Ever hate it when a bunch of college kids assume you're a couple of hillbilly murderers? I know I do. Chris, Joel, Alexa and Jason review the one of the funniest horror movies you'll ever see.
Chris' Thoughts: This one was a definite pleasant surprise. I’m not a horror/slasher film fan at all so when Joel continuously insisted that I watch this movie, I was incredibly hesitant. This movie is atop the comedy/horror mountain with Cabin in the Woods with Tucker & Dale embracing the comedic element a little bit more overtly. It’s incredibly original as the movie is from perspective of the two perceived hillbilly killers that have the unfortunate luck of fixing up their summer cabin at the same time a bunch of college kids fall victim to their own paranoia and to their psychopath friend. I would watch this movie once a week if I had the time. Definitely the best movie I've ever been forced to watch.
Joel's Thoughts: For those who don’t know, there is an old Japanese film called Rashomon that tells the same story from various perspectives of different characters, learning something new about the events of the movie each time the story is retold by a different person. That storytelling device has become popular over the years, often in TV shows where the events of one episode are told to the audience several times by different people. (Star Trek did it, The whole of the movie Hoodwinked is basically doing the same thing to the “Little Red Riding Hood” story) But, man I didn’t expected that trope to work so well here. You already know the teenager side of the story (it’s every scary hillbilly movie ever made) so they don’t bother going into any great detail there, but that’s really what the movie is, just the idea that you never really knew what was going on, and that it was all just a terrible misunderstanding. Our two hillbillies, Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk have been perfectly cast here and look like they’re having the time of their lives. It kind of one joke long, but the setup is so great that the joke works for the entirety of the movie to the point where I have no problem with the idea of a sequel coming out some time in the future.
Alexa's Thoughts: It is my sincere belief that pretty much everything in life would be better with more Alan Tudyk, so naturally I had high hopes for Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. And I was not disappointed. Tudyk and Tyler Labine are absolutely delightful as Tucker and Dale, respectively, a pair of hillbillies who unwittingly embody several of the key attributes of classic slasher film villains. (They’re completely unfazed, for example, that their new vacation home, a ramshackle cabin in the woods, is filled with murdery newspaper clippings and torture devices.)
Though Tucker and Dale may look the part of creepy cabin dwellers at first glance, our loveable heroes are actually the victims of a group of college students with an increasingly psychotic leader whose collar remains popped throughout every bloody encounter. Tucker and Dale vs. Evil turns the horror genre on its head to hilarious effect, melding slapstick comedy with some genuinely suspenseful situations and heartfelt moments.
A sequel is apparently in development, and I hope it comes to fruition. Tudyk and Labine need to find another project together ASAP, and I’d love nothing more than to watch my new favorite hillbillies embark on another crazy adventure.
Jason's Thoughts: This movie rocks! I am a huge horror nerd and when it comes to so-called “horror comedy”, only a few movies have nailed it (Evil Dead 1,2, and AoD, Cabin in the Woods) And this movie definitely gets added to that list. Its complete inversion of the classic college kids get murdered in the woods story is spot on! Everything from the old rickety cabin being their “summer home” to them pointing into the boat saying “We gotchur friend!” It was perfect. Also, Alan Tudyk is a genius. He should be in every movie. Period.
Along with this, there is the side that almost takes it to moral life lesson about judging people only to pull back at the very end when Chad finds out he is “half-hillbilly”.
Favorite line: “... and this college kids runs right by me and hucks himself right into the woodchipper!”
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