You're Next

I am probably not the right person to be reviewing You're Next.  I can admire that the film has been made with a certain degree of skill (though I wish the camera didn't shake around so much in certain scenes), but this just wasn't made for me.  This movie is for those of you who have a soft spot in your hearts for those late 70s and early 80s slasher films, where a bunch of people gather in one place, and then are picked off one-by-one by masked killers.  If that's all the plot you need, and you judge your horror movies by their gore content, then by all means, ignore this review, find the nearest theater, and go have the time of your life.  I won't stop you.

Those of you who ask for a little bit more, you might be a little disappointed, as I was.  Maybe it's just a result of bad timing.  This is the second home invasion horror film we've had in two months (the other being The Purge, back in June).  This is not the fault of the filmmakers, as You're Next was actually filmed and completed two years ago, and has been looking for distribution since then.  But mostly, there's just not a lot to the film once you start looking beneath the surface.  Yes, there are some clever ideas, some moments of dark humor, and a lead heroine who's a lot better and smarter than the type we normally get in these kind of movies.  But the whole thing just didn't add up to a lot for me.  Please don't read this review as me saying that this is a bad movie, as it's certainly not.  Rather, I would say that this simply didn't do it for me, although I did admire it to an extent.

The plot, as expected and explained earlier, is simply an excuse to gather a bunch of people in one place so they can be hunted.  In this case, the victims are the Davison family, who have gathered to celebrate the 35th wedding anniversary of their parents, Paul (Rob Moran) and Aubrey (Barbara Crampton).  Their four adult children arrive, along with their individual boyfriends and girlfriends, and get set for what is supposed to be a restful family reunion weekend.  However, it doesn't take long for pent-up sibling rivalry to flare up amongst the Davison siblings, especially when the family gathers for dinner the first night they're all together.  The family dispute is interrupted when an arrow from a crossbow suddenly comes flying in through a nearby window, piercing itself into the skull of one of the dinner guests.  I hate when that happens.

Turns out the house is being staked out by three mysterious killers who hide their identities behind crudely made animal masks (a fox, a lamb, and a tiger).  They've not only rigged the outside of the home with deadly traps, but they've managed to get inside the house, and seem hell-bent on killing everyone within.  That's where our lead heroine, Erin (Sharni Vinson) comes in.  She came to the Davison place as the date of one of the sons.  When the killers show up, and everyone around starts getting bumped off, she gets to show her stuff, and proves herself more than capable in holding her own against the home invaders.  Turns out she has a secret past that she hasn't really told her boyfriend.

Not only is Erin the most likable character in the film, but she's also the most original element of You're Next.  She is what is commonly referred to as the "final girl" in these kind of movies, as she usually has to stand alone against the masked madman (or madmen, in this case) in the climax.  And yet, while she fills this role, she's also very different from what we usually get.  She's strong and assertive almost from the moment things start to go wrong.  When everyone else starts panicking, she takes charge, and pretty much leads the charge in fighting back.  This makes sense when we find out about her background, which I won't reveal here.  Also, she mostly makes smart decisions during the course of the film, which is a rarity in this genre.  But don't worry, the screenplay still does play by the basic rules of a slasher movie, by having everyone around her making incredibly stupid decisions, and lurking in dark places alone when they should have stuck with the group. 

Outside of a surprisingly strong female lead, there's not a lot that stands out here.  It's a fairly routine home invasion movie that would have been right at home in the late 70s and early 80s heyday of the slasher movie.  In fact, were it not for some modern day references to cell phones here and there, I wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't some script from that time that got dug up.  I guess I should complement screenwriter Simon Barrett on being faithful to the kind of films he's emulating here.  I can sense the enthusiasm with which this movie was made, but it simply didn't speak to me, as I don't have that particular kind of nostalgia that the filmmakers possess.  This movie was made for a certain audience, and while I am not a part of it, I can at least respect it, and understand that this will be a great experience for those of you who are a part of it.

So, while You're Next was not made for me, I have no doubt it will have its legions of fans.  Heck, it's probably the best-made example of its kind since the original Scream back in 1996.  This movie didn't do a lot for me, but it might for you.

See the movie times in your area or buy the DVD at Amazon.com!

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