Tucker and Dale vs Evil

My Grade:  B-

I’m a sucker for a good B movie horror, so I had to check out Tucker and Dale vs Evil. I had heard good things and it just so happens to reside in the streaming portion of Netflix. Easy decision.

The story is simple and ripe for satirical comedy:  two rednecks on vacation at their dilapidated cabin in the woods get mistaken for killers by a group of preppy college kids. It’s brilliant because it turns the tables on the horror genre. Usually, these types of films are about the preppy, good looking college kids who get attacked by homicidal hillbillies. No so in this film. The college kids are the monsters.

There is plenty of blood and gore for fans of the horror genre, but the almost slapstick ways in which the “kills” take place would make Sam Raimi proud. It’s a wonderful blend of comedy and gore, but it’s not as scary as it should be as it takes shots at the horror genre. Amping up the fear would make the satire much more potent and the comedy hit harder.

It’s refreshing, though, for this film to not fall back on nudity and bad language as many similar films do. There is enough language for it to earn its R rating, but is very tame compared to most R rated films these days. That fact adds to the idea that Tucker and Dale are just a couple of nice, innnocent guys that get thrown into a situation that is out of their control and gets way out of hand.

That heartbeat which drives the film keeps us invested in these two lovable characters. If they weren’t crafted in such a way that we could empathize with them, this film would feel tedious and overly long despite running a short 89 minutes. It definitely doesn’t feel its length which is a good thing but the ending drags out a bit and some of the twists and turns feel forced.

Overall, Tucker and Dale vs Evil is a fun riff on the horror genre that could be improved by being a little scarier and a little more creative as it tries to surprise its audience. It benefits from a strong but simple premise and delivers a good dose of laughter. I enjoyed it and, if you’re a fan of horror-comedies, I think you will, too.