Tusk
Summary
With disturbing body horror , goofy humor , and a walrus man , it seems strange that there ’s even a word about whetherTuskis based on a true story . Indeed , Kevin Smith ’s horror comedy claims to be inspired by veridical events , and that is technically true . The literal news report ofTuskisn’t as bombastic and agonizing as the movie — nobody was ever turned into a walrus in real life . However , asTuskproudly repoint out , the skin - crawling premise of a human being surgically reconstructed into a intercrossed world - walrus creature for the delectation of an eccentric serial grampus is n’t entirely fictional .
While horror picture show often have high-pitched consistency count , some fans on Reddit have highlighted character who face destiny even sorry than death .
Howard’s Ad In Tusk Was Based On A Real-Life Ad (Sort Of)
The True Story Of Tusk Didn’t Include A Serial Killer
For an interview with a teenager who erroneously cut off his own leg , Wallace has to go to the outskirts of Manitoba , Canada . After he discover that the serviceman has died by suicide , presumptively because of the ridicule , he find a circular posted by an elderly man who seems like he would be pure for the podcast .
Unlike Parkinson ’s original human walrus ad , however , the bill inTuskdoes not mention the seahorse , and it is not a joke . Instead , it is a come-on posted by serial orca Howard Howe ( Michael Parks ) , a draw back boater obsessed with finding redemption for killing and eat a walrus that he claims once save his life . He surgically transforms his victims into a human walrus , which he names Mr. Tusk so that he can re - enact their clip together .
This thankfully bears no resemblance to the real - life Parkinson and the ad he mail , but was an implausibly acceptable result to the question , " What if someone post this and it was n’t a joke " — as evidenced by the cult viral fameTuskhas find since its firing .
Johnny Depp ’s appearance in Kevin Smith ’s Tusk takes hearing by surprise because his operation is uncredited , and here ’s the reasonableness why .
How Did The Fake Ad Become Kevin Smith’s Tusk?
Kevin Smith Thought The Real Tusk Ad Was Genuine At First
Considering the major differences between Parkinson ’s fake ad and the film , it may be difficult to reckon how the former enliven the latter . gratefully , director Kevin Smithhas been open about his process when creatingTuskfrom the " true story . " It ’s obvious thatTuskreplaces the old man with a sequential killer whale and the walrus costume with a grotesque surgical transformation into a human sea horse . However , when it comes to the independent persona of the pic , they are based on the film ’s managing director , Kevin Smith , and his friend Scott Mosier ( Clerks ) .
In one episode of Smith ’s SModcast podcast , they read the bastard advertizing aloud and laugh about it , think it ’s material . This was the start of the procedure that would eventually lead to Smith creatingTusk , which is why the movie focuses on Wallace and Teddy . However , inTuskthe podcasters are well crueler than Smith and Mosier , and Wallace ’s transformation into a human sea horse can be represent as a karmic consequence of this inhuman treatment . His transformation is also the solvent of the serial killer ’s limited human relationship with the seahorse , similar to the special family relationship feature in Parkinson ’s simulated ad .
WhileTuskcan only ridiculously be deliberate to be base on factual event , Smith ’s movie was undeniably inspired by the advertizement . The pic embellishes the story , combines it with elements taken from Smith ’s own lifetime , and applies a Graeco-Roman horror premiseto it : a opprobrious gentleman in lookup of something does n’t discover what he ’s looking for but gets precisely what he deserve .
Custom Image by Colin McCormick
Tuskdeploys a comment on voyeurism , a culture of schadenfreude , and the peril of both . Wallace ridiculed unfortunate the great unwashed for a living and put them on display . The price he bear for that cruelty was to become one of them by the film ’s conclusion .
The Man Behind The Ad That Inspired Tusk Has A Fascinating Story
Screen Rantcaught up with UK poet Chris Parkinson , the author of " Landlord search Lodger For Walrus Cosplay " — the on-line accommodation list credited withTusk ’s entire being . The project escalated very quickly , and Parkinson was present on - Seth during the yield ofSmith ’s horror curio . grant to Parkinson , the escalation of the bizarre but unassuming Emily Price Post top to " the strangest year and a half of his life " :
" I got whisked out to North Carolina for filming . I spent a calendar week wandering around a derelict state club , learn Michael Parks muttering melody from my advert in a gloriously sinister way , and coming face to face with some very alarming life - sizing walrus suits . A year after , I was out in LA watching the premiere , although I do n’t think anyone have it off who the hell I was when I walk down the blood-red carpet . "
Many authors , includingStephen King , hated some flick adaptationsof their work . But Parkinson glows aboutTuskas a piece of film .
When Wallace Bryton interviews an eccentric old sailor, Howard Howe, for his podcast, the old man tells him of a walrus named “Mr. Tusk” who once saved his life. Unfortunately, the story doesn’t end there, as Howard’s obsession with Mr. Tusk means he has some disturbing plans for Wallace.
" I loved it . I believe it ’s absolutely uproarious . But it horrified other people . It ’s certainly a bit more dark than my original advert , but I think thatworks in its favor . It claim the premise coif up in the post and it evolves it to its logical and terrible end . And the ending is credibly the most grievous minute in the entire history of cinema . Perhaps man truly is a walrus at affection . "
Parkinson met Smith a handful of sentence and maintain that the fabled director was"kind , welcoming and absolutely hilarious . "
" Kevin did n’t know that it was some guy writing a ludicrous advertizement on Gumtree – he thought that hoi polloi were stress to introduce him to a veridical guy with a spare room and a homemade walrus costume . Which , give how things turn out in the film , might not be the sort of person you ’d really need to meet in existent life . "
As far as the original post pass , over 400 people replied , which , allot to Parkinson,“says a lot about the housing spot in most major metropolis . " But would he have replied having falter across the ad himself?“I would like to say no , but I ’m always up for a challenge . “Tuskreceived a disappointingly meager theatrical release in the UK , but Chris Parkinson andKevin Smith contributed something singular to the horror genre . In hindsight , Tuskwas a rarity that warrant a revisit .
With Clerks III now in circulation , it ’s fourth dimension to look back at the daring film of Kevin Smith ’s oddball career , rank from bad to best .
Why Kevin Smith Adapted The Real Walrus Man Advert Into Tusk
The Director Saw The Potential Of The Weird Tusk True Story
Tuskhas been cordially receive by audience who bask body horror , weird movies , or are simply fan of cult celluloid icon Kevin Smith . However , many have wondered why Smith madeTuskin the first spot . The premise is uncomparably bizarre , and while it ’s sluttish to revalue thisas a watcher watchingTusk , it set up questions about how the flick made it through the gate .
Kevin Smith has been undetermined in interviews about the difficulties he faced gettingTuskmade , and many of them stanch from just how pathetic the game seemed on newspaper , even with the viralTusktrue story cited by the director for justification . Speaking toAskMen , Kevin Smith bring out thatactor Justin Longin fussy was hard to bring aboard .
" I hit him [ Justin Long ] up with a script , and his agent was like , do n’t do this . He was like , “ Dude , my factor told me , ' You ’re already the Apple cat , do n’t be the seahorse guy as well . ' ” He said he was frightened of it , but he f***ing loved it . "
answer it to say , Long ’s federal agent eventually overcame their concern , and the movie is now deliberate one of the highlight performances of the histrion ’s career . As for why theTusktrue story stood out to Smith enough to make it into a movie after laugh about it in a podcast , much of it had to do with the opportunity it presented . TheTuskdirector was open about how his beloved of horror movies inform the film , both in term of his conclusion to make it and the tone of the finished mathematical product . Smith call back that in his puerility :
" I wanted to watch fing John Landis tear sht up with American Werewolf . And that ’s the spirit animal of this fing picture show . Because the tone of that movie informed Tusk . I was 10 , 11 years old when I saw that . That flick is incredibly fing gory , fabulously chilling , and fng trippy as well , but periodically , Landis injected bountiful doses of humor . I call back the bill was like , “ From the director of Animal House comes a young kind of animal . ” And it was a unexampled kind of creature . It was a f**ing scary movie that was also fishy . "
Smith ’s making love for the gory visceral element of revulsion movies shows inTusk’sexecution too . The live walrus suit Wallace gets fused with was n’t part of the ad in theTusktrue story , and was trump up by Smith . It ’s understandably been a talking point sinceTusk ’s release , and the theatre director took cracking length to assure it was front - and - center when it come to what interrupt audiences saw on screen :
" Once we start prove him , we ’re like , “ Look at it ! ” Because that ’s what you devote to see . At the closing of the day , it ’s sideshow material . The only reason you came into that f***ing glowering room is because you ’re like , “ I heard they made the guy rope a sea horse . ”
Tusk 2 Is Coming
Kevin Smith’s Bizarre Walrus Movie Is Getting A Sequel
Break out the human walrus costume , becauseTuskis bring a subsequence . In the podcast Fatman Beyond ( viaGeek Tyrant)Kevin Smith himself reported thatTusk 2is on the agency , and there ’s a reason he leave the human sea horse at the zoo inTusk ’s ending . The writer / film director / actor even gave up some of the sequel ’s premise , which will be calledTusks , so audiences can know what to gestate .
first off , Justin Long will be returning to reprise his part , and at some point , he will be rehabilitated out of the human seahorse . However , his shift still adhere with him — and he wants to inflict the pain in the neck he experienced on others now . presumptively , Long ’s Wallace will be surgically turning people into half - human - animal hybrids inTusk , and it ’ll be intriguing to see Long in a villain function . Smith planned to bring theTusksequel to the magnanimous screen door in 2024 , on the tenth day of remembrance of the original film , but that now clearly wo n’t be the caseful .
Other Movies You Wouldn’t Believe Are Inspired By True Stories
Cocaine Bear, Hit Man, And 300 All Tell Unbelievable Stories With Some Basis In Fact
When it comes to movie that claim to be based on true tale , it can always be assumed that some of the fact are going to be embellished . However , there are examples of flick that are so outrageous with their premise that it can be hard to believe any of them have fundament in realness . There are a twosome of movies that have take after a similar approach asTuskin lease the headline of an intriguing story and expanding that into its own original account .
Such was the fount withCocaine Bear , a wild repulsion - comedy about a bear that ingests a lost computer software of cocaine and run on a mortal drug - fire rampage . The movie isbased on a dependable incident during the eighties where drugs were dumped out of a drug moon-curser ’s plane and one of the software system was consumed by a bear . However , no one was really killed , and the bear simply died as a final result .
The recent crime movieHit Manis also based on a honest storyof a balmy - mannered teacher who moonlighted for the police as a bogus hitman to hunt down sting surgery for execution - for - hire clients . While the movie follows a similar idea , it also wholly invents the intense and aphrodisiac crime saga that unfolds . The movie ’s epilog even excuse that the existent topic of the film is a nice man who did not do any of the illegal thing depicted in the movie .
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Cast
When Wallace Bryton interviews an eccentric onetime skimmer , Howard Howe , for his podcast , the previous man tells him of a walrus describe " Mr. Tusk " who once bring through his life history . Unfortunately , the story does n’t terminate there , as Howard ’s fixation with Mr. Tusk mean he has some perturbing plans for Wallace .
