Tucker & Dale vs. Evil

Movie review by Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media
Tucker & Dale vs. Evil Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 17+

Clever horror-comedy has decent message underneath gore.

R 2011 89 minutes
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Parents say

age 15+

Based on 7 reviews

Kids say

age 13+

Based on 18 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this horror comedy takes one of the genre's most typical cliches and turns it upside down: In this movie, the hillbillies are the good guys, and the college kids who go camping to drink and have sex are the bad guys. Despite this "don't judge a book by its cover" theme, the movie still has tons of gore, blood, and violence, as several teens are (accidentally) killed in gruesome ways. Language is strong, and includes "f--k" and "s--t." Teens are definitely thinking about sex, and there's some sexual innuendo and partial nudity (underwear shots).

Community Reviews

meydiana.rizki
meydiana.rizki Adult
October 30, 2020
age 18+

Very Funny, Gory with heart

Really entertaining twist on 'teens in the woods' horror flicks. Lots of laughs and buckets of blood. The actors playing Tucker and Dale are very compelling and believable. Their charm really makes the film and you care about their story. The movie is basically a farce or a comedy of errors with each error resulting in a gruesome death. While the manner of the deaths is so over the top as to be funny, the biggest laughs come from the dialog. "Tucker and Dale vs Evil" excels at both physical comedy (the chainsaw scene for example) and verbal (explaining the situation to the police). Great movie. This film had a tremendous audience reaction at the Seattle International Film Festival. There's a laugh every minute.

This title has:

Great role models
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
joshua_rich
joshua_rich Adult
September 5, 2020
age 13+

Kind of brilliant inversion of tropes

This has been one of my favorite horror movies for years. Just had the chance to rewatch with my kid and she loved it and laughed all the way through. I really take issue with there being no good role models though. Tucker and Dale aren’t perfect but they’re pretty great. I think what the movie really gets right is the sometimes violent reaction that ‘normal’ people have to people who are different.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
See all 7 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Like many horror movies, TUCKER & DALE VS. EVIL opens with a carload of college students looking for a good time in the woods; there's also the ominous foreshadowing with the creepy, local hillbillies. But this time, the hillbillies -- Dale (Tyler Labine) and Tucker (Alan Tudyk) -- are good-hearted souls who just want to spend some quality time in their new "vacation home" (i.e. a ramshackle cabin, formerly belonging to a serial killer). After an accident, pretty blond Allison (Katrina Bowden) winds up in Dale's care, but her shallow, short-sighted friends suspect foul play. Before long, grisly deaths start to occur ... but are they random accidents, or is there something more sinister going on?

Is It Any Good?

Director/co-writer Eli Craig makes his feature debut with a simple, ingenious idea. Why are hillbillies always so nasty and evil in horror movies? What if they're really good folks, and the college students are the awful ones? The movie takes this idea and runs all the way with it, allowing audiences to catch on at their own pace.

Most of the movie's success comes from Labine and Tudyk's lead performances; the actors conjure up an appealing combination of smart, dumb, and sweet, and have a believable friendship. There's also a visceral thrill in the outrageous deaths, each so hilariously implausible that it's shocking. The characters' deadpan reactions to the situation elevate the humor all the more. Although the movie isn't as endlessly engaging as something like Shaun of the Dead, it's still an all-around winner.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the movie's violence. Is it realistic, or cartoonish? How does that affect its impact? Why does some movie violence make audiences laugh?

  • Have you ever judged a book by its cover? Does this movie make you think about that, or is it too humorous to be taken seriously?

Movie Details

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