Tucker and Dale vs. Evil — Rachel Freeman
Directed by Eli Craig and co-written by Craig and Morgan Jurgenson Tucker and Dale vs. Evil follows a group of college students, Allison (Katrina Bowden), Chad (Jesse Moss), Chloe (Chelan Simmons), Chuck (Travis Nelson), Jason (Brandon Jay McLaren), Naomi (Christie Laing), Todd (Alex Arsenault), Mitch (Adam Beauchesne) and Mike (Joseph Allan Sutherland) going camping in West Virginia, which is, of course, a run down and hillbilly-ridden place. As a person who was born and raised in WV, I normally hate this stereotype, but I just love Tucker and Dale so much.
Anyway, while stopping at a gas station, the college kids run in to two “creepy” hillbillies. Turns out, these two are just your run of the mill, friendly hillbillies, only seeming creepy because Dale (Tyler Labine) is immediately attracted to Allison, but due to his inferiority complex, has trouble talking to her and comes off as quite the weirdo. Meanwhile, Tucker (Alan Tudyk), really just couldn’t care less about the college students and is only focused on getting to his new fixer-upper cabin, which he and Dale are doing to turn into their vacation home. It turns out, Tucker and Dale’s vacation home is right next to the lake, the same lake where the college kids are camping. Of course, this is where the mutual parties are plunged into absolute horror, but it’s probably not the way you’re thinking.
Tucker & Dale vs. Evil is one of my all-time favorite horror movies and though the last decade has seen some great horror films, this one manages to stand out the most for me. It’s a horror movie, but it’s also a comedy, and it’s important to note that it’s not a parody horror like the Scary Movie series. It isn’t poking fun at specific movies, rather making fun of the horror movie genre and the classic tropes within it.
The naive college kids, the legend of a murderer, weird hillbillies, all that stuff we’ve seen time and again but this time, it’s totally flipped from the way we’re used to seeing it play out. That’s what makes this movie so special. That and despite the fact that there’s a lot of gruesome death, it’s somehow still a genuinely funny movie that doesn’t rely on slapstick comedy. It has some really great character and plot development as well. Dale is struggling with his self-confidence and hillbilly stereotypes, but Allison is also struggling with her confidence in herself and is often misjudged due to her appearance. Then there’s Tucker. Poor Tucker just wants to drink some beer with his best friend and build their summer home. This is honestly a movie I’ve recommended time and again and I have yet to find a horror fan who didn’t absolutely love it.
