<\/p>\n
As Tucker and Dale leave their vacation home to search for Allison’s friends, she implores Dale to be careful. “{her} friends can be kind of judgemental.” Dale brushes off the concern; he’s going to let Tucker do most of the talkin’. Tucker is a real people-person; can win over almost anyone. This does NOT reassure Allison. Probably partially because she knows her friends are already highly prejudiced against “hillbillies,” especially Chad; but also because Dale is extremely innocent. He can’t see the world through other people’s eyes and doesn’t understand why someone might make assumptions about “people like him or Tucker.”<\/p>\n
At the same time all the other college kids have found Mitch impaled on the tree branch. All three, NOT just Chad, immediately assume he was killed by Tucker and Dale. As a warning:<\/p>\n
<\/div>Chad destroys Chloe’s cell phone when she tries to make a call, then argues against Naomi’s idea to reach the road and get away. “Don’t you get it? THIS is what it’s all about! Us vs. Them! Survival of the fittest.” This is, I suspect, where one could jump onto the “nature vs. grace” argument. Dale has already DIRECTLY saved two lives on-screen. He is, as I just mentioned, a truly innocent figure. Chad, of course, just restated the title in another way, but also invoking Darwin. If he is advocating evolution, and is opposed to Tucker and Dale, then the hillbillies are occupying a position opposed to evolution. (look, this is a surface-level observation; but the argument for the “nature vs. grace” symbolism derives from this observation whether you start it on the surface or just under) What I find more interesting is that Chad has named the college kids as opposed to the hillbillies. BUT ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE HILLBILLIES ARE EVIL. Tucker and Dale have OBVIOUSLY made no such assumption about the college kids. This ties back in with perceptions and assumptions about class and societal roles. Dale invoked the same when he told Tucker why he couldn’t talk to Allison at the beginning of the movie: she’s “above” him. She would see someone like him as a “repair-man” who only barely enters her realm of existence. There is a river between them than cannot be crossed (hum “Running Bear” to yourself if you want right now). Chad makes the same assumption when he tries to come on to Allison, though of course he places himself on HER side of the river and assumes equality even while flattering her position.<\/p>\n
In a traditional horror movie, her rejection of him would become HIS challenge; one of the obstacles he would overcome to “win” in the end. Except…this movie isn’t about him. This is a romantic comedy about Dale and Allison, which means he’s the “other option,” the ex-or-potential boyfriend who has all the advantages and gets trash dumped on him in the end. Chad is in a movie where he is the hero; our three actual leads are in a movie where he is the villain. To underline the point about “survival of the fittest,” and his status, Chad turns and heaves his hand axe toward a tree ten yards away, burying the head. He pumps his fist as Jason looks on in horror.<\/p>\n
<\/div>Jason had been about to walk into the path Chad threw the axe through. “What’s wrong with you? THAT’S MY WHOLE FACE!” he complains. Chloe points out Chad has some “serious issues,” something we as the audience have been wondering about. This doesn’t get explored further as one of the other College Kids runs in and tells everyone someone is coming. They “hide” poorly, but well-enough to keep Tucker and Dale from noticing them. Mainly because Dale is bragging about beating Allison at Trivial Pursuit. It’s worth noting Tucker responds with a sigh, and tells him “Dale, you beat EVERYONE. There’s something wrong with your brain.” Dale, within earshot of the College Kids, tells Tucker he’ll “finish {Allison} off real quick” when they get back to the cabin; then they can get to work. The College Kids understand this to mean he’ll kill her when they get back. Tucker and Dale see the axe in the tree, see the scuffed ground, make the right call. They start yelling “hey, college kids!” The College Kids are scared to death. Dale decides to leave them a note. As they don’t have any paper, he uses Chad’s axe to carve a message in a tree trunk on the ground:<\/p>\n
<\/div>The College Kids gather around the message when Tucker and Dale leave; the musical sting tells us how they respond.<\/p>\n
Back at the cabin Tucker is loading the rotten wood he chopped up into a VERY LARGE wood chipper. (Continuity error: Tucker and Dale are not towing this wood chipper at the beginning of the movie. We DO SEE this wood chipper outside of Last Chance Gas where Tucker picks up all the supplies he needs for their “renovation.” And yet, when they pull on to the property, they are ONCE AGAIN not towing the wood chipper. Yet it appears parked next to the “vacation home” in the scene with the bees.) Dale is behind the house digging a hole; Allison approaches. She has used a variety of knots, belts, tucks, and other tricks to make Dale’s clothing fit her. She calls out to Dale, and she certainly gets his attention.<\/p>\n
<\/div>She asks if Tucker and Dale found her friends. Dale tells her they left a note. Allison asks what he’s doing. He tells her “diggin’ a shitter hole.” Then, horrified he used such course language, he tries desperately to come up with a better way to say “an outhouse hole” but Allison beats him to it. She jumps into the hole, offering to help. Dale objects, but Allison picks up a pick-axe and starts swinging. She clearly knows what she’s doing. Allison explains, “I grew up on a farm. It was either help out or get out.” Dale admires her.<\/p>\n
At the same time the College Kids sneak up on the house. They see Dale watching Allison dig. They make an assumption, given their currently operating assumptions: “That sick fuck! He’s making her dig her own grave!” I’ll also point out that Allison bears absolutely NO SIGNS of being eaten or even chewed on…but no one brings that up. Chad sends Naomi, Chloe, and Jason to assault Tucker (also Jason decides he’s more comfortable backing Chad up) and then sends Michael and Todd toward Dale. Dale sees Naomi and Chloe running through the woods.<\/p>\n
<\/div>He doesn’t notice Michael running toward them from the right with an improvised spear cut from a tree branch. Allison yells for Dale to watch out; he rapidly turns and bonks her on the head with his shovel. She falls into the outhouse hole unconscious. Dale trips on the loose dirt and falls on his back next to her. Michael then trips over…something…lets loose his spear (which sticks in the ground inches from Dale’s arm) then flies into the hole himself. Right onto the spear. The handle-end, of course; but he had tremendous momentum. So I’m betting it just hurt a lot more. Two College Kids have now taken themselves out on tree branches. As Michael slowly slides down the stuck spear toward Dale, Dale is left with a memory that will require a LOT of therapy.<\/p>\n
<\/div>Todd, positioned right behind Tucker, sees Chloe and Naomi take position opposite the wood chipper. He screws up his courage and charges Tucker from behind, leaping at the last second. I am guessing his sudden intention was to force Tucker into the wood chipper himself, or maybe it was purely instinct assuming Tucker was able and ready to fight back so a headlong tackle would be advantageous.<\/p>\n
But Tucker turns and leans over to grab some more wood.<\/p>\n
And…is greeted by a horrifying sight when he turns back to the chipper:<\/p>\n
<\/div>Tucker tries to pull Todd out, but as buckets of blood belch out of the machine (showering Chloe) it’s clear it’s too late. The machine finally shuts down. Tucker, pointlessly, hollers “You OK?”<\/p>\n
Dale carries Allison back into the cabin just as Tucker reaches the door. They are both hyperventilating and, understandably; freaked out. Tucker tells Dale a College Kid just threw himself into the wood chipper. Dale explains the blood all over his arm: a college kid threw himself onto a spear and died right on top of Dale. Tucker gets Dale, who is on the verge of tears, to calm down. He thinks for a minute, then announces he knows what’s going on. It’s a suicide pact. These College Kids are coming out here and killing themselves all over the woods.<\/p>\n
<\/div>Dale suggests the College Kids are trying to kill Allison, too; as part of this. “Why?” asks Tucker. “I don’t know,” Dale admits. “That’s good!” Tucker tells him. “Cuz I don’t know either, and if we don’t know they won’t kill us.” Dale suggests going to the police; Tucker disagrees for pretty obvious reasons: you would have to be a MORON to believe all these College Kids just started killing themselves. It doesn’t matter what happened, all that matters is WHAT LOOKS LIKE happened. They agree to start cleaning up the mess.<\/p>\n
The remaining College Kids, four now, are regrouping. Chloe and Naomi want to leave (although Chloe doesn’t want to walk to do so), and also points out this trip was Chad’s idea. Chad repeats his “us vs. them” spiel, exuberant in the chance to live through this kind of situation. Jason remains torn between loyalty to Chad and agreeing with Chloe and Naomi. In the end he runs off with them when they hear a siren. Chuck has returned with the Sheriff we saw at the beginning of the movie.They make their case to the Sheriff and all pile into his Jeep Cherokee. Chad remains in the woods.<\/p>\n
Tucker and Dale are trying to remove what remains of Todd from the wood chipper. Just as they are carrying the half that wasn’t destroyed back to Tucker’s pick-up, the Sheriff arrives.<\/p>\n
<\/div>Tucker is forced to tell the story as they see it. And to his credit, the Sheriff responds exactly as Tucker predicted: “You must think I’m some kind of a moron.” Dale, trying to help; brings up Allison. Who could explain the WHOLE thing…if he hadn’t knocked her unconscious with his shovel. Sensing the storm Dale is brewing, Tucker puts his hand on Dale’s shoulder, probably thinking to restrain him. “You’ve got another one inside?” the Sheriff asks? Dale helpfully responds “Yeah, in my bedroom.” Tucker starts laughing, in pain, prompting Dale to start laughing, too. Tucker looks like he’s about grab Dale’s face before bringing his hand down again on Dale’s shoulder. They take the Sheriff inside the cabin to see Allison, while the remaining College Kids scream at him to not go inside.<\/p>\n
Allison seems to be (relatively) ok, and the Sheriff starts winding up for a lecture. Starting with possible charges, but he is more interested in continuing his statement from yesterday: he WARNED them to not come up here, but NOOOOOOOOO, they didn’t listen.<\/p>\n
And then he leans on the Dream Beam.<\/p>\n
<\/div>The beam drives a plethora of nails into the Sheriff’s face. Tucker and Dale both tried to warn him as he went to lean, but they were too far away to do anything. The Sheriff stumbles backward out of the cabin, a part of the beam still nailed to his head. Again, pointlessly; Dale asks “Are you OK?” But it’s not pointless! The Sheriff gets up and starts staggering toward his Jeep. The College Kids inside panic as the Sheriff, with a board still nailed to his face, tries to reassure them and reaches for the radio. He falls dead. Chad smirks from a hiding place behind a bush.<\/p>\n
THIS is a good starting argument for revisiting the movie through the filter of a Final Destination<\/em> film, as Poltergibbst did. Dale saved Tucker from this beam earlier, and arguably saved Allison as well, along with saving her when she hit her head. I won’t repeat the whole thing, the video is worth watching, but the Dream Beam is a good illustration.<\/p>\n The Kids in the back of the Jeep yell for Chuck to unlock their door. Instead Chuck goes for the Sheriff’s gun. Tucker and Dale are fighting over who is to blame for the beam not being fixed yet. Tucker notices Chuck approaching, pointing the gun at them. They raise their hands. Chuck tries to shoot them; nothing happens. Dale, as always helpful in every situation other than using words, tells him he needs to take the safety off.<\/p>\n Chuck turns the gun around to try to find the safety, pointing it right at his head. You can guess what happens. Tucker screams at Chuck to start being more careful, although it’s clear Chuck will never have the\u00a0opportunity<\/em> to follow this advice. Chad runs from his spot and grabs the gun from Chuck’s dead hand, firing toward Tucker and Dale. They run back into the cabin, diving onto the floor. Tucker kicks a chair in front of the door. They resume arguing. Tucker blames the situation on Dale rescuing Allison. Dale says it’s Tucker’s fault because they went fishing. If they hadn’t gone fishing none of this would have happened. Tucker is confused; how is “not going fishing” even AN OPTION? Dale responds “I don’t even like fishing!” Then realizes what he said. This moment is treated the way someone “coming out” would be treated in movies. Before there was even the level of acceptance of LGBTQ+ people we had been seeing for the last decade, the plot point between comedy relief and “nothing to see here” was that admitting you were a homosexual as a plot point was treated as a “rejection of normal” by others before accepting that this sort of identification didn’t actually change the character. I want to be clear, it doesn’t look to me like TDvE<\/em> is making fun of this plot point. “Not liking fishing” being treated seriously is meant to be a joke, sure; but the fact that Tucker and Dale take this issue seriously changes the nature.<\/p>\n Chuck resumes shooting, then Dale’s dog; whom we had learned earlier was named “Jangers,” barks. Not in pain, but clearly NOT IN THE CABIN. Dale realizes the possibility immediately. He rolls over to the window and looks outside: Chad is pointing the gun directly at Jangers’ head. Tucker comes up with a plan: they fire up the air compressor, connect the pneumatic nail gun, and Dale fires the high-powered nail gun at the Sheriff’s Jeep while Dale runs around the cabin from the back door. Chuck threatens to kill Jangers:<\/p>\n Tucker successfully frees Jangers but is seen by Chad and the others. Who are right there, so it’s not a surprise. He takes off running into the woods; the College Kids chase him. Tucker does pretty good until he trips and decides to hide behind a fallen tree trunk. Chad finds him and knocks him out. They string Tucker up by his ankles. It is clear when he comes to they are talking past each other. He offers the Kids his cooler of cold beers; Chad chops two of his fingers off.<\/p>\n Back at the cabin, Dale is beside himself; and essentially waiting for Allison to wake up. When she does he makes sure she’s ok, then she asks what happened. He starts to cry. Allison calms him down, every bit as good at it as Tucker, then has him start over. He asks her if any of her friends take medication. She is confused, and asks why he wants to know?<\/p>\n Dale tells her her friends just started killing themselves, then went after them, then Jangers, and now they are out in the woods trying to kill his best friend. She counters that her friends wouldn’t hurt them; there must be a misunderstanding. Someone knocks at the door; Dale dives behind the bed. Allison tells him no one wants to hurt him; Chad screams in the distance “Die, hillbilly!” Dale correctly points out “it sure sounds like someone does.” Over Dale’s protests, Allison walks out front. She sees half a body lying on the ground. She sees Chuck and the Sheriff lying dead by the Jeep. She sees a cloth parcel lying on the porch, which she picks up and carries inside. Unwrapping the package, she screams and drops…Tucker’s bowling fingers. According to Dale, anyway. It is clearly two recently-removed human fingers and a paper note. Dale won’t touch it, forcing Allison to do the heavy lifting again.<\/p>\n “We’ve got your friend. Try to get him.”<\/p>\n Allison no longer can pretend it’s all a misunderstanding (even if it may have started that way). She wonders aloud “How long was I out for?” “A few hours,” Dale tells her. He finally jumps into action. The Kids have his best friend, and he needs to get him back. Allison tries to intervene, telling him they don’t want to escalate. She tells him her friends must have thought Tucker and Dale were trying to harm her. And here is a bit of a “magic” twist in the movie. Dale, who to this moment has been the naif; the person who just doesn’t seem to be aware of the “truth” of the world, asks Allison wearily “Oh? And why would they think that?” Allison stammers, finally saying only “I don’t know.” Dale sadly responds “I think you do know.” This level of insight has been absent from his character and lends credence to the idea that Dale is knowingly “playing a part” in a morality tale. But simultaneously we ALREADY KNOW Dale isn’t the doofus. You don’t avert your eyes from a lady disrobing (if you are southern gentleman) without knowing WHY you are averting your eyes. And consider Dale’s class-consciousness at the gas station. He DOES KNOW how a (he presumes) rich college girl would see a hillbilly from Appalachia. Dale CHOOSES to see good all around him. Not in himself…Tucker was right that Dale has an inferiority complex. But Dale wants the best for everyone else because, at least to a degree, he DOES know what the worst is.<\/p>\n Dale confronts Allison not with sarcasm or anger, but sadness. This isn’t a tragedy to be clear, she has been a good person; but she is faltering now. Is she still trying to defend her friends, or is she trying to not hurt Dale’s feelings with a sentiment that she partially shared? Allison, now; is honest. Back at the gas station, Tucker and Dale looked creepy. Dale supplies “you thought we were freaks.” Allison apologizes for misjudging them. Dale doesn’t suddenly glow with achievement; he’s not here to steer Allison onto the straight and narrow. Instead, he illustrates the encounter: “It’s my fault. I should’ve known that if a guy like me talked to a girl like you, somebody’d end up dead.” Which is bit extreme, Dale. No, A LOT extreme. Allison is going to have her work cut out for her. Maybe that psychology degree will be useful.<\/p>\n Dale leaves, telling Allison he never wanted to hurt nobody. She protests, repeatedly and loudly, but Dale is going to save his friend. His long-suffering at this point, friend.<\/p>\n Dale runs into the woods, finding Tucker’s cap and simultaneously Mitch impaled on the tree branch from it seems like SO long ago. He finally locates Tucker, still hanging upside down, and barely capable of squawking out “It’s a trap.” Not very clearly, though; and as Dale approaches to hear better, he triggers said trap. A trip line goes taught and launches a hand-carved rough spear directly at where he would have been standing in a quarter-of-a-second if he had moved BARELY differently.<\/p>\n Dale has escaped death by inches, and something just about as bad by only millimeters. He tells Tucker “I never thought I would say this, but I’m glad I’m not hung like a bear.” Tucker laughs, which must hurt A LOT at this point. They agree that Chad has some “serious issues,” a topic that keeps coming up. Dale frees Tucker by cutting the rope that suspends him where it’s tied to a nearby tree (over Tucker’s protest); Tucker falls to the ground.<\/p>\n Back at the cabin Chad and Naomi “break” in (the door is open) to rescue Allison. Who is not being held against her will. Chad decides they need to burn the house to the ground. He grabs a nearby gas can and starts splashing the walls and furniture. Allison tries to convince him to stop, and explains that this is all a misunderstanding, AND that Tucker and Dale have been nothing but gentlemen to her the entire time. Naomi enters the argument, explaining this must be Stockholm Syndrome, where a kidnapping victim falls in love with their captors. Chad…breaks a little. He starts screaming at Allison; she continues to try to reason with him. He grabs her and threatens her with axe just as Tucker and Dale explode through the door. Wielding a machete himself, Dale yells at Chad to let Allie go.<\/p>\n Allison makes an attempt at a group discussion. After all, nobody wants to hurt anybody else. At this point even Dale is pretty sure that’s not the case. Allie pours the tea; Chad objects if it’s chamomile; that triggers his asthma. But it’s Earl Grey. Allison tells Chad and Dale to describe what has happened from their point-of-view, and while each person talks the other needs to try to see things from their side. Good advice. Good conflict resolution. Dale seems to buy in, but Chad clearly doesn’t. Allison tells him to start out…and he begins with “a long time ago, before I was born…” Allison says that’s not what she meant, but Chad yells “this is important!” She backs off. Chad tells the story of the Memorial Day Massacre again, this time adding that BOTH HIS PARENTS were in the group attacked by hillbillies. His mother and father were captured. His father was forced to watch while his mother was tortured, NOT KNOWING she was already pregnant with Chad. She fought back and escaped. His father’s body was never found (it’s implied he was killed by the hillbillies). Chad’s mother was already institutionalized by the time he was born, and he was raised by his grandmother, who told him the story.<\/p>\n Chad sharing that as “his side of the story” clearly implies that he blames ALL hillbillies for what happened to his parents. And further, that this is a justification for him to, basically do whatever he wants to hillbillies. That they could assume Tucker and Dale “kidnapped” Allison wasn’t necessarily THE triggering event, it was the excuse he wanted to go hunting hillbillies. Everyone is a bit taken aback by all this, but Allison thanks him. Chloe and Jason approach the cabin, having been told by Chad if he and Naomi didn’t return in 15 minutes to “come in with guns blazing”…despite the fact they have no weapons. They see Chad, Allison, and Dale drinking tea at the table, and can’t make sense of the scene; assuming Chad must be a prisoner, too.<\/p>\n Dale starts his turn by commiserating with Chad, then pointing out he had nothing to do with that. He was like, 6 at the time. This affects a previous factoid. All the College Kids seem to be second or third years, so we’ll put them at about 21 years old for convenience. Which would make Dale 27 or 28. Tucker’s age is never given. He looks older, but as multiple characters have pointed out, looks can be deceiving. Chad rebuts that the aggressors were hillbillies; they were “Dale’s kind.” Dale is confused a bit, but sticks to the point: he can’t even hurt a fish. Tucker agrees. He feels better after the exchange, which makes Allison feel good, too. Her plan was a success! Then Jason and Chloe barge in, Jason brandishing a metal-bladed weed-eater.<\/p>\n He charges toward Tucker, who is by the door, but Tucker jumps out of the way. Exposing Naomi, who gets her face eaten off. Except by a weed-eater, not hillbillies. Chloe, once again, is showered in blood. Chad uses the disturbance as an opportunity to flip the table they’re all sitting at onto Dale, pinning him to ground. Chad swings his axe at Dale’s head. Dale dodges. Allison tries to restrain Chad but he pushes her away, retrieves the axe, and tries another blow. This time Tucker punches him in the face then goes to help Dale get free of the table. Chad grabs a lantern from the cabinet he landed against and heaves it toward Tucker and Dale, missing, and setting Jason on fire. Just his leg. Tucker and Dale try to calm him down, telling him to stop-drop-and-roll, literally. Chloe panics and grabs a jar of what looks like water. Tucker and Dale both scream “No!” as she splashes the jar of gasoline all over Jason. Who now can’t extinguish the flames with some simple, salient advice. He is now a human torch. Also, remember how Chad had already doused the house in gasoline? Yeah, things are catching on fire very easily. And approaching ALL THE CANS OF GASOLINE IN THE CORNER.<\/p>\n On the plus side, Chloe finally gets a light for her cigarette. She collapses in relief near the gasoline cans as she is finally able to take a puff. Tucker and Dale grab Allison and bolt for the door. Chad starts to follow them, but his ankle is grabbed by a still-alive Naomi, demanding he help her. He tries to kick her away, accompanied by some very naughty language. Tucker, Dale, and Allison just barely make it past the front porch when an explosion rocks them all. They watch Tucker’s vacation home go up in flames, while Allison reflects that she’s a terrible therapist. Dale argues with her, saying he thought they were on the verge of a breakthrough, when Tucker notices a little problem.<\/p>\n They all run to Tucker’s truck. Dale is in the driver’s seat; this is the first time we’ve seen him drive. Tucker implores Dale to be careful; this truck is all he has left. Dale finally gets the engine going and they roar off before Chad can reach them. Dale is watching Chad through the back window, and so misses the trees he drives the pickup straight into. At speed. Dale is awakened by Jangers minutes later, still sitting in the wrecked pickup. Tucker is laying against a nearby tree. He tells Dale that Chad took Allison. He couldn’t do anything to stop him. Tucker is clearly in pain. There’s no doubt he received more injuries from the wreck, but he had plenty going in. He tells Dale it will be a LONG TIME before he takes a vacation again.<\/p>\n Dale starts blaming the entire trip on himself. He tells Tucker he shouldn’t have talked to Allison, because guys like him and girls like her just don’t mix. He tells Tucker he shouldn’t have even come on this trip. Tucker interrupts “Listen to me!” He tells Dale a story, about when they were kids. They would go catchin’ frogs, and Tucker always told Dale he let him catch more, because he felt sorry for Dale. Dale remembers. Tucker continues: It was a lie. I didn’t “let you” catch more, you did that yourself. You was quicker than me. The point is, you’re better than you think you are.<\/p>\n Tucker adds: “That girl sees it. I seen the way the two of you look at each other. I think that she really sees you for who you are.” He talks Dale up some more, similar to the opening line I used last time, but more sincere. The movie really builds this up like Tucker is dying. Maybe he is. He tells Dale to go rescue Allison. “She needs you now more than ever, especially since she’s always fallin’ down and hittin’ her head and knockin’ herself out.” He offers his hand, and Dale takes it. Unfortunately it was the hand Chad chopped two fingers off of.<\/p>\n Jangers leads Dale to Big Hill Lumber, a long-abandoned mill. At least, that’s what it looks like. Chad has tied Allison to, believe it or not, the big mill raw table. You know, where he can turn the big circular saw blade on and the table will slowly feed her toward the blade. Surely this doesn’t work anymore, right? (surely no one would have left all this abandoned, right?) Chad tries to SA Allison, demanding an apology, when banging is heard. Chad runs off, to hide or seek is unknown. Dale breaks the padlock on the door (so Chad must not have come in this way) and finds ALL SORTS of tools and accessories. He decides to gird himself up like a killer hillbilly, since that’s what Chad wants. He straps up then busts into the main room, scaring the daylights out of Allison.<\/p>\n Chad starts the saw (I guess it all works), monologues a bit (he’s definitively the villain) and Dale can’t comprehend the knot Allison is tied down with. He finally tries cutting the rope with a chainsaw, but just as he gets started Chad swings from the rafters and kicks him away. They proceed to fight with fist and various tools. Dale does damage and doesn’t seem to be hurt much by Chad, but Chad manages to keep him occupied and away from Allison. Finally in desperation Dale grabs Chad’s axe from where it embedded in the wall at the start of the fight and expertly flings it toward Allison:<\/p>\n The axe cleanly cuts the rope on the side of the saw table, allowing Allison to jump to safety. Dale can hardly believe the miraculous throw himself. Chad challenges Dale and they commence fighting, Chad with a steel pipe and Dale with the chainsaw. Chad attacks repeatedly but Dale counters each time and gradually gains the upper hand, disarming Chad. Instead of killing Chad he throws his chainsaw toward Chad and runs to the back of the room where Allison awaits. Now, to be fair, throwing a chainsaw at someone, even without clear intent to kill, is still likely to maim them considerably and quite possibly kill them. But Dale is just not the kind of person to INTENTIONALLY kill someone. Although most likely his thoughts were with protecting Allison. That’s what we’ll go with.<\/p>\n Allison leads them upstairs, not the smartest decision. It never is in horror movies. Upstairs is NEVER the easiest way to escape. BUT it is where the plot exposition usually is. They lock the door behind them and while Dale is looking for a large, stabby weapon; something about the size of a chainsaw (headdesk) Allison finds an old newspaper, just happens to be lying there. It’s about how the local Sheriff’s office FOUND the Memorial Day Massacre killer, using information provided by the only survivor: Chad’s mom. The killer had raped her…and impregnated her. Chad’s dad wasn’t a murdered college kid, Chad’s dad was THE KILLER. I mean, in movie logic this explains a lot. This was a good plot point, although it’s ruined a bit when they go for the obvious joke:<\/p>\n Chad is dumbstruck. But as Allison tries to explain why his grandmother may have lied, Chad shrugs it off. It doesn’t matter; it’s all a lie anyway, and he’s still going to kill them. And that’s when Dale throws the box (the contents of the box, actually) of chamomile tea at Chad, instantly triggering an anaphylactic reaction in Chad. It triggers his asthma, that is. Dale explains this to Allison. He heard once an ingredient of chamomile tea, Anthemis Nobilus, can cause this reaction in rare individuals who are allergic to it. As he previously stated, he remembers weird stuff. Chad will be fine as long as they get him his inhaler. And that’s when Chad flails out of the room’s window and falls several stories to his death. Oops, I guess.<\/p>\n The next day, at the hospital, Tucker sits in bed watching a news report about a group of mentally unstable college kids and a mad killer. Dale comes in to visit. Tucker says he’s “high on prescription medication,” but good news; they found his fingers.<\/p>\n Although he doesn’t remember that one finger lookin’ like that. Dale says it’s fine. Looks natural. Tucker asks if Dale ever talked to Allison about maybe going out on a date. Dale says he didn’t get around to it. Tucker starts to chastise him, when Dale interrupts and says “until she mentioned she’s a pretty good bowler. So we’re goin’ bowlin’!” Tucker laughs (in pain) and we cut to Dale and Allison enjoying their date. Dale gives his buddy P.J. some advice, very similar advice to what Tucker told Dale at the beginning of the movie. Then Allison comes to sit by Dale. He gives her a gift (a pink helmet so she won’t keep getting knocked out) and starts TRYING to explain that, well; he likes her. But he can’t find the right words. And as he stammers along, she takes his head in her hands and kisses him. Dale is stunned. Allison tells him she feels the same way. Dale is even more stunned.<\/p>\n Then P.J. makes a woman scream, and accidentally knocks her out. Dale and Allison kiss.<\/p>\n The End.<\/p>\n Although I never mentioned that during the short prologue they show the news crew Tucker was watching at the end get attacked by the still-alive Chad.<\/p>\n I mentioned last week that the fundamental conceit of Tucker and Dale vs. Evil<\/em> is that Tucker and Dale are in a different film than the College Kids. The action arises from the needs of the two movies conflicting. The College Kids need hillbilly killers, they choose Tucker and Dale. Tucker and Dale need a love interest for Dale to idolize and Tucker to advise about. They choose Allison. Chad comes along for the ride as the requisite option who functions as a “villain” in that story. Dale points out no one would be harmed if it wasn’t for him; his interest in Allison has driven the murders and assaults. But several College Kids, and Chad’s revealed backstory, make it clear no one would be dead if it wasn’t for him. Unbeknownst to everyone until the therapy session, Chad was making a sequel; a revenge-fantasy were he got revenge on killer hillbillies for his mother. Which was right in front of the twist that made Chad the killer in a horror movie ALL ALONG: he was actually the son of the previous killer and was CONTINUING his father’s work instead of getting revenge for it.<\/p>\n I think you can make an argument that no College Kid other than Chad made a serious attempt at murder.<\/p>\n But that leaves the question: does Chad bear the blame, then? If he was just making a different movie, is it his fault nothing supported his ideas? Yes. The movie made clear, HE made clear throughout, he was being proactive; not compelled. EVERYONE disagreed with him. Does blame fall on them for not stopping him? Yep. And every single one paid for that. Even Allison, who is repeatedly knocked out. She is rewarded in the end, of course; but had to suffer along the way. Tucker, as the wise older mentor, is also punished for his transgressions. If I remember correctly, every single accident had a preceding fault. Except for the fingers, that was Chad exerting control. And he received “his” fingers back at the end of the movie. I think when he’s rescued from the Dream Beam may not fit, but that has it’s own story, so it may not matter.<\/p>\n So who is The Evil? Or, *what* is The Evil? It’s clearly not Tucker and Dale; it’s not the College Kids as a group. You could say it’s Chad, but I think that would be shorthand for the real answer. Which is clearly prejudice. It’s Tucker and Dale vs. how some people look at hillbillies. Or rather, you could just stop at Tucker and Dale vs. Prejudice. With Prejudice easily standing in for any kind of -ism or -phobia or bigotry that afflicts humanity. Beyond the broad applicability, why the movie resonates with so many people is pretty clear: it is a very smart horror comedy (these are usually low-hanging-fruit endeavors) that also functions as a very sweet romantic comedy. The weakest points are the most-obvious jokes.<\/p>\n Nothing about Tucker and Dale vs. Evil<\/em> is “scary”. But there is some amazing FX work and a lot of gore to gross you out. The acting is solid throughout. Alan Tudyk as Tucker and Tyler Labine as Dale obviously carry the movie, but Katrina Bowden as Allison is right there with them. Jesse Moss as Chad is both impressive at times, but is so cartoon-ish in some scenes he’s frequently nothing more than cheesy. But to give him the benefit of the doubt he’s given a really hard task in this movie. It *is* a comedy after all. The rest are well-above what you would expect out of a B-movie, and are better than many higher-budget horror films.<\/p>\n This is a Halloween or Valentine’s Day classic; whichever you’re in the mood for. As much content as I included, I left A LOT out of this write-up. TDvE<\/em> is a DENSE movie with something to see every time you watch it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sorry this is later than I intended. The end of last week and the weekend suddenly changed course. And I had to wait on a repairman for the “range.” I hate that word. But it’s the English word for a “combined” oven and stove; which are two different things. I guess if you go back […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[638],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-61016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-paige-writes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61016","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=61016"}],"version-history":[{"count":31,"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61016\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61049,"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61016\/revisions\/61049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=61016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=61016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shamusyoung.com\/twentysidedtale\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=61016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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