Unfairly Forgotten, Overrated Comedy That Disrupts Every Single Tired Trope
Written by Robert Scucci | Published
As an avid fan of horror comics with an insatiable desire to watch every single movie in the genre, I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I just watched it in 2010. Tucker and Dale vs. Evil for the first time this past weekend. I’m one hell of a person with poor vision and side quests, and I must have scrolled past the title at least 100 times over the years without fully committing to it. I’ve been in a state of mourning because it’s the funniest movie I’ve missed for years of laughter. Now that I finally know what it’s all about, this will be an annual viewing for obvious reasons.
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil it works so well because of how stupid it is. It’s the same Cabin in the Woodsexcept there is no secret council of corporate goons running the show. Instead, we get a bunch of college kids systematically killing themselves by accident, all because of a simple miscommunication. This is exactly the kind of place I like to spend time in, where misunderstandings in the snow have had disastrous consequences.
Why Are They Always Named Chad?!
Focusing on a group of college kids led by Chad (Jesse Moss), Tucker and Dale vs. Evil it starts out like most slashers do. Nine college kids want to go camping, and most of them will probably die. After a brief encounter with two mountain bikers named Tucker (Alan Tudyk) and Dale (Tyler Labine) on the way to the lake, the kids are on their guard, especially Chad, who begins the night by telling a story about a mountain massacre that happened decades ago while the group sits around a campfire.
Tucker and Dale are ultimately harmless, though they fit the stereotype of the kind of backwoods boys you’d expect to see. Liberation. Coincidentally, they’re headed to the same place Chad and his friends are camping, but for a much worse reason. They bought a lakefront cabin and plan to renovate it. While fishing, Tucker and Dale witness Allison (Katrina Bowden) stripping before going skinny dipping. Startled, Allison slips, hits her head, and passes out. Chad and his friends think Tucker and Dale are kidnapping him and quickly flee the scene, because apparently that’s what good friends do when they’re led by someone named Chad.
Allison eventually befriends Dale after realizing how harmless he is. She feels really bad for scaring him and causing him to fall, and she does everything she can to nurse him to life in the cabin while Tucker focuses on various projects around the house. Meanwhile, the college kids start planning to ambush Tucker and Dale.
Exercise in Climbing
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil it ascends into absurd territory because everyone in this tale is incredibly stupid, including our characters. Allison even tells Dale that she wants to be a psychiatrist because she sincerely believes that many of the world’s problems are caused by poor communication. He is not wrong. Chad and his friends repeatedly try to raid Tucker and Dale’s cabin, but end up killing themselves in freak accidents, while Tucker and Dale believe the kids were involved in some kind of mass-suicide deal. In their minds, it’s the only logical explanation.
The villains in this film are so stupid that you can’t help but guffaw. Tucker, while taking out the saw, accidentally cuts into a beehive, causing him to squirm and spin around like Leatherface. One of the children panics and runs away, impaling himself on a tree branch. All death in between Tucker and Dale vs. Evil it follows this same logic, and becomes more ridiculous as the body count increases. Tucker and Dale aren’t directly responsible for any of these deaths in a normal way, so they just go about their business because, at the end of the day, they didn’t do anything wrong.
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil it’s not a movie that requires a lot of brain power to enjoy. Its premise is absurd in nature, and all of its entertainment value comes from an escalating series of miscommunications that lead to absolute bloodshed. If you’re looking for a slasher where the supposed villains are the nicest people you’ll ever meet, you can stream Tucker and Dale vs. Evil on Hulu as of this writing.
