Good parody is annoyingly hard to come by in films nowadays. I would blame this on the annoyingly prevalent Scary Movie franchise, as well as it’s equally frustrating spin offs, but that was mostly a late 90s/early 2000s thing (yes, I realize that Vampires Suck, the franchises most recent film, came out as recently as two years ago, but hey it didn’t do amazingly well so I’ll just forget that it exists). Anyway, as I was saying, parody has slowly become a more forgotten section of film thanks to circumstance and has mostly been left to shows like SNL or other such programs, without taking into account Cabin in the Woods. However, this film was Cabin in the Woods before Joss Whedon even came up with the idea for Cabin in the Woods. Ladies and gentlemen, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil.

The premise of this is incredibly funny. The movie starts off with a bunch of college kids going out for a camping trip out in the middle of nowhere (oh look, slasher movie plot). While out there they happen to run into Tucker and Dale, two rednecks who had recently purchased a vacation home out in the area. We follow both groups as the college kids do stereotypical slasher movie college kid things (spooky stories, roasting hot dogs, skinny dipping, etc.) and as Tucker and Dale move into their new vacation home, which they find to be the former home of a serial killer, although they don’t really piece that together. Since the trailer spoils this, I’ll just say it, one of the girls gets a concussion while swimming and Dale fishes her out of the lake. The college kids think that they’ve kidnapped her and try and get her back and so hijinks ensue. Trust me, I’m not saying anymore, it gets too hilarious.

The acting is actually really good for a comedy movie. The actors manage to play their roles completely straight which manages to add so much of the humor that this movie has to it. Tucker and Dale are very well defined and are utterly hilarious in this and the girl playing Ally also manages to have some wonderful chemistry with her “kidnappers”. The college kids themselves are pretty under developed but considering where the plot goes, that makes perfect sense. I don’t want to say why, but trust me.

The film, while good though, gets sadly predictable really fast. While watching this, one of my friends managed to predict every single plot point that came up. The movie is still incredibly funny as in regardless of the fact that you know where the plot is going, you still find yourself laughing really hard at the events on screen, but it’s a bit disappointing that there weren’t a few more twists and turns in the plot.

There is not an amazing amount more to discuss. The gore effects are absolutely great and horrifically brutal although funny beyond all belief. The movie is absolutely hilarious and manages to turn more than a few cliches into excellent jokes. It’s gory, funny and a wonderfully acted parody. I give Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, 4 out of 5 stars. I will say one thing about this movie: it’s all about perspective. There’s your hint. I suggest you watch the redband trailer if at all possible.

Okay so let’s discuss this now shall we?

The plot is one of the best satires I’ve seen come out of mainstream cinema in a while, probably since Hot Fuzz. It manages to take the conventions of the genre, turn them on their head and yet still manage to keep things interesting and, most important of all, funny. The movie is incredibly funny and I was definitely not expecting that, considering the way the trailers manage to mislead the audience. I walked in expecting an intriguing, if not somewhat stupid, slasher movie. But instead I got a smart, sophisticated, and hilarious satire. I found myself laughing my ass off in the first couple of minutes. And then it just kept going. The blows hit fast and hard and I don’t think I was in any way bored. The satire element manages to keep things interesting and entertaining as you watch the usual genre conventions continue and yet know everything is fake. As a friend of mine mentioned, “this movie will forever change the way you look at all slasher films. From here on out I’m going to be wondering who’s pulling the strings.”

The acting was absolutely phenomenal with every actor managing to portray the archetype they eventually assume beautifully. I would say the stoner was my favorite, but honestly all of them stand out well with their own distinct moments. The writing keeps everyone in focus while still making them three dimensional characters…filling two dimensional archetypes. God this movie is odd.

The effects are absolutely great. Couldn’t mention it in the other review because it’s really tied into the end of the film. The effects on everything during the final few scenes are extraordinarily well done with each creature portraying the film series they’re ripping off way too well. Favorite of the finale is still probably Fornicus, lord of pain and bondage. Who names these things, I mean honestly. I know they were mimicking the Hellraiser franchise but they’re not even trying to be subtle.

The movie itself is just overall great. Final verdict’s on the other page, because if you’re reading this, then you’ve already seen the movie. Or at least I hope you are.