You're Next Reviews

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this movie and, to be honest, I wonder how I actually ended up watching the damned thing. Anyway, it still turned out to be a decent watch after all but not much more than that, I'm afraid. I mean, it was rather well made and fairly entertaining but I think I have seen too many similar and above all vastly superior movies to really care. First of all, the cast was pretty much a bunch of rather unknown actors who all gave some rather weak performances. On the other hand, they never got the opportunity to get into their characters as the killings started too soon in my opinion. Indeed, I think it could have been interesting to see the relationships between these characters getting slightly more developed. Then, this kind of movies usually work better when the motivations of the killers remain unclear of even completely mysterious. In this case, they explained it all at some point and the explanation was not only predictable but, above all, not really interesting or entertaining. Anyway, to conclude, I think my rating might have been generous here but I guess it might be still worth a look but only if you really like the genre.

I really love horror movies especially when they try to be a little different. I really enjoyed this one. The characters are interesting and fun. There are a few familiar faces, but the ones who really caught my eye were the beautiful Australian Sharni Vinson and Horror Icon Ti West. The plot thickens with each scene as you try to figure out what is really going on. The death scenes are a little lackluster for a horror buff like me, but there are still some creative scenes. There are even some great twists which may or may not be what you'd expect. The ending was pretty cool as well. Check it out. I think it's a good little flick for a Friday night or Halloween.

"Thanks to mum and dad for bringing us all here together."

At long last receiving a theatrical release after hitting the film festival circuits in 2011, You're Next is one of 2013's most critically acclaimed horror outings, generating a lot of online buzz. What a shame, then, that all the hype is for naught. Directed by Adam Wingard and written by Simon Barrett, this independently-produced slasher flick is ridiculously weak and hopelessly predictable, content to go through the telegraphed motions without any sense of style or sophistication, and without ever raising a viewer's pulse by even a single beat. Apparently, the film is meant to be some type of satiric deconstruction of the popular "home invasion" subgenre, but it lacks the nuance and creativity to achieve such a goal. You're Next is actually just a really bone-headed and painfully clichéd slasher, never coming across as effective satire.

To celebrate their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary, wealthy couple Paul (Rob Moran) and Aubrey Davison (Barbara Crampton) set out for their remote country house for the weekend, inviting their adult children and their respective partners to commemorate the occasion. It doesn't take long for tensions to run high in the family as they settle down for the celebratory dinner, but things are soon interrupted by a group of armed assailants wearing animal masks. Storming the premise, the members of the household are killed off one by one, compelling Erin (Sharni Vinson) into action, who hopes to survive the slaughter and save anyone that she can.

If Wingard and Barrett intended You're Next to be a serious horror flick, they missed the mark by a long shot. The picture almost immediately plummets into an abyss of terrible writing, acting and directing, and it never recovers as it moves forward at a snail's pace. When people refer to "typical horror movies" that cheapen the genre, You're Next is exactly the type of film they are referring to. The script may as well have been regurgitated by a computer, as Barrett stuffs the picture with scene after scene of contrived situations and idiotic character actions. One character even asks, "Hello?" into the darkness, and at other times, characters wander around dark parts of the house alone even though there are murderous psychopaths inside. Worse, Barrett includes a few revelations about the true motivations behind the murders that should be shocking but instead come off as forced and hoary. There is no intelligence to the writing; You're Next suffers from some of the laziest, dumbest scripting that the horror genre has seen in years.

The only character who reacts smartly to the situation is Erin, who grew up in a survivalist compound and is skilled at offence and defence. Erin becomes the story's heroine, using an array of impromptu weapons to defend herself and actually giving the attackers a fight. When Erin turns the tables on the murderers, You're Next provides its only entertaining moments, though it's more of a "beggars can't be choosers" situation due to how dire the film has been until that point. Vinson acquits herself somewhat effectively in the role of Erin, but the rest of the actors deliver stiff, unconvincing performances. It's not all their fault, however, as one can only do so much with this amateur-hour material. Admittedly, horror fans will appreciate some of the casting choices, including B-movie scream queen Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator, Body Double) and celebrated young horror director Ti West (The Innkeepers), who plays a filmmaker character. Unfortunately, Wingard's directorial technique is slipshod, overusing shaky-cam effects to try and generate tension, but to no avail. Moreover, the photography is exceedingly ugly in terms of composition and colour palette, and no amount of lazy jump-scares can compensate for the fact that none of the actors can emote a convincing look of terror when one of their family members is butchered right in front of them.

If You're Next was designed to be a satire, it falls way short of its mark. The art of satire requires a deft sleight-of-hand, as evidenced in films like Shaun of the Dead and Black Dynamite. Wingard's technique is too outright drab and lacking in energy, making this an oddly joyless experience regardless of its intentions. One supposes that Wingard wanted to make a postmodernist, meta treat like Scream or Cabin in the Woods, but it lacks the required sense of wit and invention. To its credit, the film does work at times, including a few gory killings and a handful of moments that provoke intentional hilarity. As for the rest, it's difficult to figure out which tone Wingard is aiming for at any one time.

Outside of a halfway decent performance from Vinson and an agreeable synth score that evokes the old films of John Carpenter, You're Next is pure guff, an agonisingly incompetent wannabe slasher that fails on practically every level. Maybe devout horror buffs will get a kick out of the visceral killings, but everyone else will be turned off by the anaemic acting talent, lack of tension, horribly written dialogue and shoddy story. It honestly feels as if a group of aliens tried to make a movie mimicking our tendencies to the best of their understanding, and people only embraced the end result because it's so dunderheaded that they assume it must be a joke. You know what would've improved the movie by a hundredfold? If, in the end, it was revealed that it was just a student movie made by a (fictional) pretentious pseudo-intellectual, and the last few minutes contained genuine satire that delved into the mindset of everyone behind the scenes. Such material could've redeemed You're Next; as it is, it's a joke without a punch-line.

2.7/10

When entering a slasher flick you have to expect there will be genre clichés. You’re Next had most of them present, but played them off with a sense of dark twisted humour while still maintaining the disgusting gore.

After what was supposed to be a family reunion to celebrate their parent’s anniversary, The Davison family soon finds out they are in for a night full of bloodshed and terror.

You’re Next doesn’t exactly provide anything new to the home invasion story within the first half hour of the film and generally takes a long while to build the thrill at the Davison home. For the first few scenes, the family seem very immature and childish until a dinner scene results in an arrow to the knee, Oops I mean face. After that of course like many horror films the family decides to start making horrible irrational decisions like sending one of their own out into the darkness by themselves. Except the killers are one step ahead of them and have planted a trap waiting at the door. This was actually one of the more shocking moments because it was unexpected and brutal.

Still You’re Next only really gets going when we learn that protagonist Erin has a natural instinct for fighting back against these low-level thugs. She grew up learning survival skills and begins to start making these intruders look like imbeciles. It is only at this stage does You’re Next actually begin to show signs of having life as its own creative film. Sharni Vinson proves to be a force as Erin, creating a badass horror chick who takes it upon herself to change the course of the night.

After Erin begins her dominance over these killers and you start to have a character to root for, yet the fear of these intruders is thrown out the window. They begin to make mistakes, and become bumbling fools who are in way over their heads. It is a bit of a refreshing take on the genre seeing one of the good guys actually gain some leverage, but it ultimately falls short of because of predictable slasher cop-outs and not so shocking reveals.

You’re Next may not be the greatest film to ever be shot for the big screen, some of it may be cheesy and unnecessary, but You’re Next has a level of black humour that is rarely executed well in horror films. You are a fan of these types of films, You’re Next may be just the horror film you are looking for.