It is a question older than the Sphinx, the question that has remained unanswered since humanity first crawled out of the mud: “Is man indeed a walrus at heart?”
Tusk, by Kevin Smith, is a… how should I say it? Rather unique film. It is creative, horrifying, hilarious, haunting and destined to become an instant cult classic. After attending the Palace Nova’s late night preview, I can honestly say that I have not enjoyed a “horror” movie so much in a long time.
As both homage to and parody of The Human Centipede, Tusk is a horrific transformative tale of human becoming monster. Wallace (Justin Long) is on the hunt for interesting stories for his podcast show when he enters the home of paraplegic recluse Howard Howe (Michael Parks). Hoping to find the story of a lifetime, he is instead kidnapped and operated on. In a bizarre, fairly disgusting sequence, Howard Howe turns Wallace into the creature that he sees as prime over all others, the majestic walrus.
While the walrus transformation is vomit-inducing, I’m surprised at how little gore and horror is actually in the movie. The whole film revolves around Wallace’s kidnapping, but features quite a lot of dialogue and drama compared of something like The Human Centipede. It’s not really any weaker for this though, as I’m also surprised at the quality of acting in the film.
Genesis Rodriguez, who plays Wallace’s girlfriend, Ally, is a very convincing actress and Michael Parks is absolutely amazing in his role. There’s something odd about his performance, as if he is really coming from a place of madness. Perhaps the weakest actor in the film was Justin Long, but you don’t really need to be spectacular when, for half the film, you are a walrus.
Tusk is also strangely philosophic in its own, crazy way. There are some really poetic lines hidden in the dialogue, and some interesting points about the nature of humanity (and walrusdom). I mean, don’t take it seriously, but I commend Smith for his writing ability. He achieves a perfect balance between horror and comedy, and throws some oddly beautiful lines in there for good measure.
Tusk has pretty decent production values, at least for a movie of its kind. The sets are great (especially Howard’s creepy mansion), and a lot of thought seemed to have gone into props and costumes. The walrus suit itself, the star of the film, is disgustingly well made. It is ridiculous and horrifying at the same time, and looks like something straight out of The Mighty Boosh, if The Mighty Boosh came from Hell rather than England. The moment it was finally revealed, everyone in the cinema either gasped or burst out laughing, which was a pretty appropriate response. It’s pretty obvious that this film was a labour of love for Smith.
Tusk will have you laughing at one minute, squirming at another and then questioning why you love it so much at the end.
Reviewed by James Rudd
Rating out of 10: 7
Tusk opens in cinemas on 9 October 2014.
More News
