Tucker & Dale vs. Evil
| Tucker & Dale vs Evil | |
|---|---|
 Canadian poster for film | |
| Directed by | Eli Craig |
| Screenplay by | Eli Craig Morgan Jurgenson |
| Story by | Eli Craig |
| Produced by | Morgan Jurgenson Albert Klychak Rosanne Milliken Deepak Nayar |
| Starring | Tyler Labine Alan Tudyk Katrina Bowden Jesse Moss |
| Cinematography | David Geddes |
| Edited by | Bridget Durnford |
| Music by | Michael Shields Andrew Kaiser |
Production companies | Eden Rock Media Looby Lou Reliance Motion Picture Company Urban Island |
| Distributed by | Magnolia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 89 minutes[2] |
| Countries | Canada United States[1] |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $4,749,516[3] |
Tucker & Dale vs Evil is a 2010 Canadian-American comedy horror film written and directed by Eli Craig.[4] The film stars Alan Tudyk, Tyler Labine and Katrina Bowden.[5]
Plot
A group of college students, including 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), are going camping in West Virginia. While at a gas station, they encounter Tucker (Alan Tudyk) and Dale (Tyler Labine) two well-meaning hillbillies who have just bought the vacation home of their dreams: a run-down lakefront cabin in the middle of the woods. On Tucker's advice, Dale tries to talk to Allison, but because of his inferiority complex and appearance, he only scares her and her friends.
Tucker and Dale soon continue to their derelict cabin and are delighted in their new home despite structural hazards resulting from the building's state of disrepair and begin repair work. Meanwhile, in the nearby woods, the college students have set up camp. Chad tries to put the moves on Allison, but she spurns his advances, angering him. Later, around the campfire, Chad tells everyone a story recounting an event known as the "The Memorial Day Massacre," a hillbilly attack which took place twenty years previously in the same section of the woods, leaving only one survivor among the college-aged victims. Soon after, the group decide to go skinny dipping in a nearby lake. Also on the lake are Tucker and Dale, who are fishing. Allison spots them and -- startled -- falls into the water and hits her head. Tucker and Dale save her, but the college kids think Allison is being kidnapped.
The next day, Allison wakes up in Tucker and Dale's cabin. Though at first scared, she quickly befriends Dale and finds that the pair are harmless and well-meaning. The college kids arrive at the cabin to save Allison from her "captors," whom they presume to be psychotic killers. Chuck leaves in his dad's car to retrieve help from the police. As Mitch approaches the cabin, Tucker appears frantically waving a chainsaw after accidentally hitting a bee hive while cutting a tree stump. The college kids scatter through the woods, and Mitch accidentally impales himself on a broken tree. Soon after, the college kids find his body, and Chad persuades the others that they are in a battle to survive with the hillbillies. Meanwhile, Tucker and Dale set out to find the kids, but fail to do so. The college kids return to the cabin to see Allison being forced to dig her own grave, when in truth she is helping Dale dig an outhouse pit. The college kids attack, and in their attempt to save her, Allison is knocked unconscious by Dale's shovel as he turns around to see Todd, charging at him. Todd accidentally trips while trying to get Dale and impales himself on his makeshift spear, and Mike, trying to get Tucker, jumps head first into a woodchipper.
Tucker and Dale lock themselves in their cabin with an unconscious Allison, as they believe the college kids have made a suicide pact, and fear that if they contact the police they will be accused of murder. Meanwhile, the college kids decide they should either leave or get help from the police, but Chad remains certain they must fight the hillbillies themselves. Despite this, Chloe manages to flag down a passing police car, driven by the sheriff (Philip Granger) with Chuck. Chloe, Jason, and Naomi get in and travel to the cabin. After arriving and expressing doubt over Tucker's suicide pact theory, the sheriff enters the cabin and leans against an unsteady beam, which falls and kills him. The college students panic, and Chuck accidentally shoots and kills himself with the sheriff's gun. Chad reappears and attempts to shoot Tucker and Dale, but only manages to capture Tucker. Chad ties him upside down to a tree, and brutally cuts off two of his fingers with his hatchet, which are left outside the cabin for Dale and Alison to find.
Dale leaves to rescue Tucker and finds him in a trap in the forest, but rescues him without incident and returns to the cabin. At the cabin, Chad and Naomi arrive to save Allison, who insists everything is a misunderstanding and Tucker and Dale don't mean any harm. However, they accuse Allison of having Stockholm syndrome. Tucker and Dale return, and Allison attempts to lead a calm discussion, leading to Chad revealing that his mother was the lone Memorial Day Massacre survivor, while his dad was killed by hillbillies, which is why he hates them. Outside, Jason and Chloe suspect that the rest of their friends have been captured and attack with a string trimmer, mutilating Naomi's face by accident and apparently killing her. As a fight breaks out, Jason is set on fire. As the fire spreads, Allison, Tucker, and Dale escape, but Chloe is trapped by it and a still-breathing Naomi grabs Chad's leg as a stockpile of fuel cans explode. Naomi and Chloe are killed but Chad survives, horribly scarred and all the more determined to kill Tucker and Dale. Allison, Tucker, and Dale escape in a truck, but they crash it moments later.
Upon regaining consciousness, Dale finds an injured Tucker who tells him that Chad has taken Allison. At an old sawmill Dale finds Allison restrained by an insane Chad. Dale fights Chad and frees Allison, and the two barricade themselves inside an upstairs office. They find old news clippings on the Memorial Day Massacre and the truth about Chad's father: Chad's father was not one of the victims, but the Memorial Day killer himself, who raped his mother, making Chad "half hillbilly." Chad becomes enraged over the truth, and Dale stops his attack by throwing a box of chamomile tea at Chad, which triggers an asthma attack due to his allergies. Chad falls out the window and is apparently killed.
The police and a news crew are shown on the scene later, briefly indicating an investigation of the events which conforms to the truth of the matter, involving the suicide of the students and the work of a deranged killer (known to viewers as Chad). While convalescing in the hospital, Tucker asks Dale whether he managed to invite Allison on a date and is happy to hear the two of them are going ten-pin bowling. Later that night at the bowling alley, the two profess their feelings for each other and kiss.
However a scene at the very beginning of the film takes after all the events, which depicts a reporter and her camera man enter the sawmill at night claiming to find something the police missed. They are both attacked and the camera man is killed in which the killer momentary smiles in the camera which is revealed to be Chad.
Cast
- Tyler Labine as Dale
- Alan Tudyk as Tucker
- Katrina Bowden as Allison
- Jesse Moss as Chad
- Chelan Simmons as Chloe
- Philip Granger as Sheriff
- Brandon Jay McLaren as Jason
- Christie Laing as Naomi
- Travis Nelson as Chuck
- Alex Arsenault as Todd
- Adam Beauchesne as Mitch
- Joseph Allan Sutherland as Mike
- Karen Reigh as Cheryl
- Tye Evans as Chad's Dad
- Bill Baksa as BJ Hillbilly
- Shaun Tisdale as Killer Hillbilly #2
- Sasha Williams as News Reporter
- Bryant Koehler as Himself
Production
The production began in June 2009 with the casting of the actors. Principal photography started one month later in Calgary, Alberta.[6] In October 2009 post production ensued in British Columbia and released first images as part of American Film Market.[7]On 31 October 2009, the first trailer was released.[8]
Release
The film premiered on 22 January 2010 at Sundance Film Festival[9] and was on 12 March 2010 part of the SXSW Film Festival.[10] The movie was distributed by Magnolia, receiving a limited theatrical release in the US on September 30 2011.[11] On its opening weekend, the film grossed $52,843 from 30 theaters. Domestic gross currently stands at $223,838, with foreign gross adding $4,525,678, bringing the worldwide gross to $4,749,516.[12]
Reception
Despite a limited release, Tucker & Dale vs Evil was generally well received by critics. The film holds a 'fresh' rating of 85% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 95 reviews stating "Like the best horror/comedies, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil mines its central crazy joke for some incredible scares, laughs, and—believe it or not—heart". All of the top critics that reviewed the movie on Rotten Tomatoes certified it 'fresh'.[13] On Metacritic, the movie holds a 65 rating out of 100, from 23 critic reviews, indicating generally favourable reviews.[14]
Todd Gilchrist wrote that "Eli Craig's feature debut celebrates genre conventions while turning the traditional view of horror-movie heroes and villains upside down."[15] Roger Ebert also gave the film a positive review, writing "Students of the Little Movie Glossary may find it funny how carefully "Tucker and Dale" works its way through upended cliches".[13]
Awards
| Ceremony | Category | Recipients | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leo Award | Best Cinematography in a Feature Length Drama | David Geddes | Nominated |
| Best Feature Length Drama | Rosanne Milliken and Crawford Hawkins | Nominated | |
| Best Overall Sound in a Feature Length Drama | Paul A. Sharpe, Graeme Hughes and Iain Pattison | Nominated | |
| Best Sound Editing | James Fonnyadt | Nominated | |
| Best Sound Editing in a Feature Length Drama | Dario DiSanto, Brian Campbell, James Fonnyadt, Jay Cheetham, Kirby Jinnah and Kris Casavant | Nominated | |
| Best Stunt Coordination in a Feature Length Drama | Jodi Stecyk | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Feature Length Drama | Jesse Moss | Nominated | |
| Sitges Film Festival | Best Film | Eli Craig | Won |
| SXSW Film Festival | Audience Award | Won | |
| Fantasia Festival | Jury Prize; Best First Feature | Won | |
| Ampia Awards | AMPIA Award; Best Feature Film | Won |
References
- ^ Buchanan, Jason. "Tucker & Dale vs. Evil". Allrovi. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
- ^ "Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 2011-08-22. Retrieved 2011-08-31.
- ^ Tucker & Dale vs Evil at Box Office Mojo
- ^ "Sundance '10: First Images from 'Tucker and Dale vs. Evil'". Bloody Disgusting.
- ^ Will Schiffelbein. "SXSW 2010 Interview: Director Eli Craig and Producer Thomas Augsberger (Tucker & Dale Vs Evil)". GordonandtheWhale.
- ^ "Cast Fills Out for 'Tucker and Dale vs. Evil'". Bloody Disgusting.
- ^ "AFM '09: First Image from 'Tucker & Dale vs Evil'". Bloody Disgusting.
- ^ "Trailer Debut: 'Tucker & Dale vs Evil'!". Bloody Disgusting.
- ^ "SXSW '10 REVIEW: Another Look at 'Tucker and Dale vs Evil'". Bloody Disgusting.
- ^ "SXSW '10: Complete Review Round-Up!". Bloody Disgusting.
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekly&id=tuckeranddalevsevil.htm
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=tuckeranddalevsevil.htm
- ^ a b http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tucker_and_dale_vs_evil/reviews/?type=top_critics
- ^ http://www.metacritic.com/movie/tucker-dale-vs-evil
- ^ "Tucker & Dale vs Evil - ShockTillYouDrop.com". ShockTillYouDrop.com.