Tucker and Dale vs Evil is a wildly funny mix of blood, gore, and a surprising amount of heart

Rating: 8/10 (1 August 2017)

Spending the weekend at the lake camping, drinking, and skinning dipping in the lake, what could possibly go wrong? A lot, unfortunately, as demonstrated in many horror entities such as 'Friday the 13th' and 'Cabin Fever'. When tackling on the horror genre, it seems that the lake house or a cabin in the woods is never a safe place of teenagers, young adults, or even grown man party at. This horror-comedy hybrid sets another example, only with a slightly smarter and heartfelt approach. You ever heard the phrase "don't judge a book by its cover"? Well, this gore-filled comedy takes the inspiring concept and turns it right on his head with this genre- bending farce showcasing a hilarious conflict between a group of college kids and a duo of bearded country men who are just out for a weekend of fishing. Whereas the former are typically the good guys and the latter are usually the bad guys, this film makes a daring task to take that clichÃ©d and gives it a twist. This movie follows a group of college students who drive out to the country and spend their weekend at the lake, the same lake country hillbillies Tucker (played by Alan Dudyk) and Dale (played by Tyler Labine) happen to be camping at. Upon meeting them at a gas station, the gang immediately comes creeped out by them and flees. Later that night, at the lake, one of the girls Allison (played by Katrina Bowden) suffers a head injury and falls into the water. When Tucker and Dale drag her to their cabin to nurse her, her friends grow incredible suspicious (and judgemental) and wage war on the hillbillies. What ensues instead is a comical, but deadly turn for the worst.
In today's age, too many people are top quick to judge for the appearance of others. The issue lies within the core of the plot here, which offers an absurd, yet hilarious testament on the consequences of misjudging others for what is seen on the outside than what is on the inside. And director Eli Craig is the mastermind behind reeling in this inspiring phenomenon with a funny, tongue-in- cheek twist. The movie follows a familiar clichÃ© with a young college age kids battling against some middle-aged country boys who they believe are just your average psychopaths hungry for blood, only both sides of the moral compass are swapped between the two groups. The film introduces the two eponymous characters as stereotypical southerners with big beards and lightly sets up their background, while leaving most of the college characters rendered in simple figures. From there on, it is not long before the story escalates into a gut-busting bloodbath, and that is where most of the laughs are perpetrated. When tension between the two sides rise, so does the body count, not because these kids make the stupid decisions known in slasher movies but simply because they are just too amateur to defend themselves without being overly clumsy. Like films such as 'Shaun of The Dead' and 'Hot Fuzz', the film uproots its goofy humor through an excess of blood and gore to showcase the violent, albeit hilarious deaths of the characters. And to fuel up the intellect tank, there is a smart message about thinking before you judge others upon first glance and learning to stand up for yourself, both of which are nicely offered in the midst of the carnage and laughter. Eli Craig proves he knows how to give a film a strong heart without neglecting his duty for reel in some good laughs. Not many comedies, particularly the ones mating with the horror genre, accomplish that feat.
Tucker and Dale vs Evil is a wildly funny mix of blood, gore, and surprising amount of heart in the midst of its outrageous gruesome hilarity. It is a funny good time that proves movies can be uproot plenty of laughter through stupidity while flourishing an intellectual touch to the mix. Comedy fans will be satisfied, while gore lovers will be ecstatic.