Campy Horror film With a Message

Rating: 7/10 (16 February 2012)

I had been meaning to check out this film since I saw the trailer a few months ago but it was never released around here. I know I keep saying that about films but it just seems like it's always the case. That whole no releases near us is weird because we are only an hour outside of LA as the crow flies. I think that is probably a good rant topic for another post. Anyhow, lucky day it's now available on Netflix for instant streaming.
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil tells the tale of a couple of good old boys from Virginia who set off to their fixer up cabin in the woods in the hopes of relaxing, drinking some beers and doing a little fishing. Tucker and Dale look like your typical NASCAR watching, dip spitting, deer hunting hillbillies. Bad luck starts to befall them as they are set upon by a group of preppie college kids who decide to set up camp near their cabin. Happenstance and misunderstandings lead the spoiled college kids to determine that Tucker and Dale are deranged back woods hillbillies that want to cut them up with a chain saw.
There is some gore, hot college girls in daisy dukes, horror and suspense in this film but it's not so bad that I didn't enjoy the film and I am not really into horror films. The movie actually is more of a Shaun of the Dead type anti-formulaic horror comedy. The set up is the same but the villains and heroes are not who you expect them to be.
I think this film succeeds in poking fun at, while paying homage to the classic kids in the woods evil killer on the loose formula that we are all familiar with from numerous films. Horror movie clichés are tossed in the wood chipper as the film asks us to examine our own stereotypes and misconceptions about people. The film has a message but it does not hit you over the head like a pick axe with it.
While not having the highest production values in the world and looking a bit like a film student's final project, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil is still an enjoyable film. If you enjoy campy horror films and liked the Evil Dead franchise I think you may want to sit down with your beverage and snack of choice and fire up your Netflix to check this out.