Review by Michael Haffner
It seems each year we’re treated to another standard home invasion film, rife with your standard horror clichés: a romantic couple is isolated in the woods; intruders attempt to enter the home; screaming ensues. One could even say the slasher films of the 80’s like FRIDAY THE 13TH is an extension of this idea, but often with those films you end up rooting for the killer Jason more than you do the mindless teenagers. This sub-genre hasn’t worn out its welcome yet like some have said about the current fad in “zombies.”
Yet, it should be noted that this is the second film this year – after the political home invasion THE PURGE – to attempt to bring something new to the fold. YOU’RE NEXT, much like last year’s equally entertaining CABIN IN THE WOODS, is a horror film that knows exactly what it’s doing and plays with audience’s expectations and knowledge of the horror genre. But what director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett have achieved with YOU’RE NEXT is that they have combined that self-aware, “punk-rock” attitude of CABIN IN THE WOODS but added a hell of a lot more scares. Why it took Lionsgate so long to release both films is beyond me – both films sat on the shelf for over two years after each were made and purchased by the company – but at least we can all rejoice in the fact that the best horror film of the year is finally here.
The film opens with the writer and director’s first wink at the audience. A random couple is seen just after having sex (Never have sex in a horror movie!) and without even knowing their names they are quickly dispatched by a trio of intruders wearing animal masks. We then flash-forward and meet a quirky but seemingly normal family as they retreat to their summer home for the parent’s wedding anniversary. Crispian (AJ Bowen) is anxious and a little nervous to introduce his new girlfriend Erin (Sharni Vinson) to his family. It isn’t until a random attack during dinner by the same animal masked intruders that Erin surprises the family the most when her instincts and survival skills come out.
Sharni Vinson (STEP UP 3D) is a revelation as the waifish and innocent appearing girl turned warrior woman. Wingard has assembled an eclectic cast of horror vets (Barbara Crampton from RE-ANIMATOR, AJ Bowen A HORRIBLE WAY TO DIE) and indie directors (Joes Swanberg from this year’s DRINKING BUDDIES and Ti West from HOUSE OF THE DEVIL) to round out the family unit, which brings a surprising amount of humor and heart to the scenes prior to the dinner attack. But this is no doubt Vinson’s film, and she handles the task as well as she is ready to dispatch the intruders. One of the refreshing elements about YOU’RE NEXT is the film’s attempt to redefine what it means to be the “final girl.” Erin never just runs upstairs and hides. She’s a force to be reckoned with and her interactions with the family as they try to survive seem natural and believable. When one member suggests they go downstairs and hide in the basement, she replies with “they would just pour gasoline down the steps and light a match.” Both the writer and director have slowly emerged as figures in the indie horror scene. YOU’RE NEXT could have easily gone the way of being another gory and mean-spirited stab at the sub-genre. Thankfully, we are giving something a little more fun and intelligent that isn’t concerned with taking out each of our heroes in “creative” ways.
Between the animal masks and the idea of the seemingly normal female character fighting back against her intruders, the film does remind me of a little known 1985 Aussie film FORTRESS. But again, what sets this apart from that film and many films in this home invasion genre is the amount of humor and overall sense of fun that is injected into the film. For once we are given a character in a horror film that is already three steps ahead of the audience. During the press screening I attended, the audience was cheering out loud after she dispatched each intruder. When was the last time you found yourself rooting for the victim and not Jason Vorhees, Freddy Krueger, and Michael Meyers? This may seem like a bizarre concept after the horror genre just ended the “torture-porn” days of seeing innocent victims being mutilated in the SAW and HOSTEL films. YOU’RE NEXT is a refreshing take on the home-invasion genre and exactly what horror fans need right now; a horror film that seems inspired by the classics while simultaneously paving the way for the future.
5 out of 5
