Movie Review: TUCKER & DALE VS. EVIL
The horror comedy genre is one that is so easily ruined. All too often, it relies too much on one genre while sacrificing the other and being all the weaker for it. It seems the horror comedy is on the cusp of having a resurgence and TUCKER & DALE VS. EVIL just set the bar pretty damn high.
TUCKER & DALE follows two brothers, played by Alan Tudyk (SERENITY) and Tyler Labine (Mad Love, Reaper) as they set up their new vacation home in the hills of Virginia. Along the way, they encounter college students on spring break that get the entirely wrong impression and hijinks and death ensue. The film walks that thin tight rope between absurd humor and gruesome gorey deaths, and does an excellent job of still somehow being grounded in a real world I can believe in.
The backwoods “hillbilly” has gotten a bad wrap in films since even before the banjo twangs of DELIVERANCE. TUCKER & DALE is the attempt to right this image and give them a voice. The entire film is set on the joke that the college kids have seen THE HILLS HAVE EYES, TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, et al one too many times and project their fears on the two innocent moutain men. While the joke seems one note, the film manages to play off it and keep it fresh throughout, throwing in some kinks and twists along the way.
Tudyck and Labine are so wonderfully lovable as the clueless hicks, you are completely on their side during the entire mishap. Tudyck is hilarious, but it’s Labine’s journey as the dimwitted sidekick that truly stood out. How often do films allow the overweight best friend be the focal point of the love interest? That unconventional romance was one of the highlights of the film, and played perfectly for laughs and sentiment.
The romance and hillbillies were strong, but the college kids were never truly fleshed out or characterized. While this added to the laughs, allowing the audience to fully enjoy the moronic ways they died, it didn’t bring much in terms of drama or emotional weight whenever a character was lost. This lack of emotional gravity caused the climactic fight and reveal to fall a little flat. However, this didn’t track from the enjoyment of the film, it simply left me wondering what could have been had this aspect been handled better.
Overall, TUCKER & DALE VS. EVIL was such a fun viewing experience and should definitely be seen. Still not sure if you should watch? Check out the hilarious red band trailer; it does a fantastic job of teasing the film and accurately portraying the type of humor and gore that are present in the film as a whole.
`
Directed by Eli Craig, TUCKER & DALE VS. EVIL is currently available on Video on Demand and will have a limited release in theaters starting on September 30.