A horrifically funny horror comedy

Rating: 8/10 (18 December 2014)

It's not all about The Cabin In The Woods. 2 years previously, this under-appreciated horror comedy with what might be an even smarter premise came out and it deserves just as much attention. Tucker And Dale Vs. Evil centres on 2 red necks who a group of teens assume are murderers. When they rescue one of them, the teenagers think they're villains and then when the teens start trying to attack them they keep having accidents and a series of horribly unfortunate misunderstandings occur. This time, the victims are the villains. It's such a clever idea it's surprising no-one attempted it before. It feels a little slight, so this reduces its impact since in terms of scale it's a pretty small movie. Also, it's ludicrous and can repeat itself a bit too much, but don't let that put you off. On Netflix UK's awful horror film selection, there thankfully is a genuinely good horror film aside from Carrie and one or 2 other things. TADVE is great fun for horror fans, and certainly a lot more fun than watching many horror films.
The film offers plenty of goofy, gory thrills and can be suspenseful, although always in a light hearted way. Despite the endlessly relaxed tone there are plenty of moderately scary moments. It's also incredibly funny, and the laughs don't really stop flowing even if certain jokes are reused more than they should be. It's original and highly clever, and while it's a film that relies on coincidences, it's so much fun you just don't care. This is a pretty gory movie, but it's not mean spirited at all. The most unexpected surprise is that the film has some nice messages about self esteem, and there's a genuinely touching romance in the centre of the film. I certainly wasn't expecting that at all, and that's why it comes so highly recommended. It may have buckets of blood, but it never feels mean spirited. It's a very fun horror comedy which deserves more attention than it gets. Seriously, give this one a look.
8/10