Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010) – These Kids Just Started Killing Themselves

Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil (2010)
Director: Eli Craig
Starring: Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk, Katrina Bowden, Jesse Moss

What if the scary hillbillies in every horror movie were just two sweet guys trying to fix up their vacation cabin? This week we dive into the cult classic horror-comedy Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil — a movie that bombed at the box office but built a devoted following by flipping every backwoods slasher trope on its head.

In this episode, we discuss:

• “A Series of Unfortunate Events” — How the movie's genius writing chains escalating misunderstandings and bad luck into college kids accidentally offing themselves while Tucker and Dale just try to drink beer and fish. The beehive-chainsaw-Leatherface dance alone is worth the price of admission.

• The Chemistry That Shouldn't Work But Does — Labine and Tudyk didn't know each other before filming, but their buddy dynamic carries the whole movie. We discuss whether a sequel would ruin the magic and why it might work better as a half-hour TV show.

• Horror Movie? Or Just a Movie With Dead People In It? — A debate on whether this even qualifies as horror when there's zero tension and no villain. The gore ranges from impressively practical to questionable 2010 CG, but the comedy lands so consistently you barely notice — until the third act starts running on fumes.

• “I'll Provide the Finger Sandwiches” — Our favorite gags, including Tucker pouring PBR over his amputated bowling fingers, the wood chipper scene that's somehow hilarious, and why the DVD bonus feature “Tucker and Dale Are Evil” is worth hunting down on physical media.

We Also Talked About:

• Honey Don't! (2025) (Netflix) — Ethan Coen's solo effort with Margaret Qualley as a small-town PI. Coen formula watered down — despite the sex and dark humor, it's mostly boring. Verdict: don't watch it.

• Ren Faire (2024) (Amazon) — HBO's three-part doc about a massive Texas Renaissance Festival with its own town and police force. Game of Thrones meets Ren Fest as the aging king tries to retire and find a mail-order bride. Highly entertaining.

• Lady Bird (2017) (Amazon) — Greta Gerwig's coming-of-age film with Saoirse Ronan, Timothée Chalamet, Laurie Metcalf, and Beanie Feldstein. Sean's weekend watch with his daughter and a genuinely great movie.

• The Evil That Men Do (1984) (Tubi) — Charles Bronson revenge flick where the bad guy is the drunk dog guy from Seinfeld. Features nipple electrocution and Bronson allegedly kicking a dude's ass by his dick. Entertaining but forgettable.

• Secret Mall Apartment (Netflix) — Artists who lived inside a hollowed-out section of a Providence, RI mall for years, sneaking couches through sewer tunnels. A fun watch about gentrification and starving artists.

• Big Shark (2023) (Tubi) — Tommy Wiseau's follow-up to The Room. A wobbly-camera shark movie set in New Orleans that takes three sittings to finish — but once the shark shows up, it's exactly as stupid and entertaining as you'd hope.

Also mentioned: The Big Lebowski, Burn After Reading, Miller's Crossing, O Brother Where Art Thou, The Room, Death Wish, Shaun of the Dead, Return of the Living Dead, District 9, Scream, Seinfeld, and PBR powder.

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