This is the first in what may become a series - mining out the gold at the DVD store that you may not otherwise have thought to rent. Let me know if you like it.
On Friday night we rented out Tucker & Dale vs Evil (new release section). This was a movie I was very keen to see this year based on the premise alone, so imagine my surprise when looking in the JB Hifi catalogue this week and seeing it there. Unfortunately it has skipped our cinemas so I went straight down to Video Ezy to secure it.
I think this movie is destined to become a cult classic. It is a very clever subversion of movie cliches, done in an extremely fun way. A group of college kids set out on a camping trip to the woods in Virginia. In travelling to their destination, they come across two hillbillies, Tucker and Dale, who are also travelling to their vacation home in the woods. In the early scenes, this could be any American teen horror film such as Cabin Fever. However it doesn't take long to twist this up completely, as our hillbillies are revealed to be intelligent, sensitive guys who just want to enjoy a quiet weekend of renovating the cabin, fishing and drinking beer. The college kids, familiar with the horror movies where the hillbillies are out to kill, torture and scare kids such as themselves, immediately overreact to Tucker and Dale's innocent scariness.
Once at the cabin and campsite, things quickly take a turn for the worst as the college kids misinterpret the kind actions of Tucker and Dale in saving one of them from drowning and decide they have to take the hillbillies out before they themselves are killed. Unfortunately the college kids' skills in doing so are closer to what would happen in real life than most 'survival' movies, and they start to meet with some very funny accidents that further fuel their belief that the hillbillies are picking them off.
Most of this movie is either amusing (the interactions between Tucker and Dale and the very pretty Ali who sees the guys for what they really are) or outright hilarious (mainly the death scenes). I thought Ben was going to burst a blood vessel laughing at certain points of this movie, and I wasn't far behind. Whatever you do, don't compare it to the "Scary Movie" franchise, as it is spoofing a few movies but in a much more subtle and funny way. It is more about subverting the cliches with clever writing and dialogue than just making fun of the past movies.
Alan Tudyk (who you will know as Steve the Pirate from Dodgeball or the funny boyfriend on acid from Death at a Funeral) is great as Tucker, the supportive friend, as is Tyler Labine as Dale who has a great memory and a very sweet heart. The college kids are largely disposable, but that's the point. The special effects and gore scenes are very well executed as well.
In summary: funny, cool, smart and unexpected. Dig this one up today!
I watched this on Sunday night after Bens recommendation and thought it was Brilliant, So well shot and very entertaining twists on the common teen horror movie themes.
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