Brow Beat

Tusk Looks Like Kevin Smith’s Most Original Work in Years

Justin Long and Michael Parks star in Tusk.

Still from YouTube

Kevin Smith—with his cultish fanbase and hit-or-miss work—is a divisive figure, but from the trailer his latest film looks too intriguingly weird to miss. Tusk stars Justin Long as Wallace Bryton, a podcaster who specializes in finding unusual or adventurous stories. His latest subject is Mr. Howe, an old seafarer who lives in a creepy Canadian mansion and tells our hero of his nautical exploits. Also: He wants to turn Wallace into a walrus.

Things get weird from there. The plot was originally conceived on Smith’s podcast, and seems to be something like “I Am the Walrus” meets Saw meets Clerks. The horror-comedy combination is tough to pull off, but it works in the trailer, and if anything this looks like Smith’s most original work in years. Tusk is out in September.