Straight Up Reviews: Tusk

 

With April Fools only a day away I thought I'd do a review that's in the Dark Comedy side. And what better way to do so, than to talk about one of what I believe to be the best horror comedies in the 2010s.  A movie  loved by some, but hated by all.  A movie that has the average moviegoer say "I cannot fucking believe Silent Bob made this."  This is Tusk.

Tusk, was written and directed by Kevin Smith. Whom you may know as the famous funny stoner Silent Bob.  A man of a few words, but when he speaks, it's often elegant and wise. Paired with the ever talking Jay, played by Jason Mewes.  The movie itself started out as a joke idea, by Smith and his longtime producer friend Scott Mosier discussed in their podcast known as Smodcast. They were discussing an article of an ad on Gumtree.  The ad specifically stated that it offered a lodging free of charge in exchange for the occupant to dress up as a Walrus.  Smith stated that it would be a very stupid idea to make a movie out of that.  So naturally he and his crew made it.  This was around 3 years after he worked on his first horror film Red State. Which I have yet to watch, but after watching this I may consider it.  The movie itself was as it's core was meant to be a parody of the then popular Sadist Horror genre. Movies like Hostel, Saw and of course the granddaddy of all WTF: Human Centipede.  Now I'll go on record and say I fucking hate Human Centipede. It's not just disturbing, but downright disgusting. So disgusting that I refuse to watch any of the movies. Let alone give it any attention by reviewing it, even in the negative. However if there was a silver lining about that movie's existence, is that the parodies made in it's wake were extremely hilarious, my personal favourite being Human Cent-Ipad on South Park.  However while it does parody this genre as a whole I find that it also serves as an affectionate send up to many horrors, going way back to the Universal Monster movies of the 1930s.  

The movie itself stars Justin Long who is no stranger to horror, since he debut in that Genre through Jeeper's Creepers. Which I will not review or talk about either for other reasons.  While I've seen the first two movies and I must admit I've enjoyed them, I refuse to give the movies further support due to the accusations of their creator Victor Salva. To make it short, since one of his early movies Clownhouse, he's been accused of molesting a young actor. I had no idea about all this until I looked it up years after watching Jeeper's Creepers. I don't believe in separating art from the artist. Which is sad, because before the accusations flew one of my favourite movies, created by him was Powder. 

Moving on.

Long plays a Podcaster named Wallace Bryton. A host of a Podcast channel known as the Not See Party. A satirical play on the words Nazi Party, which even if it was nothing but that, was I admit a brave choice considering this was during 2014 when Cancel Culture was on the rise, so a show like his based on the title alone would never fly to this day.  The show itself is a trashy program in which he looks at obscure videos and stories and makes fun of them for his audience to hear. He hosts the show with Teddy Craft played by Haley Joel Osment. If you do not know that name by now, then you officially live under a rock.  Their recent episode featured a kid who accidentally cut off his leg with a Katana during a video demonstration. Said kid hailed from Manitoba Canada.  So naturally the all American Wallace, would break out the Canadian jokes.  He flies to Manitoba to personally interview the kid, presumably to mock him at every turn only to find that the kid had committed Seppuku. Killing himself with the same sword.  Frustrated that he was robbed of an interview, Wallace discovers an add posted on a bulletin board, offering free lodging. The person offering, Howard Howe, played by the late Michael Parks. A wheelchair bound man, who simply wishes any who take, to do basic chores and listen to his many stories.  Seeing a goldmine, Wallace goes to the house. After being offered some tea, Wallace listens to Howards stories. The ones that intrigue him being his meeting with famed author Ernest Hemmingway as well as an affectionate story of a Walrus who saved his life when he was lost at sea. Unfortunately the story was cut short when Wallace collapses. The tea being drugged.  Upon waking up, he discovers his leg's been amputated with Howard claiming that it was due to a Spider Bite.  However later on, Wallace discovers that not only did Howard lie, not only was he faking his disability, but he intends to turn Wallace into a human Walrus, using surgery and a skin suit, that makes Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb's look like a casual jogging suit. Upon reaching a phone, he was able to call Teddy for help. Whom at the time was having sex with his girlfriend, Ally Leon, played by Genesis Rodriguez, in revenge for Wallace cheating on her.   Upon discovering the messages, Teddy and Ally flee to Canada to search for him.  Meeting Guy Lapointe, played by Johnny Depp.  A former Quebec Inspector who has been searching for Howe for a long time. His stake in this is regret for not catching Howe while he was right under his nose. While they search for him, Howard tries to teach Wallace how to be a Walrus, much to the latter's disgust and later annoyance. Making him swim and eat nothing but mackerel.  Howard later reveals his reason for making such a drastic measure was due to his own regret.  When starvation hit, he was forced to kill and eat his Walrus friend, mere moments before a rescue party finds him. He reveals his endgame to Wallace.  Donning a suit of his own, Howard challenges Wallace to a fight to the death. Hoping to die and be free of his self proclaimed sin against his dead friend. As well as trying to strip away what's left of Wallace's humanity. Wallace, not missing an opportunity, kills Howard just as Guy, Teddy and Ally come in. Initially Guy was gonna kill him to put him out of his misery, but at the pleading of Ally, Wallace is placed in an exotic Animal Sancutary. Where Ally and Teddy come by to feed him fish. It would seem that Howard won and Wallace is now more animal than human.  However after invoking a memory about how crying separates humans from the animals, Wallace sheds a tear. Ending the movie.

Where to begin.  First off, the movie itself does deliver what it promises, a parody of the Sadist Horror genre and part of the comedy, is how serious the movie takes itself in the horror scenes, while visually showing how over the top they are, through deadpan acting.  Drawing inspiration from comedy legends such as Zucker Abrans Zucker or ZAZ.  After watching it first hand, I can honestly say, I don't see why some dislike the movie.  Don't get me wrong, I understand their reasons. They think that some scenes drag on while purposefully giving the monster as little screentime as they could. Their biggest complaint surprisingly being from an unlikely source. Johnny Depp.  Now I've seen Johnny Depp do some shit movies, with his performance usually being the saving grace. So I could understand why they'd consider him a low point here, but at the same time I never saw that.  

The way I see it, on top of doing a straightforward story even in the dark comedy aspect, each part of it, seems to affectionately lampoon many horror cliches.  From meeting a stranger in the middle of nowhere, to a monster that could fit very well with monsters like The Wolf Man and The Creature from The Black Lagoon.  Even Depp's performance as Guy, plays a pivotal part in that.  In his case, he ticks off many cliches. The first being the police being useless.  A lot of serious horror movies have played with that one, but this is one of the few that didn't seem intentional. And as an extension of that, the killer slipping through the cop's fingers.  As shown when Guy, met Howard in the past, not knowing he was the killer, until it was too late for the person he was looking for. As well as doubling as the monster hunter cliche. For those that don't know what I'm talking about, since the dawn of movie monsters there is often one individual, usually an old man. Who has been implied to have been enemies with the titular killer or monster before meeting people associated with the recent victims and as a result of said monster's atrocities, the hunter sees them as the ultimate hunt and treats every slip away like a victory on the monster's part.  Which Guy is not exception. However, his meeting of the monster while treated as such, is hilariously exaggerated. No confrontation, no threats with exotic weapons, just two American actors, playing Canadian Caricatures, in a somewhat polite if not crude conversation and seeing who can out Canadian the other. I am one of the few that actually sees Guy's moments as essential as the rest of the movie and I think without that balance, the movie would have fared a lot worse.

The movie itself later became the first of a horror trilogy created by Smith, called the True North Trilogy.  With Depp and a few other cast members reprising their roles including Smith's Daughter Harley Quinn Smith and Depp's daughter Lily-Rose Depp.   Their second movie called Yoga Hosers, which I have yet to see, with the third movie on the way called Moose Jaws. Which is basically Jaws with a Moose in place of a shark.  

All and all the movie does have a good place in horror and comedy.  I believe it should be given more praise than it  has. Take care. Stay Safe and watch out for old Canadians in Wheelchairs offering Tea.