Hello and welcome, all. I’m the Man Without A Plan, here to
take a look at “You’re Next”, the new horror film directed by Adam Wingard and
written by Simon Barrett. “You’re Next” blends dark comedy, over-the-top action,
and smart twists to make an entertaining no-holds-barred rollercoaster of a
flick that made me jump, laugh, and at the end of it all, clap for a love
letter to 1980’s horror.
The movie follows Erin (Sharni Vinson) and Crispin (AJ
Bowen), a couple going to celebrate Crispin’s parents’ 35th wedding
anniversary with the rest of his family in the parents’ woodland home. As the
family sits down for dinner, one of the guests is abruptly murdered by a
mysterious assailant, leaving the rest of the family to figure out who’s hunting
them as well as how to make it out of the house alive.
Erin is such a breath of fresh air: she’s the horror movie
character we claim we would be. She’s resourceful, intelligent, quick to act, and
not afraid to get her hands dirty when needed. I don’t remember a moment when I
felt the need to yell at the screen in a vain hope for her to listen to my
advice; she’s a survivor (and a hell of a lot better at it than me). Another
honorable mention is Drake, Crispin’s older brother (Joe Swanberg). He’s a
smug, insensitive jerk, but due to some gut-busting writing, fantastic
reactions (his “Doy?” face had me crying), and a certain scene with a knife I
won’t dare spoil, he turned out a fun side character to watch.
The thing that surprised me about this movie’s release was when
I asked my friends and co-workers, many of whom I could claim as horror fans,
if they were excited to see it: most had never even heard of the film. In a
way, I can understand; the only mentions I’d gotten were when I went to the
movies and saw the trailer, but I couldn’t understand why other movies this
year such as “The Purge” and “The Conjuring” managed to grab more attention
while keeping the level of marketing the same.
As I watched “You’re Next”, I managed to understand why. I
wasn’t sure what to expect. The balance of both scares and story made the
pacing feel lopsided with many scares and overused techniques strewn together
in the beginning to get the ball running. Similarly to spraying lighter fluid
on a campfire, it starts the movie out flashy but the effect fizzles quickly.
However, as the movie progressed, the pacing evened out, allowing for more time
to appreciate each scare’s setup and the way the story moved along.
Despite “You’re Next” coming out alongside “The Purge” and
“The Conjuring,” I would compare it more to movies like the “Evil Dead” series
and “The Cabin In The Woods.” It has a dark layer of comedy and self-awareness
separating it from any horror film willing to just splatter gore and make a
quick buck. It pays homage to movies from the 70’s and 80’s in tone and feel:
the soundtrack sounds right at home in a Nightmare to Elm St. sequel, the
consistency of the blood looks almost exactly like Carrie, I could even note
the use of models in the same manner as in something like Return of The Living
Dead. These kinds of special effects rejuvenate old tricks and I couldn’t be
happier with the results. “You’re Next” takes its shots at newer movies too;
its use of the shaky camera and slow-motion borders on parody, mocking the big
trends of the late 90’s and 2000’s. It’s playful and mischievous; the filmmakers were having a
lot of fun.
At the end of the day, that’s my final word on the film.
It’s fun. It takes old tricks and brings them in a new light for a murder
mystery that throws in blends of comedy, smart characters, and the over-the-top
action horror fans love. I laughed hard, I jumped at the obvious scares, and I
had a great time letting the movie tell its story. It’s a love letter to a
previous generation, and it’s definitely worth a watch.
"You're Next" trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufUQWpEkbf0
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