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Publication: The Depaulia, DePaul University, Chicago IL.
Let's just get this out of the way: "Tusk" is a horror movie about a man who is kidnapped by a serial killer and surgically turned into a walrus. There's really no way around it, there's no other way to start this review. If you're not a fan of horror movies, gore, or are at least the slightest bit intrigued by the concept, no amount of accolades I give this film will make this film enjoyable to you. This isn't a "Silence of The Lambs"-like situation where I'd ask you to look past the gore and horror to see the golden film behind it, you are either team walrus, on board with the concept, or you're not, and that's OK.
With that out of the way, "Tusk" is the latest film from Kevin Smith ("Clerks," "Jay and Silent Bob"), his most recent film since 2011's superbly underrated "Red State." This also marks Smith's second foray into horror - the first also being "Red State" - and this finds itself more squarely in the horror genre. The backstory to this film's creation is traced back to an episode of Smith's podcast, in which he was sent a Craigslist ad advertising "free room and board" with the catch being the person had to wear a walrus costume at all times. Smith and podcast partner Scott Mosier twisted the idea to a horror movie - "what if instead of a walrus costume, he was turned into a walrus against his will?" - plotting out various parts of the movie over the course of the discussion. The end of the podcast resulted in Smith and Mosier...