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Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk, Katrina Bowden, Jesse Moss, Chelan Simmons ... see more see more... , Philip Granger , Brandon Jay McLaren , Christie Laing , Travis Nelson , Alexander Arsenault , Adam Beauchesne , Joseph Sutherland , Mitchell Verigin , Angela DeCorte , Karen Reigh , Carl Tye Evans , Dave Brown , Hillbilly Bill Baska , Mark Allard , Shaun Tisdale , Myles Pollard , Eli Craig , Sasha Craig , Weezer

Tucker & Dale vs Evil is a hilariously gory, good-spirited horror comedy, doing for killer rednecks what Shaun of the Dead did for zombies. Tucker and Dale are two best friends on vacation at their di... read more read more...lapidated mountain house, who are mistaken for murderous backwoods hillbillies by a group of obnoxious, preppy college kids. When one of the students gets separated from her friends, the boys try to lend a hand, but as the misunderstanding grows, so does the body count. Tucker & Dale vs Evil has been a hit on the festival circuit, debuting at Sundance, and winning the Midnight Audience Award at SXSW, the Jury Prize for First Feature at Fantasia, the Best Director award at Fantaspoa, and the Best Motion Picture Award at Sitges. -- (C) Official Site

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15,418 ratings

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85% liked it

96 critics

R, 1 hr. 26 min.

Directed by: Eli Craig

Release Date: September 30, 2011

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DVD Release Date: November 29, 2011

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Flixster Reviews (2,350)

  • mumby1988
    May 26, 2012
    mumby1988
    The secret to making a good horror-comedy is the same as the secret to making any good film: we have to care about the characters and be interested in the story around them. But this becomes harder when you are attempting to spoof a genre whose appeal lies all too often in the am... read moreount of gore foisted upon the characters rather than the characters themselves. So many slasher spoofs are as guilty in this regard as the films that they are sending up, filling the screen with faceless nobodies who will be dead long before empathy kicks in.

    Tucker & Dale vs. Evil may be taking aim at the slashers of old, but it does it with much greater skill than the Final Destination series or I Know What You Did Last Summer. Eli Craig's debut effort takes a single, interesting idea and plays it through for 90 minutes, inverting horror clichés as it goes and producing several barrel laughs along the way. While not as enjoyable or as ground-breaking as something like Shaun of the Dead, it nonetheless cuts the mustard as a proper horror-comedy.

    Being a spoof, the film nods to horror clichés and conventions very readily and without apology. The setting of a cabin in the woods, and the implication of several obnoxious, pulchritudinous teenagers, is a direct nod to the Evil Dead series and more recently Cabin Fever. The killing-off of said teenagers one by one in increasingly gruesome ways nods towards Hallowe'en and more specifically Friday the 13th, a comparison reinforced by the skinny-dipping sequence.

    The clash between townsfolk and hillbillies is as old as the hills surrounding them, with Deliverance being the biggest touchstone during the scene in the gas station. And the final showdown in the sawmill has hints of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in Tucker's entrance to do battle with Chad, which in itself is a passing reference to Motel Hell. The deaths of the teenagers also nod towards past horror-inflected works. The scene where a guy is speared by a tree branch while running from angry bees is a possible send-up of Macaulay Culkin's death in My Girl, while the wood-chipper sequence takes the ending of Fargo and wittily reverses the roles.

    This last example indicates the first big feather in Tucker & Dale's cap. It is completely conscious of how absurd the slasher genre has become in the way it disposes of its characters, to the point where the absurdity undermines what there is in the way of narrative integrity. It follows the mould of slasher movies by introducing obvious props which could be used for slewing, only to put them to totally innocent use and then playing the resulting accidents for laughs. There is something just plain funny about a guy tripping over a rock, spearing himself on a stick and slowly sliding down on top of a man as he lies on his back in a deep ditch.

    The central gag of Tucker & Dale vs. Evil is that the characters we would normally think of as the villains are in fact completely harmless. The two hillbillies, Tucker and Dale, bear no ill will to Chad and the others at all: they just want to enjoy their new holiday home and spend some time bonding over a fishing trip. It is the skewed worldview of Chad and prejudices of the group which leads to their sticky ends (no pun intended). The film is essentially a farce, in which one misunderstanding leads to multiple misunderstandings and no-one gets out in one piece (again, no pun intended).

    While the film isn't seeking to make any kind of deep point about social prejudice, it deserves plaudits for backing up its jokes with some genuinely enjoyable and rounded characters. The biggest plus-point about Tucker & Dale is its real sense of heart, with Eli Craig doing everything the hard way to build up the relationships between Tucker, Dale and Allison. He resists going for the obvious character developments in the relationships that matter, so that while everything else is being sent up or restaged ironically we still feel like we are watching real people.

    Much of this appeal lies in the casting of the central pair. Tyler Labine gives Dale a lovable, teddy-bear quality, using his burly physique entirely to the character's advantage. We find ourselves really rooting for the character in his desire to talk to girls with confidence, and retain our empathy even when laughing at his simple mistakes (e.g. introducing himself to the teenage campers by walking up to them with a scythe in his hand). He also gets one of the best lines in the film: after a near-miss with a booby-trap, with a wooden stake just missing his privates, he mutters: "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad I'm not hung like a bear.".

    Labine is ably complimented by Alan Tudyk, who may be familiar to movie-goers for his supporting roles in A Knight's Tale and Dodgeball. Tudyk is great at conveying repressed anger, and he has plenty of that in this role, putting up with Dale's every misdemeanour. His best scenes involve him running around with a chainsaw having just sawn through a beehive, trying to pull a body out of the wood-chipper, and best of all trying to explain to the local sheriff how it is that teenagers have, in his own words, "started killing themselves all over my property!".

    What we end up with is a film which is simultaneously a full-on blood-and-guts horror movie, a bromance without any of Judd Apatow's sickening chauvinism, and a romantic comedy with genuine heart. It's hard enough to make a film which is both scary and funny, and Craig is very careful not to allow things to get too goofy. This is not, to quote Sam Raimi, a Three Stooges film with blood and guts standing in for custard pies, as The Evil Dead was. The film is closer to An American Werewolf in London in its set-up of comic characters who are then encroached upon by horror.

    Like all films with such a simple premise, there comes a point where Tucker & Dale begins to run out of steam. Calling it a one-joke movie is doing it a great disservice, but once the characters sit down and start talking about their problems over tea, the film slowly grinds to a halt. The therapy scene is relevant to the plot, developing Allison's career aspirations as well as satirising similar scenes in more mainstream films. But like the ferry scene in The Dark Knight, there is an unavoidable loss of momentum even as we agree with what is being shown.

    The other big problem is with the identity of the film outside of its appeal to die-hard horror fans. It's not the case that every horror film should be geared towards the mainstream, and there is nothing wrong with making a film that fans will appreciate. But once get past the send-ups, the film has to have something to give it a life of its own, to preserve its value in case its jokes age poorly. Tucker & Dale is a partial success due to the strong characterisations, but it lacks the distinctive visual look that Edgar Wright brought to Shaun of the Dead. Craig has the ability to be as good as Wright if he works hard, but at this stage he's not quite the finished article.

    Tucker & Dale vs. Evil is an impressive and immensely enjoyable debut from Eli Craig, who has the potential to be a really good horror filmmaker. He makes the best of a good script, relatively unknown actors and a low budget to create something which is inventive, captivating, and which treads the line between funny and scary very well. Only time will tell how it holds up to the likes of Shaun of the Dead or The Cabin in the Woods, but for now it's a welcome addition to the horror-comedy canon.
  • spielberg00
    March 24, 2012
    spielberg00
    What makes TUCKER & DALE such an entertaining film is the manner in which it ties a clean knot between the horror and comedy genres. The movie is so bloody, but at the same time massively funny. In one scene, Tucker has just chainsawed through a bee's nest in a log. He runs aroun... read mored wildly, chainsaw in the air, trying to escape the bees. Though we know it within forty-five seconds of the scene, it takes him another visit into the woods to realize he has offed one of the college students on his property.

    Forgetting Curly, if Larry and Moe were characterized as stooges with sharp objects, TUCKER & DALE would be the automatic outcome. The few great scenes that make this a definitive slasher comedy are those that depict people acting asinine around objects we have always known to treat with caution (I didn't need this film to learn my lesson that if someone is standing next to a woodchipper, you don't charge at him/her with a screwdriver). Somehow, the stupidity of the characters is equal to the genius of the director. Not the best title, but a one-of-a-kind horror-comedy.

    Ranked #8 of 2011.
  • fb619846742
    March 3, 2012
    fb619846742
    A hysterical, good-natured horror-comedy concerning two rednecks on vacation (Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk) who are attacked by preppy college kids who believe that the two have kidnapped one of their own (the gorgeous Katrina Bowden), and thus a string of misunderstandings ensue. Th... read moreis is the hardest I have laughed at a film in quite some time, as director Eli Craig somehow, someway keeps a one-joke movie continuously hilarious. It turns the norms of the horror genre completely upside down, where we are rooting for the rednecks and hoping the college kids get their due, and as a result the film feels refreshingly original despite its obvious play on the stereotype that all West Virginian redneck characters are psychotic killers. The pace is tight, the laughs are consistent and uproarious, the ending fitting, and the message that we should look past certain stereotypes is well received in the end.
  • FrizzDrop
    March 1, 2012
    FrizzDrop
    A sweet little indie comedy about the way horror films are put together. It isn't a very large budgeted film, but it is headed by favorite character actors and sometime leading men in short lived television pilots, Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk. While Labine played second fiddle in... read more the CW show Reaper, Tudyk is most famous for being on the cult favorite Firefly. Together they are Tucker and Dale, a couple of self proclaimed hillbillies on vacation at Tucker's vacation home, which is a downtrodden cabin out in the woods. Camping nearby is a group of college kids, all annoying and lacking in logic. The film is all about a small concept which is exploited for a couple chuckles at the expense of Tucker and Dale, and a lot at the college kids, who one after another make badly calculated decisions that lead to their mass extermination. Though there wasn't a large budget, the effects were horrifically gorey, and some of the principal photography in the woods looked perfectly misty and horror film centric. The film not only is a small parody of horror films, but generally makes the case that you shouldn't judge a book by the cover. Tucker is a serious straight man to Dale's blubbering sidekick, who works as the main protagonist, since he single handedly takes on the evil mentioned in the title. Though the story becomes a bit twisted as it goes along, and hinders a bit too heavily on the precedent that everyone, including the super annoying blonde who should have died in the first five minutes to give us all relief, needs to die. It labors tirelessly to create a villain, though the way they go about it is slightly brilliant, and overall it was a tad kitschy and over the top, but in the best of ways. Though the main character wasn't really relatable in the sense that he was very shy and silly, but he was truly interesting, and that interest held me through the entire movie. Really, a nice little gem that has been getting a lot of attention and deserves it wholeheartedly.
  • imrealgod
    February 10, 2012
    imrealgod
    I was under the impression that it's a zom-com, but it turned out to be a rom-com. Well, not exactly a rom-com per se either; more in the veins of comedy of errors. Whatever, but it wasn't as comedy as I was expecting. Had I gone in with no expectations, I might have not been (a ... read morebit) disappointed. It's just a moderate comedy flick. Okay, a bit higher, but only a bit. Almost all the actors are top-notch, but Tyler and Jesse Moss (overacts smartly) ace the performances. However, what I appreciate it the most for not being over-the-top.

    All in all, it's a worthwhile entertainer while it lasts.
  • LWOODS04
    January 27, 2012
    LWOODS04
    Cast: Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk, Katrina Bowden, Jesse Moss, Philip Granger, Brandon Jay McLaren, Christie Laing, Chelan Simmons, Alex Arsenault, Travis Nelson, Karen Reigh

    Director: Eli Craig

    Siummary: Expecting to enjoy a relaxing vacation at their rundown mountain cabin... read more, backwoods boys Tucker and Dale see their peaceful trip turn into a nightmare when college kids camping nearby accuse the duo of being psychotic killers.

    My Thoughts: "I really like Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk, they are hilarious on their own so I knew with them teaming up for this movie it had to be funny. And it is. The film is a very clever spoof on the several wood slasher flicks. The film unravels quite nicely with all the cliche's thrown in the mix. It was a great blend of gore and violence. I'm happy they didn't shy away from showing all the gruesome kills as well. Great comedy flick to just relax and shut your mind off and have a good time with. It's a fun movie I'm sure most will enjoy."

    Dale: "Bring it phrat bitch!"
  • blkbomb
    January 21, 2012
    blkbomb
    Tucker: Oh hidy ho officer, we've had a doozy of a day. There we were minding our own business, just doing chores around the house, when kids started killing themselves all over my property. 

    "The perfect love story... with a high body count..."

    Tucker & Dale vs. Evil is an ext... read moreremely funny and well made backwoods horror spoof. The way Eli Craig uses all the standard backwood slasher cliches is a thing of beauty for horror fanatics. He works his way through countless cliches from the gas station to the house with bones hanging from the roof. This has to be the most intelligent spoof I have ever seen and quite possibly the best too. It's fun, it's hilarious, and it's genius.

    The only movie this deserves to be compared to is Scream. These are the only two movies I've seen that have spoofed the horror genre in such a brilliant way. Unlike Scary Movie, which feels more like short skits; this plays out just like the movies it's spoofing. It looks like the standard backwoods slasher, that is if you turn your head during the kills. The kills look standard, hut they are anything but. 

    Two hillbilly buddies go out to their new vacation house that they are fixing up. They are two of the nicest hillbillies you'd ever meet. But looks are deceiving when a group of college kids believe they are psycho killers. When Dale saves their friend from drowning and takes her back to the cabin, they freak put thinking they are being put into a horror film. They try to save their friend, while Tucker & Dale are clueless as to what is going on.

    This is such a wonderfully good time. It's creative in ways I haven't seen from a spoof. It never mentions the movies it's spoofing like Scary Movie or Scream. Instead it believes that the people who are watching it are horror fans and will just know. Like when Tucker has a mishap with a dysfunctional chainsaw and runs around waving it. Everyone knows what they are doing, so why say it? 

    Fans of the genre will fall in love with this ambitious film from the start. It's a treasure. The fact that I knew very little about it going in made it all the more better. I knew it was a horror spoof, but I didn't know any details about how it was going to play out. Watching play out without any details was one of the more enjoyable film experiences I have had in a long time. This will surely become a classic among horror buffs, just like Scream and Shaun of the Dead have become.
  • MidnightMadwoman
    January 18, 2012
    MidnightMadwoman
    This movie is such a good time. It's gory as hell and really well-versed in contemporary horror lore and convention, but it's got this really sweet side that comes through at every turn. It's a brilliant farce about two harmless and jovial hillbillies and the group of college-age... read mored buttheads who find every single little thing they do threatening. Comparisons with Shawn of the Dead are very apt, since it's got the same sort of gently funny vibe balanced with gallows humour, and, occasionally, genuine scares. I think this is a really ingenious play on the killer backwater hicks genre of slasher movies: here the "hicks" are the main characters and rather lovable ones at that. It's the nubile college co-eds who are in the wrong, having developed an unhealthy fear of hillbillies through an apparent diet of slasher films and tripping over each other in their frantic attempts to get away from Tucker and Dale, all with hilariously disastrous results. The less I say, the better really. This movie is hilarious, and I'd hate to ruin it for you.
  • axadntpron
    January 15, 2012
    axadntpron
    Simply put: If you are a horror movie fan, this movie is a lot of fun. The beehive scene alone is worth your time.
  • CloudStrife84
    January 14, 2012
    CloudStrife84
    Gruesomely funny spoof on the slasher horror genre! Satiring films like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and various other teen slasher flicks, it pokes fun at all the typical clichés in a really smart and clever way. Unlike lesser parodies, such as Vampires Suck, this i... read mores surprisingly consistent in the quality of the humor. I wouldn't go as far as to say that I loved it, but it's definitely a great pick to watch with your friends, as you'll be in for a lot of laughs.

View All Tucker & Dale vs Evil Reviews

Critic Reviews

Ben Sachs
January 4, 2012
Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader

Here's something you don't see every day: a genial, politically correct splatter comedy. Full Review

Roger Ebert
October 6, 2011
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Students of the Little Movie Glossary may find it funny how carefully "Tucker and Dale" works its way through upended cliches. Full Review

Keith Staskiewicz
September 30, 2011
Keith Staskiewicz, Entertainment Weekly

At its heart, it's really just a one-idea premise stretched out to feature length, but the lovable duo of Tudyk and Labine and an endearing layer of sweetness under all the blood make it a fully enjoy... Full Review

Christine Champ
September 30, 2011
Christine Champ, Film.com

It's time we all toss our nine bucks into the proverbial woodchipper (don't ask me what proverb) and spit out enough money to make Tucker & Dale and other truly deserving, truly funny indie flicks a b... Full Review

Stephen Whitty
September 30, 2011
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

There's even a message under all the body parts: People are individuals, not just easy regional stereotypes. Full Review

Kyle Smith
September 30, 2011
Kyle Smith, New York Post

Essentially a student film offering nothing but absurdly contrived coincidence. Full Review

John DeFore
September 30, 2011
John DeFore, Washington Post

We see a script and some underexposed actors who were lucky to find each other. Full Review

Ian Buckwalter
September 30, 2011
Ian Buckwalter, NPR

Uses its reversal of the standard roles in rural horror to fantastic comedic effect. Full Review

Neil Genzlinger
September 29, 2011
Neil Genzlinger, New York Times

A droll sendup of the killer-in-the-swamp genre that gets funnier as it rolls along. Full Review

Peter Hartlaub
September 29, 2011
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle

Relying mostly on a single gimmick, the slasher comedy presents a high degree of difficulty for both the director and actors. Their earnest efforts keep the repetition from becoming ponderous. Full Review

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    • Tucker: [his face frozen in pain from countless bee stings, calling out] College kids!
    • Dale: Bring it frat bitch.
    • Dale: Your a good looking guy...more or less.
    • Dale: They chopped off his bowling fingers!
    • Jason: [after hatchet flies by him] What are you doing, man?! That's my whole face!
    • Tucker: They chopped off his bowling fingers!
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