In a year that brought us V/H/S/2, The Conjuring and World War Z, You're Next finds its way into mix with a crossbow right to the heart of the home invasion thriller.
For years, the argument has always been "Why don't they make any good movies anymore?" The person receiving that question usually says something akin to: "Hollywood has no original ideas". So you decide to sit the year out. Hoping for a
Dark Knight to come sweep you off your feet. It doesn't. You're itching to go to the movies so you decide to see the next remake of a movie that you loved growing up. But don't worry, the ticket
sale to the remake of
A Nightmare On Elm Street will tell the studios that you want to continue to see this garbage. It's not like Hollywood doesn't have thousands of original scripts tucked away. They simply see that the audience doesn't want to try anything new. Horror above any other genre is apt to this exact mentality. How many
Saws or
Paranormal Activities do we need to tell them enough is enough?
Adam Wingard and screenwriter Simon Barrett have come to answer these troubling dilemmas with a movie that successfully balances horror, dark comedy and crime thriller. Known for his piece in
V/H/S/2 (Phase I Clinical Trials), Wingard, while not successful at pulling off the compact 15 minute horror story, unleashes the movie he was carrying around to film festivals like SXSW. His direction and editing here places you inside the house with this family not knowing what to expect next. A feat that really couldn't be pulled off without the collaboration of a genuine script.
Simon Barrett has put together a screenplay that has a unique twist on the home invasion thriller and gives us what so many other movies in the subgenre failed at- subverting our expectations.
Erin, played by Sharni Vinson, is our lead. An Australian pretty girl who’s dating one of the sons at their parent’s anniversary gathering. She’s the only smart one of the group, and the commentary arises from her surroundings. Most characters in horror films have no sense of self-preservation, particularly the leads. They are the innocent, attractive kind that somehow always outwit the killers and escape. Erin on the other hand is an immensely likeable heroine. Barbara Crampton of
Re-Animator fame plays the part of the mother. A role that hopefully gives the horror veteran more work. Rounding out the cast are filmmakers themselves- Ti West and Joe Swanberg.
This is the type of movie horror fans have been waiting for. A low budget independent. What Cabin In the Woods did for the slasher film, You're Next does for the home invasion thriller. So when August 23 rolls around, don't hesitate to flop money down for a ticket. You won't regret it.
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