Tusk

Tusk is a 2014 American independent black comedy body horror film written and directed by Kevin Smith.

Tusk is a 2014 American independent black comedy body horror film written and directed by Kevin Smith. It stars Michael Parks, Justin Long, Haley Joel Osment, and Genesis Rodriguez, and is based on a story from Smith’s SModcast podcast. The film centers on a podcaster who travels to Canada for an interview and becomes the target of a disturbing transformation scheme.

Plot

The film follows Wallace Bryton, a U.S. podcaster who goes to Canada for an interview and ends up meeting Howard Howe, a mysterious recluse. The encounter turns into a violent body-horror story centered on Howe’s attempt to transform Wallace into a walrus.

Production

Tusk originated from a discussion on Kevin Smith’s SModcast podcast, where Smith and Scott Mosier developed the premise from a strange classified advertisement. Smith later turned the idea into a feature film.

Release

The film premiered in 2014 and received a theatrical release in the United States on September 19, 2014. Sources also identify it as a festival-era independent release from that year.

Reception

Tusk is generally categorized as a horror-comedy or body-horror film. Coverage and platform listings describe it as an unusual, disturbing, and offbeat entry in Kevin Smith’s filmography.