The Film
"He's pretty heavy for half a guy."
We're all pretty familiar with the horror genre at this point. About 99 percent of the time, these films involve plenty of gore, a little something pointy, and a smorgasboard of good-looking victims. Tucker & Dale vs. Evil cherry-picks some of those golden oldies and creates a very unique twist on the tale of the hillbillies from Hell.
This is the feature debut for director/co-writer Eli Craig, who kicks off the film like every other horror movie you've ever seen. There's a group of pretty young things in the middle of the woods, getting drunk and/or stoned and/or naked, telling spooky stories around the campfire. Oh yes, they are about to be picked off one by one -- but by their own doings.
See, the twist is that Tucker (Firefly's Alan Tudyk, a.k.a. "Steve the Pirate" from Dodgeball) and Dale (Reaper's Tyler Labine) aren't evil at all. They're just two guys that enjoy a cold PBR, the possibility of buy-three-get-two-free chili dogs, and fishing in the middle of the night in surroundings that look like something out of the Camp Crystal Lake brochure.
When Dale dives in to save one of the college cuties (30 Rock's Katrina Bowden) from a fall into the lake, what unravels is a hilarious series of misunderstandings, mishaps, and one hell of a take on the old horror genre.
The Picture
The film kicks off with sort of an unimpressive view of the Appalachian Mountains. Before you go thinking that this is typical of low-budget films (especially of the horror variety), maybe you should listen to the commentary. It's not even from the same movie. That makes sense, though, considering that those few seconds don't match any part of the rest of this 2.35:1 transfer. From there, everything else looks pretty darn fantastic.
Shot with a Red One HD digital camera, this film is as clean as you can get. The colors aren't too bold, which makes sense given the dark nature of the film. That said, they are very realistic. The most impressive part of this transfer, though, is the detail; it's busting with goodies, from freckles to trees to facial hair. The carnage is also pretty brutal (in a good way), too.
The Sound
For the first part of Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, the film is very focused on dialogue. The DTS-HD Master Audio track is crisp and clear, but the surrounds have plenty of critter sounds and occasionally there are rumbling cues to let you know that mayhem is on its way. When it does kick in, you'll be treated an immersive round of chainsaws, bees, a wood chipper, fire, and gunshots of both the bullet and nail variety. It's a fun track overall.
The Extras
Despite its limited/non-existent run, Tucker & Dale comes packing a hearty dose of extras. First up is the commentary, which features director Eli Craig and lead actors Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk. It's a pretty lively, constant affair, filled with a few laughs and plenty of tidbits from the film's production.
Other than that, there's plenty of promos, outtakes, and storyboards, as well as a decent making-of featurette. Also kind of interesting is "Tucker and Dale ARE Evil," a short promo that lays out the movie from the kids' view.
Final Thoughts
Tucker & Dale vs. Evil is one of the more original movies to come out this year -- or at least to come out in 2009, which is when it was actually made. In those two years, we've seen a ton of scary crap come to theaters. In fact, at least two Final Destination movies and one Saw comes to mind. Why the film was hung up is anyone's guess. Destined to be a cult classic, the audio and video are the icing on the cake, and make this one that you'll want to pick up.
Product Details
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