In the film, Tucker and Dale are two friends who have just purchased a dilapidated vacation cabin in a forest in West Virginia. They drive out to the cabin hoping to drink a few beers, catch a few fish, and relax. Unfortunately, their camping trip ends up being a little more exciting than they had hoped. A group of college students have decided to camp right near Tucker and Dale’s new cabin. When the students first see the duo, they automatically categorize them as Deliverance-style hillbillies who would rape them at the first chance they could get. Tucker and Dale’s dirty overalls, trucker hats, and their general unkempt appearance conjure up an image of backwardness that elicits fear in the minds of the college students. This fear is multiplied when one of the students, Allison, is seemingly abducted by Tucker and Dale. In actuality, she had simply knocked herself unconscious, and the two main characters had taken her back to their cabin to nurse her back to health. Sadly, this miscommunication mixed with unfounded fear leads to the accidental bloody massacre of almost every single college student on that camping trip.
In between all the unnecessary violence, the director subverts certain stereotypes associated with hillbillies. The bearded hillbilly, Dale, ends up falling in love with Allison. Going by conventions, this is usually the point in the film where the hillbilly would rape the defenseless outsider. Instead, the director breaks this convention by showing that Dale is well-meaning and a little insecure about himself. When Allison wakes up, Dale brings her breakfast in bed and plays board games with her. He makes it clear that he has no desire to hurt her in any way. His respect and care for Allison challenges the notion that all hillbillies are misogynistic wife beaters. Dale is far from the rugged, salt-of-the-earth type character his appearance would suggest. Behind that beard is a man who has little trust in himself. Several sections of the film show scenes where Tucker tries to help Dale with his insecurity issues. This strays away from the stereotype of the closed-off hillbilly who never talks about his feelings. The image of the ignorant hillbilly is shattered by showing Dale’s intelligence. While voicing his insecurity about his own intelligence to Allison, he reveals that he is actually quite intelligent and has the uncanny ability to remember everything he reads. Finally, in a heartfelt exchange between Tucker and Dale towards the end of the film, Dale breaks yet another stereotype when he confesses to Tucker that he has never really enjoyed finishing.
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil is a breath of fresh air for both the horror and hillbilly genre in film. It reverses character roles and challenges conventions in society all while foregrounding the importance of breaking these stereotypes. It shows that not every hillbilly has to be an unintelligent, savage misogynist with no regards for human life outside of their own kind. - Holden Belew
I really enjoyed this movie, kind of to my own surprise. I expected it to be just another dumb movie, but as Holden pointed out, it has a little more depth than you might first expect. This might just be a coincidence, but the college students in this movie and the men from Atlanta in Deliverance both first encountered the "hillbillies" at a gas station. But I really loved the fact that in Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, the "hillbillies" were just a couple of good-hearted, kind men who only wanted a quiet fishing trip. It is the outsiders and their preconceived notions that fuel their fear and irrational actions. This is why I find it ironic that the city-dwelling, supposedly more educated college kids reek of ignorance and instigate the violence.
ReplyDeleteThis film seems like a long waited turn of events. I have not seen it yet but if it is showing the city people being the ignorant ones I may just have to see it after seeing Deliverance. Also, what is up with the South and gas stations? I could see now how city people do not need cars because they use public transportation but in Deliverance time what was so important about a gas station needing to be the first thing you see of the South. Back then I am pretty sure there were gas stations everywhere in the north and south. However, I guess it is the point that the directors either wanted to make or wanted the viewers to realize and question. Were there really more gas stations in the South back then and if not then why put them there for that time? Just to show the lowness of southerners pumping gas for the city folk?
ReplyDeleteI just watched this film, and it is brilliant! I couldn't stop laughing. It's not everyday that a director masterfully flips the time-honored traditions and conventions of genres that films try seem to adhere to so dearly. It was awesome seeing the two different sides of the "hillbilly horror" film. Really, this film teaches an excellent lesson in not being judgmental and the importance of communication. Poor Tucker and Dale. I don't know what I would do if college kids just started randomly killing themselves around me. It just goes to show that not all mountain-dwellers are Deliverance-style hillbillies. In fact, the subversion of the hillbilly stereotypes is refreshing. It's good to know that hillbillies are human too. I remember thinking halfway through the film that Chad was exhibiting violent hillbilly characteristics. Oh, boy, I couldn't have been more right about him in the end. This film is officially one of my favorite films.
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