Review #233: 'Tucker and Dale vs. Evil' (2010)

The perils of the American deep south has been highlighted rather stereotypically in the horror genre since the times of Deliverance (1972), The Texas Chain-Saw Massacre (1974), or The Hills Have Eyes (1977). In these (now classic) films, the slack-jawed "redneck" is dumb, feral, inbred, and particularly cannibalistic. But what about the innocuous, middle-American teens that infest the beautiful surroundings that these yokels occupy? Aren't these people inherently evil? This is the premise of this silly, sometimes gory, but affectionate and charming horror/comedy.

We are first introduced to the typical slasher film set of teens on summer break (or whatever!), that have ventured into the back-of-beyond to camp in the woods. They stop at a gas station to pick up some beers. Whilst there the camera losses interest in these and cuts to Tucker (Alan Tudyk) and Dale (Tyler Labine), two "rednecks" off to their vacation home in the woods. Dale, who is hapless in the face of the opposite sex, has spotted one of the group Allison (Katrina Bowden), who he has taken a fancy to. Tucker advises that he should go talk to her. Dale approaches the group carrying a scythe, and blunders through some broken sentences. Having concluded that Dale is an evil redneck of the Slasher genre, they speed off. This scene sets the tone for the film.

Whilst fishing Tucker and Dale are unwittingly involved in Allison begin knocked out after falling into the lake, and they rescue her and tack her back to their shack. Basically all those genre tropes are deconstructed, and turned on their heads. The visiting teens start to attack Tucker and Dale, whilst Allison learns not to judge a book by its cover. This is the fundamentally basic theme of the film. The teens end up killing themselves in a series of accidents, that could easily be seen as acts of ferocious violence.

This is not the greatest film of it's kind, but it absolutely delivers on some funny, disturbing and macabre sequences. It balances this with a great charm and tenderness to its subject and characters. And the simple question of who is the monster of society is highlighted slightly: the monsters are those nasty, rich frat-boy pigs of the American college system (or perhaps in Brett Easton Ellis's world, a member of the Bateman clan).


Directed by: Eli Craig
Starring: Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk, Katrina Bowden
Country: USA/Canada

Rating: ***

Marc Ivamy