There are certain signs of that rare buzzworthy February film. The small budget (less than $5 million!), the boywonder writer-director (first feature film!), the cheap crew (unionized Canadians!), and the genius genre (horror-comedy...?).

No, I'm not talking about an Oscar shocker, but the elusive Sundance sleeper.

"Tucker & Dale vs Evil" may not be worthy of any golden statues, but it deserves some acclaim this month.  And coming off a strong showing in Park City and rave reviews from Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, the film will likely continue to be buzzed about when picked up for wider distribution.

Writer-director Eli Craig's film is at once familiar, yet feels new: a satire of every "backwoods cabin" slasher flick you've ever seen, but with a fresh sense of humor.  The precision with which Craig simultaneously tackles two genres, horror and comedy, will have you covering your eyes one minute and crying with laughter the next.

As much credit should be given to Craig's cast, anchored by the two actors that play Tucker (Alan Tudyk) and Dale (Tyler Labine).  Portraying two warmhearted yet misunderstood hillbillies; they inadvertently take on a group of preppy, gullible college kids who believe them to be psychotic killers. Labine does particularly well as the overweight, bumbling tragic hero with a secret intellect and a desire for love (think Zack Galifianakis with accidental seduction skills).

They aren't household names yet, but Tudyk (Death at a Funeral, "Firefly") has a strong following amongst the Comic-Con set and Labine ("Reaper") is set to star in "Sons of Tucson," a new FOX sitcom set to debut in March. Katrina Bowden ("30 Rock") is cute as Allison, Dale's blonde love interest, and has starlet potential; her career should benefit from choosing this indie.

Craig said that when casting the actors, he realized they were "not the only ones auditioning for this job;" he had a lot to prove as a first-time director. Though he previously received critical acclaim for "The Tao of Pong," a short he produced while an MFA student at USC, "Tucker and Dale" is his first feature film.

A franchise-worthy nickname ("Tucker and Dale")--just another sign that Craig and his hillbillies will be the talk of the town for a while.

"Tucker & Dale vs Evil" is not currently in theaters, but you can check out the trailer here: