Up in the north, in the country of Canada, a delightful parody of horror films, “Tucker & Dale vs. Evil,” was once made. To be specific, this film parodies the “hillbilly” horror films like “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Wrong Turn”. The plot follows two hillbillies named Tucker, (played by Alan Tudyk) and Dale, (played by Tyler Labine) as they go to a newly bought summer home up in the deep woods of the Canadian wilderness. Meanwhile, a couple of college students, led by the popular asthmatic named Chad (played by Jesse Moss) are going into the woods to party like all college kids in movies do. While swimming in a lake, one of the college students, Allison (played by Katrina Bowden) accidentally falls of a rock and hits her head on another, more menacing, rock. She nearly drowns but Tucker and Dale save her, however the college students think they are crazy, killer hillbillies. The college students then have to get their friend back, all the while Tucker and Dale have no clue what is going on.
This movie is a nice breath of fresh air, when seeing most of the modern horror movie spoofs are dominated by the “Scary Movie” franchise. While the “Scary Movie” films rely more on throwing in modern films and pop culture into a blender while throwing in toilet humor, “Tucker and Dale vs. Evil” relies on genuine humor. Although some of the humor in the film involves body mutilation, the humor never feels dumbed down to reach the lowest common denominator. Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine not only have great chemistry together, but the viewer will feel very sympathetic for these two throughout the film. Katrina Bowden is also really likable in her role but can be a little stale once in a rare while.
However, if there is anything negative to say about the film, it would have to be the rest of the college students. Even though this is a parody of horror films, these college kids are dull and are mainly just there to die in very funny ways. Jesse Moss, while not terrible, does give Chad a very nasty feel to the character and comes off very mean spirited, although it is up to the viewer to decide if they like this kind of character. Also, when Chad’s backstory is explained, it doesn’t make sense why he would go up in the woods. The climax also feels out of place for this kind of movie, there should have been a different way to resolve the film but, after the climax, the ending is very nice and will make a viewer feel good.
Overall, while this film has some problems with developing side characters, the main characters are expertly written and acted out by genuinely funny people. The set ups to the deaths are just fantastic and will leave the viewer laughing at how bad the hillbillies feel. The setting is also brilliantly used to the best effect and will feel similar to some people. This is a very nice film that not only will get horror fans laughing, but the general audience will be laughing too.