TUCKER AND DALE VS. EVIL
One of the hardest tricks in the horror genre is to pull off comedy, and with TUCKER AND DALE VS. EVIL, director Eli Craig hits the nail squarely on the head.
By taking a classic horror trope, creepy hillbillies, who are actually the sweetest chaps you would ever want to meet, and the students from the city who have seen too many of the wrong films, who also have an uncanny knack for getting themselves killed, this genius twist plays with the audience's expectations without ever being cynical.
The film played the festival circuit, including FrightFest, and became something of a circuit darling, but in the wider marketplace, why didn't it perform better on release? Most importantly, I believe it was the film's trailer. One of a film's most important marketing elements, and in the modern era of social media, they have become increasingly important. In this case, talk about not reading the room. The trailer pointed the audience in the entirely wrong direction, focusing on the gory kills that made it look like a splatterfest. Yes, there was the usual quota of inventive, bloody kills, but it completely ignored the film's heart, which, in my eyes, was what made TUCKER AND DALE so special. When asked what made this or that film work well in my eyes, the answer is consistent and straightforward. It applies to many things, including books, TV, even an article in a newspaper, in fact, anything, and it is that you have to be given someone or something to care about. Also, and importantly, when released, meta horror wasn't a big thing. CABIN IN THE WOODS and others wouldn't come along for another few years, and audiences weren't yet set up for films that poked fun at horror clichés. It received a limited US cinema release with minimal publicity, and it disappeared into home entertainment.
Over the years, despite the missteps along the way and with the aid of the two affable hillbillies, Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine, in the central roles, the film has developed a loyal audience and become a bit of a cult. It gives me a great deal of pleasure being part of this and recommending the film to anyone who will listen, and once viewed, having a sly smile to myself with the feedback, knowing at least one other person has succumbed to this charmier a word not often used about a horror film. TUCKER AND DALE VS. EVIL is a masterclass in horror comedy that deserves to be seen more widely.
Ian Rattray