Horror films are some of the hardest to judge. The genre is rooted in attempting to shock, scare and terrify the audience, gimmicks that would be frowned upon if found in a comedy or drama.
So when a new horror movie comes along that attempts just that, I think you have to keep in mind that this is what the genre is about, otherwise you could miss out on a lot of fun. You have to be open-minded when watching a movie like “Tusk”.
It’s wonderfully absurd, filled with sharp dialogue and features one of the craziest plots to reach theaters in quite some time.
“Tusk” follows Wallace Bryton, a successful podcaster, who takes a trip to Canada in order to conduct an interview for his show. When he gets there, however, his interview falls though, and rather than let the trip be a waste, he decides to answer an ad from a man promising wild tales of adventure. Needless to say, things take a turn for the worse.
What ends up happening is one of the craziest horror premises in recent years, but where the film succeeds compared to a movie like “The Human Centipede” or “A Serbian Film” is that “Tusk” never takes itself too seriously. You can tell Kevin Smith, the film’s writer and director, intended the movie to be somewhat of a joke. That’s what makes “Tusk” so wonderful, though. The audience gets to laugh along with Smith, rather than at, just, the film.
Given how ridiculous the movie’s premise is, it’s surprising how well done it is. It features superb acting, funny and clever dialogue along with some well done special effects. I don’t want to spoil anything, but Johnny Depp plays one of the best characters in the film, and the quality of his performance is one of the best reasons to see it.
If you don’t go into “Tusk” prepared for anything, you probably won’t enjoy it. The film isn’t meant to be too serious, but it has a certain charm that left me happy to have sat through it. This is the first must see of the Halloween season, and I can’t recommend it enough.
