Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
Two hillbillies are suspected of being killers by a group of paranoid college kids camping near the duo's West Virginian cabin. As the body count climbs, so does the fear and confusion as the college kids try to seek revenge against the pair.
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil is a genuinely clever subversion of the hillbilly horror genre, flipping the slasher formula so the supposed monsters are the heroes and the college kids are the unwitting architects of their own demise. The premise is executed with sharp comic timing and real wit, earning high marks for both Plot and Novelty — it's a distinctly singular film that squeezes tremendous mileage from a single ingenious conceit. Acting is solid and charming, particularly Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine who carry the film with warmth, though the college kids are mostly broad archetypes. Cinematography is competent rural genre work — nothing exceptional but functional and occasionally well-staged. The ending unfortunately deflates somewhat, falling back on more conventional thriller mechanics and a less inventive resolution after the brilliance of the film's central joke, making it the weakest element.