Tucker and Dale vs Evil, 2010.
Directed by Eli Craig.
Starring Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk, Katrina Bowden, Jesse Moss, Chelan Simmons, Philip Granger, Brandon Jay McLaren, Christie Laing, Travis Nelson, Alex Arsenault, Adam Beauchesne, Joseph Allan Sutherland, Karen Reigh, and Weezer.
SYNOPSIS:
A pair of friendly backwoods hill billies inadvertently find themselves marked as killers by a group of terrified college students.
We all know the set-up: a group of kids (often played by 30-year-olds) venture into the seclusion of obviously creepy backwoods to have a weekend of partying and tomfoolery. Then sinister hillbillies arrive and are none too pleased to have “city folk” in their woods and then proceed to kill off the kids in various gruesome ways. Rinse in moonshine and repeat. Enter today’s entry; Tucker and Dale vs Evil, a horror-comedy that celebrates this well-worn trope while also turning it on its head.
Starting off like every other kind of backwoods slasher with a group of irritating college kids being spooked by a duo of sinister hill billies, Tucker and Dale quickly reveals itself to be a knowing send-up of the cliché. Our titular twosome, far from being psychotic killers, are merely pair of otherwise decent, slightly unkempt guys just looking to venture to a cabin in the woods to fix it up and make it a new vacation home.
The humour comes from the fact that the entire plot and the horror that ensues are the unfortunate results of a constant stream of misunderstandings, accidents and bad timing. The premise might make the film come across as a comedy sketch that’s been stretched out to 90 minutes, but the fast-flying jokes, gruesome set pieces and a pleasant sense of warmth keep things fun throughout, with co-writer/director Eli Craig pushing the premise just far enough before it grows stale.
The scenes that had Tucker and Dale wrongly painted as prototypical cabin dwelling killers had me laughing the hardest, with too many funny moments to choose favourites from. There’s a nerve-wracked Dale’s ill-judged attempt to talk to a girl, nervously laughing after every sentence while holding a scythe, after some bad advice from Tucker. Then there’s Tucker and Dale’s heroic rescue of college girl Ali after she nearly drowns being seen as a kidnapping by her friends. Not helped by Tucker helpfully, or ominously, shouting ‘We’ve got your friend’. And then there is the sight of Tucker “chasing” the kids through the woods while waving a chainsaw around. The kids not realising that the poor bastard is merely suffering an attack from a hive of disturbed bees. These are just a few of the wonderfully silly sight gags, verbal mix-ups and general misunderstandings that paint our big-hearted leads as monsters. The jokes made the funnier by our leading heroes increasing confusion as to why the kids are so frightened of them, and, as the body count rises in gory fashion, why they seem intent on killing themselves.
The biggest surprise of Tucker and Dale is that, despite its scenes of gory carnage, there is a moral to the story. Almost like the world’s most violent after school special, Tucker and Dale is a simple tale of never judging a book by its cover and that it is not one’s appearance, but it is one’s actions that define them. It’s also a simple wonderful tale about friendship, with the title characters, while bickering throughout, always quick to back each other up, culminating in a poignant heart to heart in which the two reminisce of a childhood escapade catching frogs.
Tucker and Dale’s premise would fall flat if our lead characters were not gifted with performers able to carry it on their shoulders. Thankfully, Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine, as Tucker and Dale, respectively, prove themselves to be more than up to the challenge. The pair are perfectly cast, their strong on-screen chemistry making their back and forth banter, bickering, and silly physical antics feel natural. You could believe that these guys have been friends since boyhood. Individually, the actors play their respective roles brilliantly, with Laine’s more nervous self-conscious Dale making for an effective contrast against Tudyk’s more confident but no less intelligent Tucker.
The supporting cast of college kids who end up as the titular duo’s “victims” are also strong, their performances serving as knowing send-ups of the stereotypical horror victims. I particularly enjoyed Jesse Moss’ delightfully loathsome and increasingly psychotic performance as Chad, the classic hill-billy hating “jock” who emerges as the film’s true villain. I’m sure Moss (who also appeared in yesterday’s Ginger Snaps) is perfectly pleasant in real life, but he plays a douchebag so perfectly that I wished I could have reached through my screen and punched his smug face. Katrina Bowden’s is also terrific as Ali, her kind demeanour coupled with her chemistry with Labine making their growing romance a genuinely sweet and welcome plot development.
The film isn’t without some minor flaws, but nothing to hold it back by any stretch. Some of the jokes can sometimes fall flat, and the premise does start to strain itself as the runtime stretches on, with a final plot twist concerning its villain being an unnecessary addition that, while tying in with its themes, doesn’t add much. However, as I said, these are minor issues, and, overall, the film works well.
With captivating lead performances and a funny, poignant story that melds horror with themes of friendship and tolerance, Tucker and Dale vs Evil emerges from the undergrowth as a rip tickling horror send-up ideal for those looking for something a bit lighter than yet another backwoods slasher.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Graeme Robertson
