid’s point of view, it looks like their friend is being eaten and taken away by two crazed hillbillies. Tucker and Dale try to nurse the injured girl back to health, only to have her friends try to kill them due to the fact that they still believe Tucker and Dale are backwoods serial killers. Lots of laughs and accidents lead to one very blood forest.

Tucker & Dale is the feature film debut of Canadian director Eli Craig. It stars Alan Tudyk, a Screen Actors Guild and MTV Award nominee most recognized for his role in Dodgeball; Tyler Labine who has had recurring roles on Reaper, Sons of Tuscon, and Mad Love; 30 Rock star Katrina Bowden; and scream queen Chelan Simmons who’s appeared in the Carrie remake, Monster Island, Snakehead Terror, Chupacabra Terror, Final Destination 3, Wind Chill, Ogre, Malibu Shark Attack, and the upcoming Piranha 3DD. All the actors are great, but Tyler Labine who plays “Dale” is definitely the stand out character in this film. He is dimwitted yet charming at the same time.

As I mentioned before, there is tons of gore in Tucker & Dale without there being a real killer until the last ten minutes of the film. This is because, due to a series of accidents, the college kids keep accidentally killing themselves and it keeps looking like murder to the survivors. Impaled by a tree branch, beheaded, hatchet to the face, into a wood chipper, weedwacker to the face, and burned alive are just some of the gory deaths you will see in Tucker & Dale. The special effects are awesome, as is pretty much everything in the film. Lighting and sound is what it should be. I already said the actors were professional and fit their roles perfectly and read a script that fit the movie perfectly. I mean, you can’t expect a thought-provoking film about college kids accidentally killing themselves while trying to save a friend from her new friends.

Tucker & Dale VS Evil is available On Demand for $6.99. I would recommend it to anyone who likes gore and a lot of laughs. It’s performed fairly well overseas and is doing decently at the US Box Office for having no promotion. It also has positive reviews across the board and a 87% approval rate at Rotten Tomatoe.