A Horror-Comedy That Cuts Like A Knife, Splits Your Sides, But Satisfies Like A Good Beer

Rating: 10/10 (5 February 2012)

I remember when I first heard of this movie. My best friend and I are Wal-Mart junkies, and we're constantly skimming the five-dollar bin for a good laugh at some terrible cinema. It just so happened that on one of these expeditions that I happened to cross the "Just Released" section, and there it sat; 'Tucker and Dale vs. Evil', a movie in which the two main characters looked like my best friend and I, was undoubtedly destined to be a campy, unintelligible attempt at a horror or horror-comedy, but would nonetheless be fun to pick at for humorous critical purposes. Time went by until the movie wandered onto my best bud's Netflix account. So we made a plan to get a pizza, chips, pop and sit back and watch this likely failure in film-making during a weekend (like we did for 'The Evil Dead', 'Rambo III', 'Hunt To Kill', and many others)
And again I was taught the lesson of, "Don't judge a book by it's cover."
'Tucker and Dale vs. Evil' was anything but a terrible movie. In fact, it was pretty damn good. I definitely put it on my list of great comedy/parody films next to 'Shaun of the Dead', but too many people are making way too close a comparison, often misleading other viewers pre- viewing perspective. Allow me to break it down for you without spoiling too much of the film (aka I won't spoil anything important).
Here's the general breakdown of the plot: You have two groups of characters here, Tucker and Dale, and some college kids. Tucker and Dale are two average guys who want to fix up a vacation home in the boonies of West Virginia. The college kids are out for a camp trip. When these two groups meet for the first time, the college kids instantly think 'Deliverance', and Tucker and Dale go about their business a little indignant about the treatment from the college kids, but overall unfazed. A second unintentional meet-up at a swimming and fishing hole results in one college girl accidentally getting hurt, Tucker and Dale trying to help her, and the college kids still thinking that 'Deliverance' is finally becoming a reality. From there, the wild accusations, assumptions, and hilarity ensues.
First of all, it was the appearance of Tucker and Dale caught my attention originally. They were the spitting image of my best friend and I without a doubt, which was pretty much the sole reason we wanted to watch this film in the first place, with the exception of course of a good laugh for all the wrong reasons. Instantaneously, however, we soon began to realize that Tucker and Dale were actually very, very much like us in many ways. Now, I'm not saying that everyone will have the same comparison to make, but what I am saying is that the characters in this movie are delightful. Tucker and Dale are just two run-of-the-mill, blue- collar guys who are best buds with a predisposition towards awkward and clumsy behavior much like old greats Laurel and Hardy. Tucker is a hard worker and the hilariously unfortunate "punching bag" of the two, whereas Dale is looks like a bear, but he's the sweetest, most innocent, gentle guy imaginable. The second group of characters, the college kids, also had very likable qualities about them, unlike similar characters in many other horror/horror-comedy films. Whereas most horror films like to make college/teen-age characters seem like overtly-stereotypical horny belligerent delinquents with a penchant for misbehavior, these college kids were, well, regular college kids! They just wanted a camp-out to have a good time and maybe sneak a beer or two and tell some spooky stories around a camp-fire, but in the midst of chaos become quick to judge and non-observational. One college girl even assumes the position of an average, intelligent girl, who is not in this for pure sex appeal and to be a cattle to the slaughter. All of these elements were completely refreshing, to say the least.
Second, the cinematography was excellent. Nothing completes a campy horror flick like lackluster film, terrible camera handling, lighting, and scenery. This film had the appeal of HD, and good camera work and lighting. The special FX were also something to be proud of, because they certainly kept a grip on the "gore-rror" of this movie without undercooking or going too over-the-top.
Third, and the big one (for me, anyway), the story was excellent, and the script dialogue was also very nice. Many people are comparing it to 'Shaun of the Dead', the undoubted Prince of Cult Horror/Horror-Comedy. You have got to remember, though, that these are two COMPLETELY different films; Shaun deals fairly strictly with zombie flicks and dry British humor, whereas Tucker and Dale covers (really) a small plethora of horror, drawing from 'Deliverance' (Tucker and Dale as Hillbillies in West Virginia), 'Scream' (the college kids in more ways than one), and the 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' (the TRUE horror in the film), and it is also fairly American in its humorous backwoods comedy. What they do share, however, is their film type (horror-comedy/parody), the lovable characters, scripts that sparkled with a dusting of genius and worked perfectly for every character, and that both films have a little heart and morality to them. One should also note that 'Tucker and Dale vs. Evil' is in fact a comedy, so viewers shouldn't really walk into it with a grade book and a stiff back. Many of the elements of the film ARE blown way out of proportion to both look ridiculous and make you laugh, but it does this so very delicately where everything still fits in place, unlike the incredibly silly screwball antics of, say, the 'Scary Movie' series.
In conclusion, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil proved to the world, once again, that you can't spell "slaughter" without "laughter." A definite must-see addition to any horror junkie's collection.