Original Film / Plot

## General Info.

### Titles

Tusk (English, Spanish - Spain, French, German, Italian, Catalan)Tusk: A Transformação (Portuguese)
En un lugar de Canadá... (Spanish - Latin America)
Iltis (Lithuanian)
Ilknis (Latvian)
Zubati (Croatian)
Okel (Slovene)
Mroží muž (Czech)
Kieł (Polish)
Agyar (Hungarian)
İşkence Gecesi (Turkish)
Бивень (Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian)
Mr.タスク (Japanese)
长牙 (Chinese - Simplified)
터스크 (Korean)
ذو الناب (Arabic)

### Producers

William D. Johnson
Sam Englebardt
Shannon McIntosh
David Greathouse

### Main Cast

Wallace Bryton (Brighton) - Justin Long
Howard Howe - Michael Parks
Young Howard Howe - Matthew Shively
Guy LaPointe (Credited as Guy LaPointe) - Johnny Depp
Allison "Ally" Leon - Genesis Rodriguez
Teddy Craft - Haley Joel Osment

### Release Dates

September 6th, 2014 (Toronto International Film Festival)
September 18th, 2014 (USA Fantastic Fest)
September 19th, 2014 (USA)
October 3rd, 2014 (Canada; Limited)
October 8th, 2014 (Sweden; Monsters of Film, Stockholm)
October 9th, 2014 (Australia)
October 9th, 2014 (Azerbaijan)
October 9th, 2014 (Kazakhstan)
October 9th, 2014 (Russia)
October 9th, 2014 (Ukraine)
October 10th, 2014 (Spain; Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival)
October 19th, 2014 (Italy; Rome Film Festival)
October 24th, 2014 (Estonia)
October 31st, 2014 (Spain; Semana de Cine Fantástico y de Terror de San Sebastián)
October 31st, 2014 (Latvia)
October 31st, 2014 (Portugal)
October 31st, 2014 (Portugal; Fantasporto - Oporto International Film Festival)
November 8th, 2014 (United Kingdom; Leeds International Film Festival)
November 14th, 2014 (Lithuania)
November 23rd, 2014 (France; Paris International Fantastic Film Festival)
December 4th, 2014 (Lebanon)
December 5th, 2014 (Taiwan)
December 25th, 2014 (United Arab Emirates)
December 30th, 2014 (Singapore; Blu-Ray Release)
January 19th, 2015 (Greece)
January 26th, 2015 (Turkey)
February 6th, 2015 (Spain; Limited)
February 12th, 2015 (Netherlands; DVD Premiere)
February 20th, 2015 (Sweden)
February 28th, 2015 (Serbia; Belgrade Film Festival)
March 11th, 2015 (France; DVD Premiere)
March 14th, 2015 (Germany; Fantasy Filmfest)
April 10th, 2015 (Denmark; CPH: PIX)
April 14th, 2015 (Mexico; DVD Premiere)
April 16th, 2015 (Argentina; Buenos Aire International Festival of Independent Cinema)
April 23rd, 2015 (United Kingdom; Dead by Dawn Horror Film Festival)
April 29th, 2015 (Italy; DVD Premiere)
May 6th, 2015 (Poland; DVD Premiere)
May 7th, 2015 (Germany; DVD Premiere)
May 14th, 2015 (Hungary; DVD Premiere)
June 8th, 2015 (Brazil; DVD Premiere)
June 8th, 2015 (United Kingdom; DVD Premiere)
June 26th, 2015 (Japan; Qualite Fantastic Cinema Collection)
June 29th, 2015 (Finland; DVD Premiere)
July 18th, 2015 (Japan)
July 21st, 2015 (South Korea; BiFan - Bucheon International Fantastical Film Festival)
October 10th, 2015 (Israel; TV Release)
June 29th, 2016 (Norway; DVD Premiere)
July 24th, 2018 (Philippines; Online Release)
May 13th, 2019 (Ecuador; DVD Premiere)
May 6th, 2021 (Egypt; DVD Premiere)
July 1st, 2021 (India; Online Release)

## Financial Info.

### Home Video Sales

$700K

 —Kevin Smith describing Tusk

 —The film's tagline

***Tusk*** is a 2014 body-horror / psychological thriller / dark comedy film directed, written, and edited by *Kevin Smith*. Its sequel, ***Tusk$*** is expected to have a release date of 2024.

> ***Note;** This page may leave out details regarding **Tusk**. For more thorough information, go to **Tusk (2014 Film) - Wikipedia**. That being said, more information - such as Trivia - will be added here that may have gone unseen by the Tusk Wikipedia.*
>
>

## Synopsis

***Official synopsis;** A U.S. podcaster ventures into the Canadian wilderness to interview an old man who has an extraordinary past, and the American learns the man has a dark secret involving a walrus.*

***Rewritten synopsis*** *(- @Wigmeat)**;*** *An American podcaster, determined to come back to America with a good story, ventures into Canada to interview an elderly man with an extraordinary past, but slowly discovers the man's disturbing obsession involving a walrus.*

  WARNING! This next section (and continuing forward) contains spoilers, language, sexual references, violence, death, descriptions of disturbing events, and images that may be disturbing. Continue at your own caution!  {{{content}}}
## Full Plot

*Wallace Bryton* and *Teddy Craft*, two close friends, host a podcast called *The Not-See Party* together, where they interview odd or interesting folks. Wallace finds great amusement in a viral online video of a kid, dubbed *The Kill-Bill Kid*, accidentally cutting his own leg off with a katana, and plans to fly to Canada to interview the kid. *Ally Leon*, Wallace's girlfriend, tries to convince Wallace not to leave, but Wallace ignores her concerns. Wallace, shortly after arriving in *Manitoba, Canada*, discovers that The Kill-Bill Kid has committed suicide due to the online bullying that was popularized by Wallace and Teddy's podcast.

Wallace is *angry, rather than sorrowful,* and is determined to not waste his trip. In the bathroom of a local bar, Wallace finds a flyer put on the wall, which is written by *Howard Howe*, a wheelchair bounded, elderly man promising a free room in his mansion for the trade of someone to simply listen to his interesting tales of the past. Wallace decides to accept the invitation, and calls Howard's cell number *(which was written on the bottom of the flyer)* and the two exchange pleasantries over the phone.

Wallace arrives at Howard's mansion. Howard offers Wallace tea, and Wallace accepts. The two chit-chat about everything under the sun, as if the two were well-known close friends already. Howard tells Wallace about his times as a seaman serving *Ernest Hemingway* during World War II, being lost at sea off the coast of Russia after their ship had wrecked, and being the only one to survive. He would swim for hours and hours, and had almost drowned since he was so exhausted, but was saved by a walrus, whom he named *Mr. Tusk*. He would live on an island with said walrus for six months.

Wallace starts to feel drowsy, and shortly passes out on the floor due to Howard's secobarbital-laced tea.

The morning thereafter, Wallace wakes up strapped to a wheelchair in an unfamiliar and empty room, with Howard sitting across of the room cleaning a tusk bone. Howard tells Wallace that he was bitten by a brown recluse spider, and had "*Dr. Moseeay"* amputate his leg due to the spider's poison, and removed all of the phones to "not disturb" Wallace. Wallace is devastated, while Howard can barely hold in his laughter at Wallace's dismay. Howard tells Wallace that his amputated leg must be akin to *losing a close friend.*

Later the same night, Howard makes dinner for the two, but Wallace is unable to move his arms and is heavily suspicious of Howard. Howard explains that he can't move his arms due to the painkillers Dr. Moseeay gave him for his amputated leg. Wallace, fed up with Howard's lies, screams for Howard to let him go and screams for help. Howard than stands up, revealing to Wallace that he did not actually need his wheelchair, and slaps Wallace across the face - shutting Wallace up. Howard reveals to Wallace that he's been constructing a realistic walrus suit for some time now, and plans to fit Wallace into it, as an attempt to recreate his past walrus companion. Wallace cries out, but Howard mocks Wallace's cries, and the two have a "crying fit" together.

Later that night, while Howard is asleep, Wallace retrieves his phone back, and tries calling Teddy and Ally - but the two don't answer because the two are having an affair behind Wallace's back. Ally vents to Teddy, upset that Wallace stopped caring for her, and only wants her for sexual gain. Wallace, unaware of their affair, leaves voicemails for the two, telling them about his situation. Howard then sneaks up behind Wallace, and knocks him out from behind with his walrus baculum. A few moments later, Teddy and Ally finally listen to Wallace's voicemails, and immediately jump to action. The two plan a trip to Canada to rescue Wallace.

Howard continues to mutilate a cold-asleep Wallace on a surgical table by sewing his arms to his torso, and his other leg has now been amputated as well. Howard talks to an unconscious Wallace about his traumatic childhood, where he became an orphan after his parents' tragic murder that he witnessed at 10-years-old. He was sexually and physically abused by the many clergies that fostered him, but escaped when he was 15-years-old. Around the same time, he joined the American military, and left the country on a boat.

After the surgery, Wallace is then revealed to have surgically become a horrifying *walrus-human hybrid.* Wallace's *(also called 'Wallace-rus' by Kevin Smith)* new tusks are sculpted from his own severed tibia bones and have been surgically placed above his mouth, his nose has been morphed and disfigured, his tongue has been cut off, and his new "walrus skin" is made from other people's skin. Wallace wails in pain, his screams are now animal-like due to his tongue being cut off.

Teddy and Ally get contact with *detective Frank Garmin*, who then gets them in-touch with a local detective named *Guy LaPointe*, who is also a former Sûreté du Québec inspector, who has also coincidentally been searching for Howard for 13 years now. Guy explains to the two that Howard, who Guy has dubbed *"The First Wife"* *(due to the fact that he "never fucks you, and never lets you go")* has been kidnapping and killing folks for years now, and that his case is extremely intriguing, yet uncanny to Guy. Guy reassures Teddy and Ally that they may be able to save Wallace before Howard mutilates him.

Howard continues to treat Wallace as a real walrus, and tries teaching him how to swim and to eat a diet only consisting of mackerels. Howard sits next to Wallace, and reveals to him that some time after being rescued by Mr. Tusk, he had to kill and eat him to survive, but Howard was rescued only an hour later, and hasn't gotten over the guilt. For the past 15 years, he has been attempting to turn unknowing people into his own manmade Mr. Tusk to give them another chance at survival. Howard then dresses in his own homemade walrus suit, and initiates the two to "walrus fight" each other.

Teddy and Ally *(Guy being left behind due to stomach problems)* break into Howard's mansion with guns that Guy gave them earlier. They yell for Wallace, and run up-and-down Howard's huge mansion.

Wallace seemingly loses the fight *(or gives up)*, and Howard stands up and rips himself out of his own suit. He is disappointed with Wallace's failure, and raises up his walrus baculum to kill Wallace with, but before Howard can kill him, Wallace stabs Howard's foot with his tusk. Howard screams and falls to the ground. Wallace gets on top of Howard and continues to stab him in the chest repeatedly. Howard, in his last moments, tells Wallace that he really is Mr. Tusk.

Teddy, Ally, and Guy *(finally catching up with the two)* run into the underground room, and discover Wallace, covered in blood atop of a dead Howard, heavily panting in rage. Guy aims his gun towards Wallace, and the scene cuts dramatically as Ally screams at Guy to not shoot.

One year later, Teddy and Ally visit a pet sanctuary. Ally throws in a mackerel into a *(rather small)* enclosure with a pool and a hut, where Wallace hobbles out and munches on the mackerel. In a flashback, Ally tells *(human)* Wallace that her grandfather once told her that crying separates humans from animals. Tears forming in her eyes, she tells Wallace that she still loves him. Teddy and Ally leave shortly afterwards, and Wallace stops eating, and cries - howling in anguish, obviously reflecting on all of his mistakes as a human, and wishing he could've made it up to Ally *(his now ex-girlfriend)*.

## Cast and Crew

### *Starring (Almost full cast);*

* Wallace Bryton - *Justin Long*
* Howard Howe - *Michael Parks*
* Young Howard Howe - *Matthew Shively*
* Guy LaPointe *(Credited as Guy LaPointe) - Johnny Depp*
* Allison "Ally" Leon - *Genesis Rodriguez*
* Teddy Craft - *Haley Joel Osment*
* Colleen McKenzie *(Clerk #1) - Harley Quinn Smith*
* Colleen Colette *(Clerk #2) - Lily-Rose Depp*
* Kill-Bill Kid - *Doug Banks*
* Border Agent - *Harley Morenstein*
* Border Agent #2 - *Randy Grazio*
* Detective Frank Garmin - *Ralph Garman*
* Ernest Hemingway - *Zak Knutson*
* Gimli Slider Waitress - *Jennifer Schwalback*
* Convenience Store Customer - *Ashley Greene*
* Bar Customer #1 - *Rob Koebel*
* Bar Customer #2 - *Todd Davis*
* Bar Patron #1 - *Mitch Cleaver*
* Bar Patron #2 - *Josh Roush*
* Background Guy in Bar - *Chris Parkinson*
* Background Guy at Funeral - *Devin Walker*
* Traveller #1 - *Bonnie Cole*
* Traveller #2 - *Brian Cole*
* Traveller #3 - Paula Jilling
* Self *(SModcast - Voice)* - *Kevin Smith*
* Self *(SModcast - Voice)* - *Scott Mosier*

### *Crew;*

* Director - *Kevin Smith*
* Writer - *Kevin Smith*
* Editor - *Kevin Smith*
* Producer - *William D. Johnson*
* Producer - *Sam Englebard*
* Producer - *Shannon McIntosh*
* Producer - *David Greathouse*
* Executive Producer - *Jennifer Schwalbach*
* Executive Producer - *Nate Bolotin*
* Executive Producer - *Nick Spicer*
* Production Designer - *John D. Kretschmer*
* Set Designer - *Stephan Beck*
* Set Decorator - *Luci Wilson*
* Leadman - *Carson Gloster*
* Set Buyer - *Ken Bryant*
* On-Set Dresser - *Robbie Church*
* Set Dresser - *Lindsay Glick*
* Set Dresser - *Guy Covington. Jr.*
* Set Dresser - Justin Kistler
* Costume Designer - *Maya Lieberman*
* Key Costumer - *Candace Kualh*
* Key Costumer - *Ginger Knussmann*
* Key Costumer - *Jason Blackman*
* Costume Assistant - *Jasmine Boerner*
* Ager/Dyer - *Shannon Lance*
* Tailor - *Bilquis Shareef*
* Make-Up Department Head - *Wendy Bell*
* Hair Department Head - *Heather Richardson*
* Cinematography - *James Laxton*
* Visual Effects Supervisor - *David Altenau*
* Visual Effects Producer - *Jim Jacobsen*
* Compositor - *Renaud Talon*

* **Visual Effects - *Fuse FX***

* Special Make-up Effects - *Robert Kurtzman*
* Special Effects Supervisor - *Larry Bivins*
* Special Effects Foreman - *Dustin Miller*
* Special Effects - *Tony Cooke*
* Special Effects - *Joe Goins*
* Music Composer - *Christopher Drake*
* Music Supervisor - *Jason Ruder*
* Music Clearances - *Jessica Dolinger*
* Score Mixer - *Daniel Kresco*
* Score Mixer Assistant - *Christian Wenger*
* Sound Mixer - *Larry Long*
* Sound Designer - *Joel Dougherty*
* Re-recording Mixer - *Joel Dougherty*
* Sound Effects Editor - *John Joseph Thomas*
* Sound Effects Editor - *Otis Van Osten*
* Sound Effects Editor - *Ken Young*
* Sound Effects Editor - *Peter D. Lago*
* Sound Utility - *Tom Keeley*
* Boom Operator - *Matt Fann*
* Video Analat Operator - *Mark McManis*
* Line Producer - *Jenny Hinkey*
* Script Supervisor - *Dan Clark*
* Associate Producer - *Jason Mewes*
* Associate Producer - *Jordan Monsanto*
* Assistant Director - *Chris Parkinson*
* Assistant Director - *Alisa Fredericks*
* Assistant Director - *Clint Buckner*
* Assistant Director - *Neal Gray*
* Stunt Coordinator - *Dino Muccio*
* Stunt Coordinator - *Cal Johnson*
* Stunts - *Jeremy Conner*
* Stunts - *Kevin Edward Morgan*
* "A" Camera Operator - *Bo Webb*
* "A" Camera First Assistant - *Alan Newcomb*
* "A" Camera Second Assistant - *Zsolt Haraszti*
* "B" Camera Operator - *Nicole Lobell*
* "B" Camera First Assistant - *Stephen Cook*
* "B" Camera Second Assistant - *Monica Barrios-Smith*
* Camera Leader - *Kit Marlowe*
* Gaffer - *Dan Lewis*
* Best Boy Electric - *Santana Wilkinson*
* Lighting Technician - *Scott Gosey*
* Lighting Technician - *Eric Kerr*
* Lighting Technician - *Kahlil Fadel*
* Lighting Technician - *Todd Luckey*
* Key Grip - *Geoff Herbert*
* Best Boy Grip - *Steven Stephenson*
* "A" Dolly Grip - *Phillip Dann*
* "B" Dolly Grip - *Bob Williams*
* Rigging Key Grip - *Johnathan Little*
* Rigging Best Boy Grip - *Leslie Gordon*
* Company Grip - *Chris McFeely*
* Company Grip - *Richard Hicks*

#### Make-Up Effects - *ROBERT KURTZMAN'S CREATURE CORPS*

* Make-Up Art Department - *Alan Tuskes*
* Make-Up Art Department - *John Schneider*
* Make-Up Art Department - *Sean Rodgers*
* Make-Up Art Department - *David "House" Greathouse*
* Make-Up Art Department - *Beki Ingram*
* Make-Up Art Department - *Rachel Demski*
* Make-Up Art Department - *Gary Jones*
* Make-Up Art Department - *Beckie Cramer*
* Make-Up Art Department - *Mike Weaver*
* Make-Up Art Department - *Tom Luhtala*
* Make-Up Art Department - *Tate McLellan-Boland*
* Make-Up Art Department - *Krisz Drouillard*
* Make-Up Art Department - *Sarah Verovich*
* Make-Up Art Department - *Nikki Labovitz*
* Make-Up Art Department - *Sami Harper*
* Make-Up Art Department - *Corey McCauley*
* Make-Up Art Department - *Cody Wilhite*
* Conceptual Artist - *Julian Moran*
* Conceptual Artist - Mark Kidwell
* Office Coordinator - *Ryan Auck*
* Office Coordinator - *Lindsay Mies*
* Visual Effects Artist - *Alan Tuskes*

* Key Set Production Assistant - *Lance Anger*
* Set Production Assistant - *Kai Feliciano*
* Production Office Coordinator - *Evelyn Chafin*
* Production Secretary - *Tyler Z. Borden*
* Key Office Production Assistant - *Matthew Shively*
* Office Production Assistant - *Kevin Welch*
* Production Accountant - *Jessica Shannon*
* Assistant Accountant - *Lauren Taylor*
* Location Manager - *Jason King*
* Location Assistant - *Curtis Gaston*
* Location Production Assistant - *Dieter H. Wagner*
* Transportation Coordinator -*D.J. Hall*
* Transportation Captain - *Elizabeth Orr*
* Transportation Captain - *Casey Kepley*
* Drivers - *Eddie Pennington*
* Drivers - *John Navarro*
* Drivers - *Dave Nifong*
* Drivers - *Marty Freedle*
* Drivers - *Donald Hall*
* Drivers - *Billy Freeman*
* Drivers - *Brandon Hadrix*
* Drivers - *Andy Whicker*
* Graphic Designer - *Tiffany Apple Keenan*
* Illustrator and Story Boards - *Andy Rogers*
* Art Department Coordinator - *Schuyler A. Grimsman*
* Howe's Super 8mm Beach and Seagulls - *Olivia Kretschmer*
* Construction Coordinator - *Pete Battistelli*
* Construction Foreman - *Ralph Woollaston*
* Construction Buyer - *Alicia Lowe*
* Gang Boss - *Brian Hudson*
* Metal Fabricator - *Bob Girard*
* Prop-maker - *Bryan Kupczyk*
* Prop-maker - *Kevin Kramer*
* Prop-maker - *Jeff Kramer*
* Prop-maker - *Andrew Wright*
* Prop-maker - *Patrick Diegnan*
* Scenic Charge - *Alton McClellan*
* Set Painter - *Melissa Bitting*
* Property Master - *Kelly Rubottom*
* Assistant Property Master - *Melissa Wooten*
* Poster Production Supervisor - *Nick Bradley*
* Poster Production Comsultant - *J.C. Reifenberg*
* Delivery Consultant; The B.A. Department - *Stacey Smith*
* Assistant Editor; North Carolina Unit - *Jordan Maltby*
* Foley Editor - *Aran Tanchum*
* Dialogue Editor - *Darleen Stroker*
* Dialogue Editor - *Gloria D' Alessandro*
* Mix Technician - *Bradford Bell*
* Foley Artist - *Alex Ulrich*
* Foley Artist - *Ellen Heuer*
* Foley Mixer - *Stacy Michaels*
* Assistant to Kevin Smith - *Ashley Greene*
* Assistant to Kevin Smith - *Meghan Wysocki*
* Assistant ro Sam Englebardt - *Whine Del Rosario*
* Assistant to David Greathouse - *Elli Legerski*
* Assistant to Michael Parks - *Josh Roush*
* Still Photography - *Kent Smith*
* Extras Casting - *Tona Dahlquist*
* North Carolina Consultant - *Phil Smoot*
* Medic - *Aaron Webb*

* **Caterer - *Feel Good Foods***

* Head Chef - *Mark Bruce*
* Chef - *Shane M. Goodall*
* Assistant Chef - *Marcus J. Mangine*
* Key Craft Service - *Keith Sweeney*
* Key Craft Service - *Jeramiah Snyder*

* **Main and End Titles Designer - *BUDDHA JONES***

#### Kill-Bill Kid Video - *THE DIGITAL ARTS & VISUAL EFFECTS SCHOOL*

* Visual Effects Supervisor - *Jeffrey Scheetz*
* Visual Effects Artist - *Michael R. Currie*
* Visual Effects Artist - *Alex Rideout*
* Video Crew - *Saham Ali*
* Video Crew - *William Kroger*

#### Mobile Dailies - *OUTPOST - A LIGHT IRON SERVICE*

* OUTPOST Engineer - *Ethan Schwartz*
* OUTPOST Supervisor - *Aaron Kroger*

#### Digital Intermediate *- LIGHT IRON*

* Digital Intermediate Colorist - *Corinne Bogdanowigz*
* Digital Intermediate Producer - *Derek Eby*
* Executive Producer - *Paul Geffre*
* Finishing Artist - Monique Fissing
* Conform Editor - *Matt Blackshear*
* Digital Intermediate Assistant - *Ryan McKeague*
* Digital Intermediate Assistant - *Devon Meadows*
* Digital Intermediate Assistant - *Keenan Mock*
* Digital Intermediate Assistant - *Paul Rehder*
* Light Iron Management - *Michael Cioni*
* Light Iron Management - *Peter Cioni*
* Light Iron Management - *Des Carey*
* Light Iron Management - *Katie Fellion*
* Light Iron Management - *Chris Peariso*
* Light Iron Management - *Marc Vanogur*
* Production & Distribution Legal Service - *Irwin M. Rappaport. P.C.*
* Production & Distribution Legal Service - *Neil O. Mevellec*

* **Script Research *- ACT ONE SCRIPT CLEARANCE***
* **Collection Account Management *- FINTAGE COLLECTION ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT B.V.***

#### *Los Angeles Unit*

* WIP -- CREDITS TIMESTAMP - 1;39;43

#### *Companies;*

* Distribution company - *A24*
* Production company - *Demarest Films*
* Production company - *XYZ Films*
* Production company - *SModcast Pictures*

## Production and Behind the Scenes

The original idea for the film came from *episode 259* of *Kevin Smith* and *Scott Mosier's* podcast, *SModcast*, *"The Walrus and The Carpenter."* In the episode, *Smith* and *Mosier* talk about an ad Smith saw on the British website Gumtree, where a homeowner was offering a living arrangement for free; the catch being that the lodger must agree to wear a walrus costume and act as a walrus for 2 hours everyday. *Smith* and *Mosier* would make jokes about the ad, and continue a humorous and hypothetical tale about the ad. *Smith* loved the idea so much, that he would ask his fans and followers to tweet *"#WalrusYes"* or *"WalrusNo"* in response to the possible film idea. The majority of *Smith's* fans would agree that the film should be made.

During early pre-production in *September of* *2013*, Smith would find out that the original Gumtree ad was a prank, posted by British poet and prankster *Chris Parkinson*. Parkinson would come out about the false ad to Smith upon hearing about the planned production, stating that he was a huge fan of Smith, and saw the opportunity to get involved with the production. Smith would agree to Parkinson's proposal, and would hire him as an associate producer in *November of 2013,* two months after the films pre-production.

Smith would go on to write an 80-page screenplay for the film, and a 2nd draft of the screenplay would be finished on *July 23rd of 2013*. Originally, the film was titled *"The Walrus & The Carpenter,"* a tribute to the original *SModcast* episode, but was changed to *"Tusk"* later on, with Smith stating that he *"knew what a movie about a walrus had to be called."* The script would have adjustments made to them due to actor *Justin Long* feeling like *Wallace* *(his role)* was too unlikeable, and later, the final version would be completed in *late 2013*.

The film was originally going to be produced by *Blumhouse Productions*. However, the film would later be financed by *Demarest Films,* due to Smith wanting the film to be produced faster than *Blumhouse* was expecting.

*"The e-mails and the phone calls from Blumhouse started slowing to a crawl. That weekend, I could feel the ice cracking below my enormous girth as I waited for some sign of life for our little walrus picture. On Monday, I got a couple of e-mails that were bullets to the head of the Sundance 2014 '#WalrusYes' vision quest: Turns out, Jason wanted to wait 'til January to start shooting — a start date that was based on the availability of an actor he felt was commercially appealing enough to get an audience to come see a walrus picture. It was disappointing, but Jason wasn't saying no; he was saying yes to January."*

Smith had also planned to premier the film at the *2014 Sundance Film Festival*, however, this was changed in order to allow more time for the musical score for the film to be completed.

Smith was excited about making Tusk, stating *"I wanted to 'right' what I felt was the only 'wrong' of Red State, by scripting something with no religious or sexual politics that could grow up to be a weird, little movie, and not an indie film call-to-arms or a frustrated self-distribution manifesto. I just wanted to showcase Michael Parks in a fucked up story, where he could recite some Lewis Carroll and 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' to some poor motherfucker sewn into a realistic walrus costume."*

Production would start on *November 4th, 2013.*

The starting date for photography would be changed and delayed from September, to October, and finally to November due to the filming locations changing from *Canada,* to *North Carolina*. Two additional days would be added for filming in *Los Angeles* for scenes involving *Johnny Depp's* character.

When the film was complete, it would go on to be distributed by *A24*.

## Reception and Cult-following

> ***Note;** Finding the definitive and public financial status of films can often be hard, and different sources can often have different information. The sum written below may be incorrect, and should only be taken as a near estimate.*
>
>

The film released on *September 19th of 2014*, and stayed in theaters until *November 13th (almost two months).* On opening weekend, the film only grossed *$846,831* in the USA and Canada from over *602* screenings. At the end of its theater screenings, the film had only grossed *$1,821,983* in the domestic box office, and *$65,571* for the overseas box office sales, making around *$1,887,554 worldwide*. The film was a flop, losing over *$1.2M* from theaters for the time it stayed in theaters, however, through *DVD, Blu-Ray*, and other sales related to the film, it made back *$737,965,* equalling to around *$2.6M* back - according to *The-Numbers.com,* as of *September of 2023.*

According to *Kevin Smith*, the film likely failed due to the film's very weird nature, and the ambitious nature of the film, stating that *"600 screen release was way too ambitious, if you're going to open on that many screens, you have to spend far more than we did to let people know there's a movie in theaters at all. We could have likely done close to the same opening number on half the amount of screens."*

Its also possible that word-of-mouth caused others to think the film was *(subjectively)* bad, or poorly made. It could have also been passed by many who were familiar with the director, *Smith*, who had a few duds years before *Tusk* was released in theaters. Many people may have also heard of the film's gruesome nature, and were not comfortable with the gore and/or dark themes. However, *Smith* does not mind *Tusk*'s box office failure, and sees it as an inspiration to keep doing what he loves; *"Don't be afraid to do weird stuff, so long as you do it cheaply and cover everyone's bets. Be bold. Be stupid."*

On *Rotten Tomatoes*, the film currently *(as of September of 2023)* stands at a *47%* based on *136* reviews, and a *36%* on audiences scores. It currently holds a *5.3/10* on *IMDb* from over *60k* reviews. The film received mixed reviews, with many people admiring the balanced comedic and horror genre switches within the film, and many other people disagreeing with the former, and often mentioning its unfocus-ness and off-putting pacing.

With the people who enjoyed *Tusk*, the community would stay small and mostly unseen. Fans would make *unofficial merch, art, clay figures, posters, fanfictions, memes*, and more to celebrate the *strange nature* that is *Tusk*. Often, these pieces are comedic in nature - on the contrary, many opt for the horror theme. A great community surrounded around *Tusk* includes the unofficial *Tusk Subreddit.* Though small, it is steadily growing and posts are fairly active, and a good way to share with this growing community. *Tusk-*related communities can also be found on *Tumblr, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook,* and other platforms.

## Gallery

> ***Note;** For a full gallery of a specific character, please go to that character's page (linked character pages are in the Cast and Crew section).*
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Wallace talking to the border agentWallace serving himself some of Howard's teaWallace holding Howard's walrus baculumWallace having a flashback about Ally after passing outWallace waking upTeddy comforting AllyWallace calling for helpWallace pouting and not eating Howard's hand-cooked foodHoward sewing Wallace's armsWallace-rus the walrus!The failed swimmerTeddy and Ally meeting detective Guy LaPointeGuy's flashback with Howard 2 years priorHoward sitting next to his creationHoward dons a walrus costume!Wallace savagely kills HowardTeddy and Ally looking for Wallace

## Quotes (From original script + final film + commentary)

### *Howard Howe;*

"A life of Adventure With Stories to Tell! Hello, I am an old man who had enjoyed a long and storied life at sea. I am a proud Canadian who has traveled a peculiar path lo this many years. And after ions of oceanic adventure, I find myself a landlubber, with Manitoba as my final port. I know I do not wish to spend my remaining years alone in a giant house. Not when I have such stories to tell. So, to this end, I'm offering a room for rent in my stately woodland home. This arrangement will be free of charge, providing you perform simple household chores I can no longer attend to from the confines of this cursed wheelchair. But though I might be old, I have lived. I will tell you about all my many adventures, in vivid detail. Please feel free to call me at the number below. Respectfully, Howard Howe." *- Howard Howe's flyer*

"To solve a riddle older than the Sphinx, to answer the question, which has plagued us since we crawled from this earth, and stood erect in the sun... Is man, indeed, a walrus at heart?" *- Howard Howe's icon line*

"Twenty-five feet... Got three tons on him." *- Howard Howe, directly referencing Quint from Jaws*

"'Always do sober what you'd do drunk. It will teach you to keep your mouth shut.'" *- Howard Howe, quoting Ernest Hemingway*

"'You are a kitchen witch of only good fortune.'" *- Howard Howe, quoting Ernest Hemingway*

"I see you have an eye for the unfamiliar, and the curiosity of a cat!" *- Howard Howe*

“You are a rapscallion of the highest order, Mr. Bryton.” *- Howard Howe*

"I was alone. 'Alone, alone, all, all alone, alone on a wide, wide sea! And never a saint took pity on my soul in agony. ... 'The many men, so beautiful! And they all dead did lie. And a thousand, thousand slimy things lived on, and so did I.'" *- Howard Howe*

"Well, look who's back! I would say you scared the bu-jeebus out of me! Oh, what kinda nurse am I? Here you go, here's your cup." *- Howard Howe*

"Now... Shall we dispense with the chuffa, Mr. Bryton? Perhaps it'd be best, in this, our burgeoning relationship to reveal our hearts with absolute candor. You see... For some time now, I've been constructing a very realistic walrus suit-... And I believe with a few modifications, it will fit you just perfectly. But... Whilst in the walrus suit, you must be a walrus... There'll be no sounds of a human voice. You must communicate everything you do as a walrus... Do you understand?..." *- Howard Howe*

"I think that the real savage animals are the human beings." *- Howard Howe*

"Stop- stop- stop- stop it- stop it... WALRUSES NEVER CRY!" *- Howard Howe*

"Oh, I've missed you, Mr. Tusk. How I've missed our merry times together on Ponder Rock. I regret it, everyday, my return to this wretched... Civilization. This anxious, silly, world, was all the banality of a breakfast cereal. The worst of man has long been fetid, with greed, and indifference. The best of man has long been lobotomized by reality television. I never should have left the wilderness. I never should have left you. This writhing nest of two legged vipers, each devouring the other t stay alive. And I betrayed you, for what? Man's world? An immoral, cesspool, bloated with the wayward, and the destitute." *- Howard Howe*

"Ahoy, matey! You know... It occurrs to me, that if you are to fulfill your destiny... If you are to be a true walrus... Well, Mr. Tusk... A walrus must learn to swim." *- Howard Howe*

"Yes, yes! Show me how the fishies swim! SWIM NOW, COME ON! YOU ARE A MIGHTY CREATURE OF THE SEA! COME ON, DAMN YOU! SWIM! YES, COME ON, SWIM!" *- Howard Howe teaching Wallace to swim*

"Mr. Tusk... Why do you blubber so? Are you really mourning your loss of humanity? I don't understand. Who in the hell would want to be human? God 'mighty... In all of my travels, I've only ever known a human to be an ocean of shit." *- Howard Howe*

"I'm so very tired, Mr. Tusk... Battered by a life of cruel fate, and poor decisions... And the terrible consequences of both..." *- Howard Howe*

"THAT is a mackerel... Bon appétit, Mr. Tusk. ... Yes... Now go to the fish, Mr. Tusk. Take the mackerel... FEED..." *- Howard Howe*

"Yes... Isn't this soothing to the soul? You know, if I close my eyes, I can almost imagine being back on *Ponder Rock*. I knew peace in this twisted, hateful world. I miss our little paradise, Mr. Tusk. This is just a poor facsimile of that magical enclave from when we first became good friends. Remember? Until that-... Terrible day. Man feeds on the meat and sinew of the helpless, until we are all-... Alone. We survive at all costs, only to butcher again, and again, until we ourselves are, at last, butchered in turn. You were not prepared for me last time, Mr. Tusk. You were not ready for the fight... This time, it will be different... Because I have hardened you, just to show you how cruel man can be-... And if I have truly brought out the walrus in you... This time... You just might prevail." *- Howard Howe*

"Some years back, I was rescued from the island of *Ponder Rock*. A mere hour after I butchered my sweet savior walrus... In order to live. I marked this occasion for 15 years now... By allowing my flippered friend the fighting chance he never had. So... You will fight me like a walrus, or you will die!" *- Howard Howe*

"So just as I had to kill you on Ponder Rock, you have a terrible choice to make here... You have to kill me, if you want to live... And if you live, you will be as a walrus, that you almost are... So... Either you go full walrus, or this!"*- Howard Howe*

"You've lasted longer than the rest... You would kill me if you could. You want to... Your survival instincts have kicked in... But... So have mine!" *- Howard Howe*

*(Last words)* "It is accomplished... You are my... Mr. Tusk..." *- Howard Howe*

### *Wallace Bryton;*

"I'm gonna... I'm gonna fucking piss my pants!" *- Wallace watching the 'Kill-Bill Kid' video (and his first line)*

"Hey, if you want to watch this video, please go to our website, 'NotSeeParty.com,' N-O-T S-E-E... Not 'nazi' with a 'z,' that would be like a cross-dressing Adolf Eichmann-Liza Minnelli impersonator."

"I'm gonna talk to this kid about everything. I wanna know- I wanna know what he masturbates to, I wanna know if he kept the leg?! Did he keep the leg?!"

"Hey, fucker! You ready for this? Fuckin' Kill-Bill Kid fucking killed himself! Sir! With his own fucking sword! Can you believe this shit? I am not fucking kidding you. Gonna hold out for 2 more days, selfish, little peg-leg piece of shit." *- Wallace telling Teddy about the Kill-Bill Kid's suicide shortly after finding out*

"What... What'd you-... What'd you-... What'd you-..." *- Wallace's last words to Howard before be passes out*

"LET ME OUT OF THIS CHAIR, YOU FUCKING PSYCHO! LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT, YOU OLD FUCKING NUTBAG! ... HELP! SOMEBODY HELLLPPP!!!" *- Wallace realizing Howard's true nature*

"I don't want to die in Canada!" *- Wallace calling Teddy for help*

"No, its- its not the room I'm interested in, as much as you, Mr. Howe. Yeah- tonight would be- that'd be amazing, sir! Yes, thank you. Alright, where am I going? ... Bifrost, sounds erotic! Heh heh heh." *- Wallace talking to Howard over the phone in the convenience store flashback*

"You guys got pads in Canada? Anything for me to write on- you guys just write in the air? #Thanks." *- Wallace in the convenience store flashback*

### *Guy LaPointe;*

"I'm Guy LaPointe. That is my name, Guy Lapointe, and I spend' 20 years as the inspector of the Sûreté du Québec. And but eh- for the last 10 years of my life, I have been 'unting an animal who is doing the masquerade as the man-... I have been 'unting a, eh- this *Howard Howe. Howard Howe*... This elusive, eh- eh- eh- devil made of the flesh. This serial killer who makes the bringing of the blood and terror to the *True North*. I-... Am very dedicated man, and I have sacrificed my life. Too many marriages, any chance of happiness, and very likely, some may say, uh- my, eh- eh-... Sanity. All in the pursuit of this butcher of the man. And because of this, the solace of the sleep, most of the time, eludes me... But last night, after you call' me, I slept like the breast-fed baby! And I wake up, this morning- in the morning, and I know that in my bones, my core is close. And he is so close, that I can almost smell his shit... Pardon my French" - *Guy's introduction*

"His M.O. is always the same. Eh, a month after, deh- the disappearance, we find the pieces of the skinned body. And the legs are always, eh- eh- amputated at the knees. Arms are always, eh- fused to the body, like, a kinda of a crucified T-Rex. You know? Like that. That's what it looks like. And always, the mouth and the teeth have been disturbed."

"Oh, yes... It is one fuck of a bummer to look at, I can tell you that."

"The boys on the force, nicknamed this killer '*The First Wife,'* because the first wife doesn't let you talk, she doesn't let you go anywhere, and, eh- she does not fuck you... It's, heh heh... And she don't fuck you! Heh heh. funnier if you've been married a few times."

"In all of the Canada, there is no record of a man named Bartholomew Moseeay. There is no local rink, there is no Hockey Might's, and I would also assume that there is no poutine-y weenie."

"I- Well, the hockey player, Gregory Gumtree, the- the- the- the boy I failed to saved, just like all the rest he had the missing legs, missing tongue, missing teeth, the hole' in the roof of the mouth... But the medical examiner, 'e found something... Inside the hole of his mouth... It was a tiny piece of the victim's own tibia bone, no bigger than this."

"So I- you know- I go to see this mama of the hock player, Gregory Gumtree. And I say to ‘er 'You are the mama, and you know the things about the child... You feel things that no police, or nobody, can feel. So, how do you think your boy was killed?' And the mama... She's- she's- she's crying- you know... And now, it is as if she's like- she's like my own mama, you know... And then, the mama, she say to me... She say to me... 'This man... is making a monster... This man is making a monster...'"

"Okay, so, on the phone message, it said that he was driving for like, 2 hours, or something, so you know him best, you know what he likes to do. And he drives, because nobody does nothing in a car. Does he smoke the cigarettes? Does he chew the tobaccoes or toothpicks? Does he drink the coffees, or some other thing? I don't know. Me, for example, all I do, I can't start the car, without eh- having, eh- the- the- the- the double-double with 8 sugars and 'dash of cream. So, what we really need to do is discern this podcaster's ritual while he is driving."

### *Allison "Ally" Leon;*

"But you-... You bring me back. You make me feel beautiful again and cherished. You give me my humanity.

"It's good to cry. It separates us from the animals. Shows you have a soul." *- Ally quoting her grandfather*

### *Teddy Craft;*

"If I- If I die of laughter during this segment, I don't want you to feel bad, I want you all to know that I died happy because video is the greatest thing that ever happened to me."

### *Minor Characters (general);*

"You don't say 'Hitler' in an airport." *- Border Agent*

"I hate American guys." *- McKenzie (Clerk #1)*

### *Original (OG.)*

***(OG.)*** "What a feral kitten you’ve become!" *- Howard Howe*

***(OG.)*** We survive at all costs only to butcher and fuck, again and again ... Until we ourselves are, at last, butchered or fucked in turn. - *Howard Howe*

***(OG.)*** "You did it, Mr. Tusk... You really are the walrus... Coo-coo ca-choo!" *- Howard Howe*

### *The Film Commentary;*

“For the people that don’t like this movie, this could have been stopped easily.” - *Kevin Smith in the commentary*

“When I think of movies I think of two people fucking talking to each other. I know most people are like ‘That’s a fucking play you fat jackass,’ while this is movie magic to me. Some people like to see things blowing up and buses becoming robots that fuck other buses who aren’t robots and everyone’s like ‘Is that wrong?'" - *Kevin Smith in the commentary*

“Cinematic equivalent of me lifting my shirt and showing off my moobs is having Michael Parks say ‘Is man indeed a walrus at heart?’” - *Kevin Smith in the commentary*

### *Dialogue pieces;*

* *Border Agent;* "When you're visiting the great, white north of Canada, you' got your Cana-does, and you' got your Cana-don'ts. Top-shelf, right there, #1. Don't go telling a Canadian you don't follow hockey!
* *Wallace Bryton;* "Ah-ho-ho, of course, I should've known. Makes 'em sad, right?"
* *Border Agent;* "A Canadian doesn't get sad. Sadness was made by the USA."
* *Wallace Bryton;* "Oh, come on, what does that mean?
* *Border Agent;* "Take off, its true! Right there on our flag, its right there when you look at it, and you see past that sacred maple leaf. You know what you see?"
* *Wallace Bryton;* "A wall."
* *Border Agent;* "You see that in America, you may be red, white, and blue, but in Canada, you're red, white, but never blue, eh? Ever.
* *Wallace Bryton;* "Gotcha. Thats actually- you know, I've never thought of it that way before. I was thinking of Canadians as just 'nice.'"
* *Border Agent;* "Well, right there is another Cana-don't. We're not nice, we're optimistic, theres a difference."
* *Wallace Bryton;* "Right."
* *Border Agent;* "And we're tolerant."
* *Wallace Bryton;* "Mhm..."
* *Border Agent;* "And we're hung like moose."
* *Wallace Bryton;* "Oh!"

* *Wallace Bryton;* "Mr. Howe?"
* *Howard Howe;* "Howard."
* *Wallace Bryton;* "Mr. Howard?"
* *Howard Howe;* "It's always a French bedroom farce when people get entangled with my name for the first time. Howard Howe. And while 'Mr. Howe' is absolutely appropriate, I prefer the intimacy of Howard."

* *Howard Howe;* "But did I understand you correctly on the phone? You're not looking for a living arrangement?"
* *Wallace Bryton;* "No, I live in Los Angeles."
* *Howard Howe;* "Oh my Lord, The City of Angels."
* *Wallace Bryton;* "Well, I've never seen any myself. More the opposite, really."
* *Howard Howe;* "Devils are a dime a dozen. My grandma Mimsy would tell us 'One needn't go very far to find Hell in a hand basket.'"
* *Wallace Bryton;* "My grandma used to say 'Hell is your children.'"

* *Wallace Bryton;* "You talked about sharing stories. Well, I'm a story-teller by trade."
* *Howard Howe;* "You're a writer?"
* *Wallace Bryton;* "I'm a podcaster."
* *Howard Howe;* "Good Lord, what on earth is that?"

* *Wallace Bryton;* "'Oosik'... Woah, so its like, uh-... Like a walrus spine?"
* *Howard Howe;* "No, its more like a walrus cock."
* *Wallace Bryton;* "Shut up."
* *Howard Howe;* "Oh, I'm a dirty boy, aren't I?..."

* *Howard Howe;* "I didn't purchase this oosik. One could almost say this oosik purchased me."
* *Wallace Bryton;* "'The wand chooses the wizard.'"
* *Howard Howe;* "What a delightful expression. I shall add that to my collection of things to say so as to distract from my woeful stupidity and boring demeanor."
* *Wallace Bryton;* "I've met plenty of stupid, Mr. Howe..."
* *Howard Howe;* "Howard."
* *Wallace Bryton;* "You're anything but stupid, and like the polar opposite of boring."

* *Wallace Bryton;* "A walrus? No fucking way, pardon my French! A walrus saved your life?"
* *Howard Howe;* "A walrus made my life, Mr. Bryton. Made it worth living again.

* *Howard Howe;* "The walrus is far more evolved than any man I've ever known. Present company included."
* *Wallace Bryton;* "Thank you!"
* *Howard Howe;* "You're welcome."

* *Howard Howe;* "Never be ashamed of fear, Mr. Bryton. Fear is the unelected governor that keeps our actions moral."
* *Wallace Bryton;* "Who said that?"
* *Howard Howe;* "I did. Just now."

* *Wallace Bryton;* "Mr. Tusk? That's cu... Cute..."
* *Howard Howe;* "Cute is for Chinese babies, Mr. Bryton. But my walrus companion was beautiful. I have never known such a fulfilling friendship with anyone, human or otherwise. And for sixth glorious months, I was at utter peace, but I knew the only bliss this wretched life has ever afforded me..."

* *Howard Howe;* "You're not eating?"
* *Wallace Bryton;* "I can't move my arms."
* *Howard Howe;* "Well... That would be the morphine... It is capitol for the leg pain, and perhaps the only thing that keeps you from howling in agony. But, it tends to leave one a bit sleepy."
* *Wallace Bryton;* "I'm not sleepy at all... I'm-... Immobilized."
* *Howard Howe;* "You know, I was thinking... The melancholy of losing a limb must be akin to... Mourning a close friend you, too often, took for granted."
* *Wallace Bryton;* "... There was no spider, was there?..."
* *Howard Howe;* "Yes, there was. A brown recluse. Colloquially called a *hobo spider.*"
* *Wallace Bryton;* "Ah, that's interesting... -And you saw it?"
* *Howard Howe;* "Yes."
* *Wallace Bryton;* "-You saw the spider?"
* *Howard Howe;* "... I just wish that I had spied the little creature before it so viciously attacked you."
* *Wallace Bryton;* "-What'd it look like?..."
* *Howard Howe;* "The arachnid assailant?"
* *Wallace Bryton;* "Yeah..."
* *Howard Howe;* "Well... A typical spider... A legion of legs, you know, *et cetera, et cetera.*.. It was very small, though... So small, you might even call it *itsy bitsy*... *The itsy bitsy spiiii-der crawled up the water spout...*"
* *Wallace Bryton;* "... Holy shit..."
* *Howard Howe;* "*Down came the rain, and washed the spider out..."*

* *Detective Frank Garmin;* "Thats it?"
* *Ally Leon;* "It just ends..."
* *Detective Frank Garmin;* "Are you sure he's not pulling your legs? Getting up to some good ol' American monkey shines?"
* *Teddy Craft;* "That doesn't sound like monkey shines."
* *Detective Frank Garmin;* "But you say you do these comedy podcasts. Could this just be for grins and giggles?"
* *Teddy Craft;* "We- we do a podcast, but he wouldn't take it this far. He's not that kind of guy
* *Detective Frank Garmin;* "Okay, now stick here with me, and I don't mean to be indelicate. But could there be some sort of sexual angle, a romantic entanglement, an affair or something?"
* *Ally Leon;* "... No, he's not that kind of guy..."
* *Detective Frank Garmin;* "... Okay. Well, I did some checkin', and we don't have a 'Howard Howe' anywhere in Manitoba."
* *Ally Leon;* "Shit!"
* *Detective Frank Garmin;* "-Regards your friend. I asked Border Patrol if they got a report of him leaving the country yet. They says he come' in to Winnipeg, and that's it. Don't you two worry. I'm gonna' issue a missing persons on him, same as they do in the states."
* *Ally Leon;* "Thank you.
* *Detective Frank Garmin;* "But I'll tell ya'... That leg bit... It sure puts the BM in the PM's coffee, eh? That is something."
* *Teddy Craft;* "Its creepy, right?"
* *Detective Frank Garmin;* "No, no, its something! I had a fella' come here from Québec two days ago, asking about any legless bodies that might've turned up. Used to be a cop, says he's hunting some kind of serial killer. I told him 'Canada doesn't have any serial killers... Unless you count the pothead who took out all the Cap'n Crunch last night at the 2-Zed.' Anyway, he gave me his number, and he left it."
* *Ally Leon;* "I'll take it..."

* *Wallace Bryton;* "That's- that's me, that's my moustache?"
* *McKenzie (Clerk #1);* "Hah, yup! I'm American! How are things over at Degrassi? Hah hah!"
* *Colette (Clerk #2);* "Do you ladies know where Bifrost is? Uh-duhhh!"
* *Wallace Bryton;* "You guys suck."

* *Teddy Craft;* "We should call the cops, or the Mounties, or whatever the fuck... We need pros, Ally... No offense.
* *Guy LaPointe;* "Go fuck yourself. No offense.

* *Both McKenzie (Clerk #1) and Colette (Clerk #2);* "Wow..."
* *Colette* *(Clerk #2)*; "He's amazing..."
* *Teddy Craft;* "They did it in *The Big Lebowski*."
* *Guy LaPointe;* "You know, that's exactly where I learned it from. Isn't that weird?"

* *Guy LaPointe;* "So... We are about to find your friend! And the dangerous man who took him... These are guns."
* *Teddy Craft;* "I don't want one."
* *Guy LaPointe;* "You don't want a gun?"
* *Teddy Craft;* "You take 'em."
* *Guy LaPointe;* "What kind of American are you?"
* *Teddy Craft;* "The kind that's never used a gun before!"
* *Ally Leon;* "Take the fucking gun!"
* *Guy LaPointe;* "Yes, take the fucking gun, please... I'll take the big one!"

### *OG. Dialogue*

* *Wallace Bryton;* "So I'm asleep in my hotel room, and I get woke up by this rumbling outside my door."
* *Teddy Craft;* "And it was the Rapture."
* *Wallace Bryton;* "I wish. I'm not religious, but I wanna be with Jesus. If he can turn a bottle of wine into a thousand bottles of wine, who knows what kinda magic he can work with weed?"
* *Teddy Craft;* "It all comes back to weed with you."

* *Howard Howe;* "'The sun was shining on the sea, shining with all his might. ... 'He did his very best to make the billows smooth and bright...'"
* *Wallace Bryton;* "H-... Hello?..."
* *Howard Howe;* "And this was odd, because it was-..."
* *Wallace Bryton;* "Uhnnn..."
* *Howard Howe;* "'The sea was wet as wet could be, the sands were dry as dry...'"
* *Wallace Bryton;* "Wh-... What's-... Goin' on..."
* *Howard Howe;* "'You could not see a cloud, because no cloud was in the sky... No birds were flying overhead... There were no birds to fly...'"
* *Wallace Bryton;* "The fuck-... Is this..."
* *Howard Howe;* "'The time has come,' the walrus said, 'To talk of many things. Of shoes and ships and sealing-wax, of cabbages and kings!'"
* *Wallace Bryton;* "Hey! I can't mo-... I can't fuckin' move!..."
* *Howard Howe;* "'And why the sea is boiling hot. ... And whether pigs have wings...'"
* *Wallace Bryton;* "Can you help me?... I can't move..."
* *Howard Howe;* "'A loaf of bread,' the walrus said, 'Is what we chiefly need!'"
* *Wallace Bryton;* "What’s that?... What the fuck’s-... H-Hey, man... What’s that noi-..."
* *Howard Howe;* "'Pepper and vinegar besides are very good indeed!'"
* *Wallace Bryton;* "HELP! SOMEBODY FUCKIN’ HELLPP! ... NO, DON'T-... N-mmmmmmmm! MMMMMMMM!!!"
* *Howard Howe;* "'Now if you're ready, oyster dear...'"
* *Wallace Bryton;* "MMM! MMMMM!! MMMMMMMM!!! MMMM!!!"
* *Howard Howe;* "'We can begin to feed...'"
* *Wallace Bryton;* "MMM! MMM! MMMMMMMM!!!"

* *Ally Leon;* "I don't want you to go to Canada."
* *Wallace Bryton;* "Allyyy..."
* *Ally Leon;* "I know you don't wanna hear it..."
* *Wallace Bryton;* "I really don't. I just had me a 24 Karat case o’ cum, okay? And now I’m smoking my Gretzky, so this is like... A perfect moment in life. You only get maybe ten of these. Ever. A month. So please, don’t harsh my buzz with this 'middle America bullshit' again, right before I’m leaving on a jet plane. I gotta take a Canadeuce, right?"
* *Ally Leon;* "Can you try to be more sensitive about my 'middle America bullshit'? Please, okay? It's always hard for me when you do shows about sex."
* *Wallace Bryton;* "I’m sorry. I know. I love you, right? It’s just for the podcast. You know that."
* *Ally Leon;* "I wanna go with you this trip."
* *Wallace Bryton;* "NO."
* *Ally Leon;* "Why?"
* *Wallace Bryton;* "They’re swingers. If you come along, they’ll try to fuck you, too."
* *Ally Leon;* "So? You might fuck someone else this weekend..."
* *Wallace Bryton;* "I’m definitely fucking someone else this weekend, swinger-dude’s wife."
* *Ally Leon;* "Asshole..."
* *Wallace Bryton;* "What’d I say? C’mon, Ally... Why do we gotta do this every time? You knew the deal when we got together. I said, from the jump, that if we’re gonna do this relationship thing, I still gotta be able to do weird shit, just so I can have stories to tell on the show. That’s how I earn my living, okay? Doing fucked up shit for the podcast is my career. You know this, you started out as a fan!"
* *Ally Leon;* "I WAS a fan."
* *Wallace Bryton;* "I’m gonna stop doing the shows about sex, okay? But right now, that 'AbracaTravel' asshole who stole my whole act? He’s getting better ads than us!"
* *Ally Leon;* "So what?!"
* *Wallace Bryton;* "We’re losing sponsors to this 'AbracaTravelin' piece of shit! So I gotta be able to do more fucked up shit or the show’s over."
* *Ally Leon;* "It’s just... A FUCKING... PODCAST!"
* *Wallace Bryton;* "That’s bullshit, man. I made a hundred grand on ads alone last year, before the live shows and t-shirts... And I’ve got NBC coming to see my showcase. Why? Because of an agent? Because of auditioning over and over like I’m a fuckin’ jerk? No. I got all that from doing-... 'Just... A fucking... Podcast!” ... Fuck 'AbracaTravel.' I’m gonna do whatever kinda fucked up shows it takes to beat their downloads and be number one again. ... Cut me some slack, okay? I’m fighting for my life out there!"

## Kill-Count

1. Kill-Bill Kid *- Committed suicide with his own sword due to online bullying; offscreen.*
2. Howard's grandparents - *Both died in the Halifax Explosion; offscreen; shown in the original script.*
3. Howard's father - *Stabbed to death after being mugged by unknown assailant; offscreen; shown in the original script.*
4. Howard's mother - *Throat fatally slashed by unknown assailant; offscreen; shown in the original script.*
5. *22* victims of Howard *(excluding failed swimmer)* - *Mentioned by Guy to Teddy and Ally; offscreen.*
6. Gregory Gumtree - *Killed by Howard, body found by local police in the sewers; offscreen.*
7. Failed swimmer - *Drowned to death when Howard tried teaching them to swim; body shown.*
8. Mr. Tusk - *Killed and eaten by Howard for survival; shown.*
9. Mackerel - *Eaten by Wallace-rus after surgery; shown.*
10. Howard Howe - *Stabbed to death by Wallace-rus' tusks; shown.*
11. #2 mackerel - *Eaten by Wallace-rus in his sanctuary; shown.*

#### *Total kill-count; 33*

> *2* *wom**e**n* *6 men* *25 unknowns*
>
>

## Trivia

* *Tusk* was the first of *Kevin Smith's (still in progress)* *Canadian Trilogy*. The second film was *Yoga Hosers*, and, *the currently in production, Moose Jaws.*
* The film was heavily based on *episode 259* of *Kevin Smith* and *Scott Mosier's* podcast, *SModcast*, *The Walrus and The Carpenter*. In the episode, the two tell a story about an older man making a younger man wear a walrus costume and act like a walrus for two hours everyday for the trade of a free lodge - a much sillier version of *Tusk*.
* In the original *The Walrus and The Carpenter - SModcast* episode, the two men featured in the story had British accents - likely a reference to the original *Gumtree* website *Smith* saw the original prank advertisement on.
* During the restaurant scene with Guy LaPointe, he tells Teddy and Ally about a previously murdered hockey player named *Gregory Gumtree (who had been killed by Howard)*. *Gregory* is a reference to the original *SModcast* episode the film was based on, where Mr. Tusk's name was originally Gregory. *Gumtree* is a reference to the original British website *(similar to Craiglist),* named *"Gumtree",* that Smith saw the prank advertisement, which was an inspiration for the film.
* The original prank advertisement Smith saw was put up by *Chris Parkinson. Parkinson* would later feature in the film and help with its production.
* Other taglines for the film include *"Let me tell you a tale...," "A truly transformative tale," "Man is the most dangerous animal,"* and Howard's icon line, *"Is man, indeed, a walrus at heart?"*
* The film's other tagline, *"Man is the most dangerous animal",* is possibly a reference to one of *The Zodiac Killer's* solved cipher letters, which consisted of a slightly reworded version of this line - though, this is likely coincidental.
* In the original script, Wallace's last name is spelled *"Brighton,"* however, digital copies of the film and official promotion images spell it as *"Bryton."*
* In the script, Wallace's name is changed to *"Wallace-rus"* after his walrus transformation. Similarly enough, Howard's name is spelled *"Howe-rus"* when fighting Wallace in the "walrus fight" scene.
* In the original script, Wallace and Teddy's podcast was named *"Pillow-pants,"* likely a reference to a scene in *Clerks II*, another film Smith wrote and directed.
* *Lily-Rose Depp* and *Harley Quinn Smith*, who played the two clerks in the film, were *Johnny Depp*'s and *Kevin Smith*'s daughters, and would later feature in *Yoga Hosers*, a spin-off to *Tusk*. The characters *(Colette and McKenzie)* would also later feature as the protagonists in *Kevin Smith's Yoga Hosers comic book*.
* In the convenience store flashback scene, Wallace leans on a random customer. This customer was played by *Ashley* *"Secret Stashley" Greene*, who is also the presenter of the *Top 5 Comic Countdown* on the *SModcast-related YouTube channel.*
* *Lily-Rose Depp* was casted for Colette after *Ashley Greene* was already casted for the same role.
* *Ralph Gar**man's* character, Detective Frank Garmin, is a reference to a viewer's email that was read on the podcast *Hollywood Babble-On*, where the viewer mistook Garmin as *"Frank Garmin."*
* The line *"It puts the BM in the PM's coffee"* was voted for on the podcast, *Hollywood Babble-On**.*
* Wallace mentions that AMC had contacted him about his podcast. This is a reference to the pilot episode of *Hollywood Babble-On* and the full series of *Comic Book Men* both being aired on AMC.
* "Dr. Mosier," the doctor Howard fabricated to cover up for Wallace's amputated leg, is named after Scott Mosier, a friend of Smith's.
* All Canadians pronounce *"about"* as *"aboot,"* which is a common stereotype for Canadians that was popularized by the *1999* film *South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.*
* *Tusk* released on *DVD* and *Blu-Ray* on *December 30th, 2014* *(over 3 months after its theatrical re**lease)*.
* *Quentin* *Tarantino* was originally offered the role for Guy LaPointe, however, he denied it because he thought he was being offered the role of Wallace. However, Tarantino would still root for the film during its production by stating that he enjoyed the script, and "Couldn't wait to watch *Michael Parks* let loose his internal Kraken."
* In *Depp**'s* email back to *Smith's* role proposal, he stated *"Fascinating. This sounds like someth**ing I would care t**o swim around in. Color me intrigued."*
* During the films production, *Depp* would call *Smith* late at night and talk to him as Guy LaPointe - accent and everything.
* *Depp* had forgotten his opening monologue - thinking it was going to be read off-camera - and had to memorize his lines word-for-word five minutes before shooting, and did it in one take.
* *Depp* acted in the film for free.
* Guy compressing his hamburger into a thin shape is a reference to *Dic* *Ann's Hamburgers* located in *Montreal, Cana**da*, where hamburgers are served on thin popsicle sticks.
* Most of the film's budget was used to own the rights of *Tusk - Fleetwood Mac (which was used i**n Wallace's and Ho**ward's walrus fight)*.
* *#WalrusYes* and *#WalrusNo* was used by fans of *Kevin Smith* on *Twitter* to respond to his proposal of actually making *Tusk*.
* *Smith* tried using *IMDb Pro* to contact *Haley Joel Osment's* agent, but he never responded. However, a producer for Smith had contacted *Osment* himself through other means.
* The house that was used as the exterior for Ally and Teddy's place belonged to *Jason Mewes*, a friend of *Smith's*.
* *Smith* spits every morning to remove a majority of morning germs. He originally had Ally do this in the scene where her and Teddy's affair is revealed, but worried that it looked like she was spitting out Teddy's seed once he found out many people don't do this.
* In a flashback scene, Wallace asks two clerks how *Degrassi* is doing - a reference to the show *Degrassi*, of course - a show *Smith* is a huge fan of, and even featured in two episodes and its second TV film, *Degrassi Goes Hollywood.*
* The bar *"H"* that Wallace was in is a reference to *Bar "I" (AKA Bar Italia),* located in *Winnipe**g, Canada.* The *"H"* is an *"I"* turned sideways. When *Jason Mewes* was working on *Todd and The Book of Pure Evil* and filming two of its seasons in *Winnipeg, Bar "I"* was a popular place for the cast and crew to relax at after filming.
* To get inside of the walrus suit, *Justin Long* had to crawl *"up its ass"* from the back of the suit, and lay on a *"yoga-ball-like"* thing to give more shape to the walrus. The prosthetics for the face also took 2 hours to apply.
* When in the walrus suit, *Long* had to hold his tongue back to give the effect of a *"cut off"* tongue, which caused him to drool within many of his walrus scenes.
* The walrus suit was made from foam and polyester, and the tusks on Wallace's face were connected by magnets.
* All of the scenes featuring Wallace as a walrus were shot at one time to avoid getting in-and-out of it.
* Wallace's bushy mustache was *Long's* idea, and he tried growing it as *"walrus-like"* as possible.
* Wallace's ringtone was originally a fan-made song that *Smith* and *Garman* featured on their podcast, *Hollywood Babble-On*, that was based on *Garman's* impression of *Al Pacino*.
* Wallace's name sounds like *"walrus."* This is likely coincidental, but the name *Wallace* also means *"foreigner,"* which goes along with him coming from America and being inept in navigating Canada.
* When using Howard's restroom, Wallace turns a doll around so its back is turned to him. This was based on a childhood memory of Smith's he originally told on his podcast, *SModcast.*
* Coincidentally, Howard is very similar to *Pastor Abin Cooper*, the main antagonist of Red State - another character *Parks* played, and another film *Smith* wrote and directed. The two characters are psychotic antagonists, hate the human race, and both spike the protagonist's drink with a sedative. Though this may just be skepticism, Howard could also be considered religious due to the many crosses found in his home - similar to *Cooper*.
* Howard was based off of Smith's own father, *"No, he never tried to sew me into a walrus costum**e, but he did love the sea.”*
* The English poem *"The Rime of The Ancient Mariner"* is quoted by Howard, but the poem has many similarities to the traumatic walrus encounter Howard had. In the poem, the narrator has to kill an albatross *(which is commonly known to be bad luck for sailors),* which curses him and the rest of his shipmates.
* In the scene after Howard gets done swimming with Wallace after his transformation, Howard gets up and his bare-ass is shown *(he shortly puts a towel around his waist)*. This was suggested by *Parks' wife*, wanting to see her husband naked in the film.
* Off-camera, Long and Parks didn't talk to each other much. Smith noticed this, and during the making of the scene where Wallace discovers his leg has been amputated, Smith suggested Long to play around with the concept of the spider, since it had amused Parks. This suggestion had come to work, as the two started talking more, and Parks had come to enjoy Long's humor.
* The story of the *Duplessis Orphans* told by Howard is historically accurate, Howard even including that *Duplessis's tenure as premier of Quebec is called "La Grande Noirceur,"* which translates to *"The Great Darkness."*
* The dinner scene between Wallace and Howard was the first time Smith had attempted to use slow dollies between the actors as they spoke. Smith thinks that it didn't work all that well, but was still happy that he tried it.
* *"Pippy Hill,"* the area Howard lived in, was originally named *"Chapel Hill,"* but was changed when Smith found out it was an actual place, and home to a popular sports team.
* *"Ponder Rock,"* the rock young Howard had been stranded at, is a reference to episode *224* of *SM**odcast, Ponder Rockin' with Emo-Kev*. *Smith* and *Mosier* discuss about a cassette tape that *Smith* rediscovered that featured random thoughts from a 19-year-old *Smith*. The episode also redated *Tusk* by two years.
* The scene where Howard talks about his traumatic childhood was originally going to be shown through stylized animation sequences created by different animators, as *Smith* was worried people would be bored with Howard's dialogue, but the sequence was ultimately scrapped - likely due to *Parks'* performance being compelling in of itself, or the sequence being too different from the film's style.
* In the flashback with Howard and Guy, Howard was originally going to have the same Quebec accent that Guy had. However, *Parks* suggested a different, more out-there-lisping accent for the scene. *Parks* said that *1.* Howard would want Guy to leave as soon as possibly since Guy is an investigator, *2.* *Parks* wanted to dominate the scene since he was a smaller actor, and his character was the most important part of the film, and *3. Parks* thought that the conflicting accent would confuse the audience on Howard's real intentions. *Smith* also said the scene was like *"watching two wizards do battle and you can't figure out who the bad guy is."*
* The role of Howard was directly written for *Parks*, and *Smith* stated that if *Parks* turned it down, the film wouldn't have been made.
* Howard's house is full of antiques, and notably, crosses - which is a reference to Red State, another film directed and written by *Smith* that featured *Parks*.
* The Kill-Bill Kid was named after *Quentin Tarantino's* *Kill-Bill* franchise, which featured *Park**s* - who also played as Howard.
* The Kill-Bill Kid was based off *Ghyslain Raza*, aka the *Star Wars Kid,* who featured in a video posted in *2003.* The video featured *Raza* spinning a *(pretend)* lightsaber around, imitating *Darth Maul's* lightsaber moves from the film *Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace*. He would become the subject of cyber-bullying due to the rather embarrassing video.
* The Kill-Bill Kid scene, where he cuts his leg off, was edited by *DAVE (Digital Animation & Vi**sual Effects)* students. Apparently, this was done to give the film a more *"home-made video"* feel.
* In Ally's *(or Teddy's)* bedroom, there is a framed photo of *Smith's* past dog, *Shecky. Shecky* can also be heard on *Smith's* commentary track for the film's *DVD* and *Blu-Ray* copies.
* *The Gimli Slider* restaurant's name in the film is a reference to *Gimli Glider*, an Air Canada place that took off without a full load of fuel on *July 23rd, 1983*. The two pilots flying the plane had to glide it downwards when they completely ran out of fuel, and landed at the *Gimli Industrial Park Airport*.
* *Smith* enjoyed the Chug-Eh Lug cups for the convenience store scenes so much, that he made sure to put them as many shots as possible.
* *"The Not-See Party"* podcast hosted by Wallace and Teddy is a reference to a joke *Walt Flanagan* made, who is also friends with *Smith*.
* There are references made to the *New Nordiques* and the *Old Nordiques*, a reference to the *Quebe**c Nordiques* moving to *Denver, Colorado* in *1995*.
* The pinball machine seen in Wallace's and Teddy's podcast booth is *High Roller Casino* from *200**1*, by *Stern*.
* The word *"chuffa"* is used by Howard when talking to Wallace. *"Chuffa"* was a word used by *Bruce* *Willis* when referring to an unnecessary scene during the filming of *Cop Out*. In the past, *Smith* has stated that working with *Willis* in *Cop Out* was very unpleasant.
* A few parts of the script were written as the film was being shot - including Ally's monologue about how emotionally hurt she is.
* Many parts and jokes from the original *The Walrus and The Carpenter* episode made it into the film, including the *"walrus fight"* scene.
* To promote the film, *Smith* partnered with *Buds & Roses*, a cannabis producing company, to create the special strains of herb, *Mr. Tusk* and *White Walrus*. The tagline *"Toke and Tusk"* followed the promotion as well.
* The film was originally going to be shot in *1.85:1* ratio, but *James Laxton -* who also did the cinematography for the film - suggested *2.35:1* ratio.
* Despite the film being a flop, Smith stated that he didn't care that it was - stating that the film was *"masturb**atory"* for him, and really just for fun.
* At the end of the film's credits, a snippet of the original *The Walrus and The Carpenter* episode plays, where *Sm**ith* and *Mosier* talk about the ending of the film while laughing.

## Goofs

* In the original script, Howard is stated to have been *10-years-old* in the *1940s*, however, he states that he was *16-years-old* when he meant *Ernest Hemingway,* and mentions that he met him *before* the *Normandy landings (AKA D-Day),* meaning, for the dates to fit, he would've had to been *10-years-old* in the late *1930s,* not *1940s.*
* In the flashback scene when younger Howard gets up from the water, you can see the outline of the wall inside the tank where they shot the scene. *Smith* says he saw this, and had the opportunity to edit it out in post-production editing, but decided to keep it in the scene.
* In the scene where Guy describes Gregory Gumtree's body being found in the sewers to Ally and Teddy, he also reassures them that the killer does not touch them sexually before *(or after)* killing them. However, due to the many different limbs being found in the area, it would be very hard to tell whether or not the killer *did or did not* touch them sexually.
* Though obvious, Guy's outfit is very inaccurate to Quebec inspector's actual formal uniforms, the latter often resembling police officer's uniforms.
* The Canadian flag in the border office is the incorrect size, as Canadian flags are twice as long as they are wide.
* The border agent's bilingual shoulder badge says *"Duanes"* on it, when the correct translation is *"Douanes"*.
* Canadian Customs Officers have worn badges that say *"Services Frontaliers - Border Services"* on them since *2003.* However, in the film, the badges say *"Customs - Duanes".*
* Ally tries calling Wallace at 9:29 PM, with the time being 11:29 PM for him due to the timezone differences. However, when Wallace tries calling Ally and Teddy back, his phone clock is at 11:18 PM, being 11 minutes off, even though Wallace calls Ally back immediately.

> *Related films (films fans of Tusk may also like);*
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> * Yoga Hosers *(2016)*
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> * Red State *(2011)*
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> * Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum *(2018)*
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> * Tetsuo: The Iron Man *(1989)*
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