You’re Next, 2011.
Directed by Adam Wingard
Starring Sharni Vinson, Nicholas Tucci, AJ Bowen, Joe Swanberg, Wendy Glenn, Rob Moran, Barbara Crampton, Sarah Myers, Amy Seimetz, and Ti West.
SYNOPSIS:
A dysfunctional family meet at an isolated house to celebrate the parent’s anniversary but the gathering is interrupted by attackers wearing animal masks.
After my attention was initially caught by the trailer I decided to watch You’re Next to see if it lived up to the potential shown. I’m glad to say that it surpassed my expectations. I don’t usually like this type of film because I find them predictable and completely devoid of tension. While You’re Next doesn’t necessarily defy genre conventions it does play with clichés, which breathes life into it and makes it stand out from most other home invasion films.
You’re Next begins slowly and I thought I was in for the worst, but as soon as AJ Bowen and Sharni Vinson appear the movie comes to life. They were the two outstanding actors (although I do have praise for Joe Swanberg as the belligerent older brother). Sharni Vinson in particular gives a compelling performance, and her gritty determination made me think of Ripley in Alien. With a lot of home invasion films I find it hard to root for the characters because they’re just so stupid, but here any characters that make imbecilic choices are punished swiftly and brutally, and it’s glorious.
The film does use some tried and tested methods to provoke scares, but they’re well-timed and for the most part they work. It’s bathed in blood but the gore and violence don’t feel overwhelming and at no point does the movie drift into torture porn territory. A lot of the tension comes from the interaction between the characters, and I really enjoyed the bickering between the brothers. However, a lot of the tension was defused by humourous moments so be warned that this isn’t a straightforward horror; it’s incredibly self-aware without breaking the fourth wall. A lot of times with these types of movie I find the motives of the killers baffling, but here they’re natural and work organically with the story and while the ending is telegraphed it’s more of a grim inevitability rather than bland and predictable.
You’re Next is a vibrant, fresh take on a genre that’s usually tired and unoriginal. It doesn’t escape all the trappings and I’m not sure it has enough about it to be a landmark film but it has scares and laughs in abundance and it’s certainly one of the best home invasion films out there.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert D. Spake – Find me on Facebook and Amazon.
Originally published August 31, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
