Tusk

Main Plot

"Tusk" is a horror film directed by Kevin Smith that follows the story of Wallace Bryton, a podcaster who travels to Canada to interview interesting and peculiar people for his show. During his trip, Wallace stumbles upon a strange advertisement from a reclusive old man named Howard Howe, who promises stories of adventure at sea. Intrigued, Wallace visits Howe in his remote mansion, only to find himself drugged and subjected to a horrifying transformation. Howe, obsessed with a walrus he once befriended while lost at sea, intends to recreate his lost companion by surgically altering Wallace into a walrus. As Wallace endures this grotesque transformation, his girlfriend Ally and best friend Teddy, along with an eccentric former detective, embark on a desperate quest to locate and rescue him. The film blends elements of psychological horror and dark comedy, exploring themes of obsession, identity, and human monstrosity.

Characters

• Justin Long plays Wallace Bryton, a podcaster who is transformed into a walrus by a deranged seafarer while investigating a story in Canada.
• Michael Parks plays Howard Howe, a seafarer who lures the protagonist into his home to transform him into a walrus as part of his deranged fantasies.
• Haley Joel Osment plays Teddy Craft, a podcaster who investigates the disappearance of his co-host, leading to a horrifying discovery about a deranged seafarer's experiments.

Ending Explained

In the conclusion of Kevin Smith's horror film "Tusk," the protagonist, Wallace Bryton, undergoes a grotesque transformation into a walrus by the antagonist, Howard Howe. This transformation is both physical and psychological, as Wallace is surgically and mentally manipulated to embody the characteristics of a walrus. The film's climax occurs when Wallace's friends, Ally and Teddy, along with a former detective named Guy LaPointe, discover Wallace in Howe's secluded mansion. In the final confrontation, Howe, dressed in a homemade walrus suit, engages in a brutal fight with Wallace, who has been conditioned to act as a walrus. Wallace, driven by primal instincts, ultimately kills Howe using his tusks, signifying his complete transformation and loss of humanity. The film ends with a scene showing Wallace, still in his walrus form, living in a wildlife sanctuary. Ally and Teddy visit him, feeding him a mackerel, and Ally tearfully apologizes for her earlier infidelities. Wallace, now fully a walrus in mind and body, sheds a single tear, suggesting a remnant of his human emotions and memories still linger despite his monstrous form. This ending underscores the themes of identity, transformation, and the consequences of playing god.