Last year, I heard of a small-budget independent film that caught my interest, but wasn't able to see it until recently, on Blu-ray. It has a catchy title: Tucker and Dale vs. Evil.One thing that intrigued me was the premise. Two quintessential country hicks are mistaken by a camping group of college kids for a pair of inbred homicidal killers in the model of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Hilarity ensues.
The more intriguing aspect of it to me was the casting of those two characters: Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk. Most people wouldn't recognize either by name, but they'll both be familiar to "genre" TV fans. Labine appeared in both Reaper and Invasion, while Tudyk was the pilot, Wash, of Firefly. Both displayed wonderful comedic chops in those roles, and a goofy premise like this seemed tailor made for them.
What results is indeed very funny, though funnier still the more horror movies you've seen. This film is a parody of the slasher genre, going through all the wonderful cliche moments you expect and mining them for laughs. Even the moments you see coming will still make you laugh when they arrive.
But what isn't quite as effective is the final act of the movie, where the comedy is largely set aside and the story actually has to wrap up in some way. At this point, the movie becomes a bit of a horror movie itself. It reminded me somewhat of the structure of another horror-comedy, Behind the Mask. The laughs were better there, and so was the wrap-up, though I have to say that the very premise here was more entertaining.
Regardless, fans of the horror genre -- or of either of the two main actors, if you're geeky enough to recognize them -- will definitely want to check this movie out. It satisfies thoroughly for its brisk 90 minutes. I rate Tucker and Dale vs. Evil a B+.
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