Every now and then a movie will come along that surprises you.
It happens in every genre. Sometimes a movie will just kind of show up and present something new. It’s particularly fun when it happens in Horror, and in 2010, a Horror/Comedy was released to little fanfare and limited theatrical screening. In the last few years, however, it has gained a reputation as not just a scary film, or a funny film, but also as an oddly profound film. That movie was TUCKER AND DALE VS. EVIL.
More below!
TUCKER AND DALE VS. EVIL starts out the way many Horror films begin. Nine college friends take a break from school and head out to the woods for a long weekend of camping. While stopping for gas, they encounter two hillbillies who immediately creep the kids out. The kids unceremoniously hurry away to continue their weekend. The two hillbillies that scared the students so badly are just Tucker and Dale, lifelong friends who are heading up to the same area of the woods to refurbish a vacation cabin that Tucker has just purchased. Far from being a menace, Tucker and Dale are decent, well-meaning guys who simply want to work on their cabin. When one of the college girls, Allison, is injured in a fall, Tucker and Dale rescue her and take her to their cabin to recover. Allison’s friends assume the worst, and a series of hilarious misunderstandings convince them that Tucker and Dale are the type of savage, murderous hillbillies they’ve all seen in movies. They concoct a series of plans to rescue Allison and make Tucker and Dale pay.
Although the film is well directed by Eli Craig and tightly written by Craig and Morgan Jurgenson, TUCKER AND DALE VS. EVIL is carried by its performances. Alan Tudyk is terrific as Tucker who is the more world-wise of the pair and who acts as Dale’s big brother figure. Katrina Bowden is smart and charming as Allison, the only one of the college kids who sees Tucker and Dale as they truly are. Jesse Moss plays Chad, Allison’s would-be boyfriend whose blind confidence in his own righteousness is at once funny and terrifying. The standout star in this film, though, is Tyler Labine as Dale. Dale is a large bear of a man who on the inside is a sweet, innocent guy who only wants to do the right thing. He is so gentle he can’t even bring himself to kill a fish when he is on the lake with Tucker. He has a sincere crush on Allison and he is painfully aware that she is out of his league. Watching Dale gradually find his courage and become a man worthy of Allison is the greatest surprise that TUCKER AND DALE VS. EVIL has to offer.
Even though Chad is the antagonist in this film, the real evil in TUCKER AND DALE VS. EVIL is ignorance. In this movie the thing to fear the most is prejudice. TUCKER AND DALE VS. EVIL is a very funny - and very gory - romp for sure, but it is also a movie that tells us that we fear each other far too much and far too irrationally. This is a message that needs to be heard in our current culture of political tribalism.
And if you can get that point across while waving a chainsaw around, why not?
Parental Guide: Not overly scary, but pretty gory. 16+.
TUCKER AND DALE VS. EVIL fun facts -
Alan Tudyk beat out Johnny Knoxville and Jason Sudeikis for the role of Tucker
Though the story takes place in the West Virginia backwoods, the film was shot in Alberta, Canada.
Alan Tudyk improvised Tucker‘s habit of pouring beer over his wounds.
Tyler Labine came up with Dale’s “Giver” hat himself.
Dale - “Don’t be sorry, it’s my fault. I should have know if a guy like me talked to a girl like you somebody would end up dead. “
Tucker - “I know what this is. This is a suicide pact. These kids are coming out here and killing themselves all over the woods.”
Dale - “My God, that makes so much sense!”
Chad - “I’ve never been this close to pure evil before… (sniffs) It really stinks.
Tucker - “It’s supposed to be 24 hour protection…”