If you go down to the woods today be sure for a big surprise!

Rating: 8/10 (11 September 2014)

If truth be told, I didn't think that I was going to like Tucker & Dale Vs Evil. I remember seeing the trailer and thinking that it looked like a dumb and forced horror comedy in the vein of Scary Movie. However, I had heard a lot of positive reviews so I thought that I'd give it a go. The opening was a little lame and then we get introduced to some truly horrendous characters who are obviously played for laughs. I was beginning to lose faith, right up until Tucker and Dale were introduced.
For some reason I thought that the film was about two dumb redneck psychopaths killing some teens. However, what makes the film so clever, unique and funny is that it's not about that at all. Instead it's about two lovable rednecks who get themselves into a lot of farcical situations by mistake. You could hardly call it a slasher film. It's more like a horror romcom with a feel good ending to die for.
I laughed throughout Tucker and Dale. It reminded me of Hatchet, only this is far better and funnier, and I really like Hatchet for the record! I watched this on my own and found myself laughing out loud and quite hard too! It reminded me of Miranda sometimes in how everything builds from one misunderstanding to another. The plot is really stupid, but the film knows that and it plays with it in a very clever way offering plenty of sly nods to horror fans who are all too familiar with these types of plots.
What makes the film though is it's brilliant characters. You can't help but fall in love with Dale who's so kind and self-depreciating. He's completely different to Tucker who's louder and more amoral, but this makes their relationship that much sweeter. I also loved Allison, the slasher character who normally stays as the drop-dead-gorgeous girl at the back and gets killed quite early on, who turns out to be a sweet and very likable main girl. The rest of the college kids are disposable but purposefully so, apart from the hugely dislikeable psychopath, Chad.
Most of all though Tucker and Dale is just bloody good fun to watch. It's a great film to watch with some friends round. It doesn't take itself seriously, but it does take itself seriously enough to give us an endlessly witty and intelligent screenplay, lovable characters and just an all-round good quality film. Some scenes are also really heartfelt which I wasn't expecting. I also loved the infectiously feel good ending which left me grinning ear to ear. This film was such a wonderful surprise to me. I was really expecting to dislike it, but now it's probably one of my favourite horror-comedies. Give it a chance. Only the most stone-hearted person with no sense of humour could hate this.