Ugh. Tusk.

Okay, let me say this at the top. I’m sorry for reminding you that the movie, Tusk, exists. And if you skip this one, I definitely understand.

Have you ever watched a movie that horrified you but also forced you to admire it? It happens to me regularly. I love weird movies. I love hating a movie, because it’s gross or something about it doesn’t sit well with me, but loving it because it’s a real work of art despite my disgust or dislike for it. 

A film professor of mine once said, “The only movies people don’t like are the ones they don’t understand." I used to dislike Walk Hard, but after studying it in that film class, I LOVE Walk Hard. It’s one of my favorite movies now. 

Ever since then, I’ve done my best to study films and dissect and figure out why I didn’t like it or, hell, why I DID like it, because it feels like it should be a movie I don’t like. 

Recently, Matt and I tried to watch Yoga Hosers, except five minutes in, we realized it was a spin-off from Tusk. So, we decided let’s finally take that plunge and try Tusk first. 

I hated it. It was so horrifying. I will likely never watch it again. 

But I freaking loved it. I cannot help but admire it. 

The practical effects that were clearly used for what happens to Justin Long’s character are beyond disgusting. But the haunted house worker in me knows they did a fantastic job at making that…THING work. And Justin Long. Good god. 

He doesn’t get enough recognition in general, but to take this role? To subject yourself to…THIS role? I don’t know. He deserves so much more credit than I feel he gets. To be Zerk Wilder in The Sasquatch Gang and then turn around and play Wallace in Tusk? The guy has range. And he also has a podcast that I’ve been meaning to check out. I should do that soon. 

And that this movie came from KEVIN SMITH? Like Kevin Smith of Clerks, of Jay and Silent Bob, of Dogma, THAT Kevin Smith. What in the world happened? Like how was this in his mind? I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. But…I was.

(Side note: I found out why how this idea came to him. It was Craigslist related, honestly, that tracks.)

The movie is great. Would I recommend it? No. Absolutely not. I would beg you to not watch it until you’re certain you WANT to watch it. 

A24 makes some really messed up movies. They’re beautiful and artistic as hell, but each one has scarred me in a very specific way that no other film company has ever achieved. 

With the exception of The Ring, but that’s different.

So, here I am, disgusted and horrified by this movie: Tusk, and yet completely enthralled by how good it was. 

I love art. And this was definitely art. 

Massive shout out to the departments responsible for the visual horrors that happened on that screen. I don’t know if it’s the FX team or the costume department, or both, but wow, everyone’s done a great job with it. 

I think my big issue with the movie, the thing that haunts me the most, is the ending. 

But the whole movie is haunting.

SPOILER ALERT. DO NOT READ THIS SECTION IF YOU INTEND TO WATCH THE MOVIE. 

WHY did they choose the ending they did? How was that the humane decision? How they leave things…it felt like what happened to Wallace (Justin Long’s character) was done for the wrong reasons, but I don’t know if it was for selfish reasons or for some kind of sick punishment for bad decisions previously made…I don’t know. His friends were not the best people, but they were also not the worst people. They took his pleas for help seriously, spent a majority of the movie searching for him, and covering for him when someone asked if he may have been having some kind of love affair gone wrong. I feel like they did it out of selfish reasons like not wanting him to be dead, but maybe death would have been better. I know if it had been me in that position, I would have begged for death, been angry when they didn’t let me have it…I don’t know. It was just…insane. Haunting and insane. 

OKAY DONE WITH SPOILERS. AND THE POST. 

See you next time, and thanks for reading, even if you regret this one a little bit. 

Also, I’m sorry for talking about this horrific movie.