You're Next

Reviews from the Dark Side presents
 You're Next
Released 8/23/13, now in theaters

Home invasion movies, like most sub-genres of horror, have very little that's new to offer.  Sure, there are some that amp up the creep factor like the very underrated, The Strangers.  But, those seem to be few and far between.  That is what intrigued me about this week's release of You're Next.  From the first trailers I saw months ago, I was hooked.  I knew this was something I had to see.  Of course, this can also be a curse if You're Next turns out to be a huge letdown. 

One thing I can say about director, Adam Wingard, is that he does have a flair for the absurd.  He also directed "Tape 56" segment in last year's underrated V/H/S.  You're Next is a crazy blend of visceral gore and unsettling dark humor.  And while the film doesn't necessarily break any new ground, it works incredibly well as pure, naked entertainment. 

You're Next follows the Davison family as they converge on their remote vacation house for laughter and good times.  Not all, however, is rosy between all family members that include the patriarch and matriarch (Paul and Aubrey), their adult children (Drake, Crispian, Felix, and Aimee), and the children's significant others (Erin, Zee, Tariq, and Kelly).  Bad feelings begin to come to a head at the dinner table one night.  However, before the family can come to blows, they discover they have a larger problem.  Three masked killers wearing animal masks are lurking outside, and they make their presence known in a murderous way (poor Tariq).  The killers use a signal jammer to block all cell phones essentially trapping the Davisons in the house with no hope of rescue, particularly from the closest neighbor who the killers take care of in the first minutes of the film.  So, why are the killers doing this?  True, the Davisons are well off.  Is it all about money?  Is there a vendetta held here?  The family has to find the answer quickly as they are systematically being hunted.  However, in a surprising twist, the Davisons may have some aid within the house as one of their own may be the most talented killer of all!

The standout performer here is Sharni Vinson as Erin.  I don't know much about her as her most noteworthy credits appear to be an Australian soap opera and Step Up 3D (guess why I don't know much about her).  But, she undergoes a transformation that keeps You're Next from becoming a standard run-of-the-mill horror movie.  Sure, it still has some of the same horror clichés that most movies in the genre have, but there is a wicked sense of humor among the gore that will have you smiling as the blood is splattering.  If you've been waiting for a scary movie where the victim fights back with a vengeance, this is the one for you.

On the Sinister-o-meter, I would say You're Next registers about an 8.  It's not that it's particularly chilling, but it gets points in my book for having prey that fights back.  And by fights back, I mean someone who coldly and calculatingly knows how to do it.  It also gets points for its dark humor.  It's not humor in the same sense as Evil Dead II or Army of Darkness (which I consider more comedy in some cases) because you still have to keep in mind that people are dying horribly.  It's humor that usually stems from over the top violence. 

You're Next is not a down to your soul creepy movie.  But, what it lacks in full-on actual scares, it more than makes up for in sheer entertainment value.  It's a movie I intend to add to my horror collection when the time comes.  And could there be a more perfect name for a horror movie?

The Dark Lord of the Sith says:

*** 3/4 stars

Ratings Legend
Zero *= Don't waste your time. Pure dreck! Dreck is too good for this! Blind me please!
1 *= Fuggedaboutit!
2 *= Average, Mediocre, Nothing Special
3 *= Good viewing. Much better than a poke in the eye.
4 *= Great. Could possibly foot the price of a non-Matinee.
5 *= Pure eye candy. Hall of Fame material here.