Finally, a clever satire on horror conventions

Rating: 7/10 (27 January 2012)

Horror movies live and die by conventions. No genre more willingly rehashes tropes and archetypes, or even entire plots. Perhaps horror fans are so exhilarated by the first-time use of an effective original horror film device they are wont to indulge it numerous times until filmmakers have tapped out every possible riff on said device.
This makes horror ripe for satire, yet prior to "Tucker & Dale vs. Evil," only the "Scary Movie" franchise has tried to exploit it for humorous purposes. Even then, rather than clever, nuanced jabs, the "Scary Movie" series goes more over-the-top, inflating any scraps of satire with off-topic pop culture references. It's a bit confounding to be honest, how the horror genre finally has found something that is both homage to horror/comedy and subtly self- deprecating.
"Tucker & Dale" works off the basic premise of a miscommunication based on horror stereotypes: a group of college kids on their way to vacation in some remote woods meet our titular fellas—a pair of honest-to-goodness rednecks—at a rest stop, and take them for a pair of crazies.
Well, Tucker (Alan Tudyk) and Dale (Tyler Labine) happen to be on a much-needed vacation at a cabin in the woods. One night out fishing the kids are skinny-dipping and one girl, Allison (Katrina Bowden), sees them and accidentally falls off a rock and unconscious. Her friends mistake Dale's attempt to rescue Allison for an abduction and plot a way to get their friend back.
A farce ensues that sees the kids misinterpreting what Tucker and Dale are doing around the cabin as prepping to kill Allison, yet in their attempts to foil them, end up killing each other and consequently fueling their own illusion. Meanwhile, Tucker and Dale start to wonder if they're caught in the middle of a suicide pact. Eventually things become less predictable when the college kid Chad (Jesse Moss) starts taking the revenge game too seriously.
Writer/director Eli Craig and spends time acquainting us with Tucker and Dale to the point that we get a nice subplot going with their relationship, but also to make the college kids seems all the more stupid. We laugh at these characters in horror films because they're stupid, but "Tucker & Dale" does it with more self-awareness; Craig knows how ridiculous these characters tend to be in horror films too.
Tudyk gives his usual grade-A character actor performance, but Labine generates the adoration for this film with his lovably dumb teddy bear routine. He's a character we've seen before in comedy, but he does it with such an honest innocence.
"Tucker & Dale" delivers a handful of predictable moments, but there's a satisfaction in seeing them coming that you don't get in most films, simply because you want it to happen. That's part of the draw with horror films, but the enjoyment for this movie comes in the comedic sense. In terms of satire, you know exactly what Craig is going for and it makes too much sense to not be able to appreciate it.
The movie does veer a bit toward the end from its satirical foundation, but by this point the characters have earned enough favor that the story plays out well enough. A more effective horror/comedy twist, however, would have been a nice addition. Craig doesn't manage to take any jabs at horror that seem uniquely genius or insightful, but "Tucker & Dale" is also meant to be a product of love for the genre too, not a complete berating.
Those who love the silly thrills of horror will likely appreciate "Tucker & Dale's" self-aware perspective, and those who love to laugh at the genre will have even more cause to do so.
~Steven C
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