Tusk (2014) Movie Review
Written By: RY
Edited By: Grave Reviews Staff
Film Information
Director: Kevin Smith
Writer: Kevin Smith
Producer: David S. Greathouse, Sam Englebardt, Shannon McIntosh,William D. Johnson
Date Released: September 19, 2014
Cast:
Michael Parks as Howard Howe
Justin Long as Wallace Bryton
Genesis Rodriguez as Ally Leon
Haley Joel Osment as Teddy Craft
Johnny Depp as Guy Lapointe
Rating = 2/5 Graves
***May contain some spoilers***
Synopsis
Wallace Bryton and Teddy Craft are the host of The Not-See Party podcast wherein they talk about, more like, mock viral videos. One interesting viral video required Bryton to go to Canada to interview the guy on the video. Unfortunately, the kid committed suicide so Wallace is forced to find a new story.
Surprisingly, he found someone willing to share interesting stories and can offer him a room. Wallace, thinking he finally hit the jackpot, did not have any hesitations and went to the man’s mansion. But things get a little weird when he passed out and woke up with this left leg amputated.
Gore Factor
Since the movie is all about Howard turning Wallace into a walrus, some scenes contain gore. There was a specific scene when Howard just finished mutilating Wallace and his body is full of blood. There were also blood stains around the room.
Another horrifying scene that would make your body shiver is when Wallace is already wearing the walrus costume made of human skin. Not only that, he also has tusks. The walrus version of Wallace is just so disturbing that you will find yourself covering your eyes in disgust.
Tusk (2014) also tried to give a horror vibe by adding jump scares although these failed. The terrifying background music, although plays most of the time Wallace is in the mansion, does not give a scary vibe too.
The Grave Review
Tusk (2014) is the kind of movie wherein you are not sure if you will feel disgusted, scared, or happy. The movie combines a mixture of comedy and horror. The characters were not charming at all, especially Wallace, the lead character who is a podcaster. This makes it hard for audiences to sympathize with what happened to him. Just when you thought you will feel bad for Allison, Wallace’s girlfriend, having a partner like Wallace, your opinion will change once you find out that she is sleeping with Teddy, Wallace’s bestfriend and co-host in the podcast.
The good thing about the plot, except for the lame and unnecessary jokes, is that it explained why Howard, the retired old man who lured Wallace, is so invested in making humans into walruses. He explained that he was an orphan who was sexually and physically abused for five years. He also mentioned that a walrus, who he calls Mr. Tusk, saves him from a shipwreck. He emphasizes that animals are better than humans.
The film is disturbing, unless you are interested in these kinds of genres like Human Centipede. The human walrus suit looked terrifying, which earned the props team a point. The actor who plays Wallace also did a great job in conveying his feelings even if all you can see is his eyes and hear his screams.
The best part of the film is when it used a montage to show how Wallace looks like after he turned into a walrus. It will certainly give you goosebumps. If you are unlucky, you might even dream about it.
Overall, Tusk is a twisted movie with failed attempts of comedy and horror. There is no character development and no lovable characters. It is one of those films that you wished was done differently.
For the foregoing reasons, Grave Reviews gives Tusk (2014) two graves out of five graves.
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