Review #2615: You're Next.
Cast:
Sharni Vinson (Erin), Nicholas Tucci (Felix Davison), Wendy Glenn (Zee), A. J. Bowen (Crispian Davison), Joe Swanberg (Drake Davison), Margaret Laney (Kelly Davison), Amy Seimetz (Aimee Davison), Ti West (Tariq), Rob Moran (Paul Davison), Barbara Crampton (Aubrey Davison), L.C. Holt (Craig / Lamb Mask), Lane Hughes (Tom / Fox Mask), Simon Barrett (Dave / Tiger Mask), and Larry Fessenden (Erik Harson) Directed and Edited by Adam Wingard (#1672 - Godzilla vs. Kong, #1753 - Blair Witch, #2192 - Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire)
Review:
Sure, why not? I honestly had this movie vaguely stuck in my mind due to a review I heard about it many, many years ago*. And it happened to dovetail with the thing known as "hey, it's on a movie pack with a bunch of other movies, why not?". You're Next was the fifth full-length feature film from Adam Wingard, and this one happened to be written by fellow collaborator Simon Barrett, who had written A Horrible Way to Die [2010]. Apparently, the thing that spooked Wingard the most in horror was home invasion movies (citing Them [2006] and The Strangers [2008]), so Barrett took it from there, where he wrote a script that was inspired by Agatha Christie mysteries alongside screwball comedies (he later noted after filming a possible subconscious inspiration from A Bay of Blood [1971]). The cynical mindset of Barrett (as stated by Wingard himself), along with some improvisation with the dinner conversation scene, also played key to the movie. The movie originally premiered in 2011 in film festivals, for which Lionsgate acquired distribution rights, but business snafus (namely a studio merger) led to the movie being shuffled around and only released in theaters in August 2013. Years later, Wingard stated that he considers the film as being part of the same continuity with The Guest [2014] and Onslaught [2026] as a sort of "trilogy", for what it's worth.
Really it all comes down to just how much you can stomach of the characters and the pursuit of having fun with a survival movie that basically throws the premise upside down. Being a cross between Home Alone and The Strangers (and perhaps The Last House on the Left) can only go so far for those who find something in its slasher entertainment or bits in pitch-black comedy. I was fine with it, although it definitely wears its quirks (flawed or not) on its sleeve for 94 minutes. It's basically the kind of movie you play with The Cabin in the Woods [2011] to see a sort of "modern" perspective of playing around with the slasher with some chuckles, although your milage may vary over which actually accomplishes that better. You get a considerable body-count and a bit of quick pacing to set up some fanciful murders that range from garrote wires to axes to, well, blender-bashing. So yes, it's a movie with a person trying to be among the last ones standing that, well, actually does sound like the type to maybe thrive in a survival film with masked killers that don't really talk much (what's there to know in an array of people that aren't really who and where they want to be). In that sense, Vinson is a dynamic choice to help carry the film with unshakable confidence that is basically present in only her when compared to the dry nature of the others (in some ways intentional, and in others being the result of a lack of things to really do). Sure, being the only generally likable person among the cast to have enough time (oh poor Crampton) could be a detriment to some, but I went with it because, well, mayhem does have some charm to it; smug is one thing, wisecracking is another, and I think it fits with the latter more than the former. The eventual reveal of the true nature of what's going on in the house is at least a little clever, mainly because it gives some curiosity over how things will play out when one becomes offbeat in the face of being complicit in crimes. The first death of the dinner table people is kind of funny in the actual buildup and I imagine the very last moment is meant to be darkly amusing. Sure, it lacks a real true faceoff for its climax, but I was at least satisfied with the journey in getting to the resolution with the best laid plans in fact going to hell. As a whole, You're Next is a horror movie that wants to play it both ways in mayhem in the home and dark humor. I found it just fine, and I suppose that is more than enough to carve out a worthy place on the shelf.
Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.
*The review in question was this one by hey, Midnight Screenings; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgQL6U0BE6Q - which basically called it "post ironic, cute, hipster bullshit" that equated it to The Strangers crossed with Home Alone but not being effective to get away with being "cute".
*Same pack with stuff such as It Follows, Cabin Fever, and a couple of others.
