You're Next Review

You're Next

3.5 stars out of 4

By Brett Takeshita

You're Next is horror movie nirvana. It's a thrilling, stunning, and terrific film that mixes insane violence with dark humor, and it will knock your socks off. It's quite simply the most fun and entertaining movie I've seen thus far this year.

You're Next follows the Davisons at a family reunion. Parents Aubrey (Barbara Crampton) and Paul (Rob Moran) are celebrating their anniversary and have decided to gather the children around to celebrate. There's nice son Crispian (AJ Bowen) and his girlfriend/main character of the film, Erin (Sharni Vinson). Then, there's the douchey son, Drake (Joe Swanberg), who says the worst things to his siblings and parents and makes the whole reunion a mess. Next, there's the quiet yet calm son, Felix (Nicholas Tucci), and his weird goth girlfriend, Zee (Wendy Glenn). And last, we have the delightfully cheery daughter, Aimee (Amy Seimetz), and her filmmaker boyfriend, Tariq (real life horror filmmaker Ti West). 

Just when the reunion is about to reach its peak of awkward tenseness, all hell is unleashed. One of these people at the reunion gets killed rather quickly, and the Davison family and friends soon realize that they are all in danger of losing their lives to three crazy murderers donning incredibly creepy animal masks. These killers are ruthless and will stop at nothing to dispatch of these people. However, what these killers don't realize is that *mild spoiler* Erin is a fighter. She's smart, tough, and resourceful. Time is running out as everyone is in peril, but Erin isn't prepared to go down without a fight.

You're Next might be my new favorite horror film. I can't even express in words how purely delightful and how sinfully delicious this film is. I'm a huge horror movie buff, but recently, there haven't been that many horror movies that simultaneously scare and entertain (aside from the excellent film, The Conjuring). You're Next does both masterfully.

Director and editor Adam Wingard balances horror with humor beautifully. Wingard sets up the film in a very quiet, creepy, tense, and strange way. He doesn't rely on cheap scares so much as building an unsettling atmosphere that immediately grabs your attention. Then, once the killers start targeting the family, Wingard ratchets up the gore to a million. You're Next becomes a brutally violent slasher film with some really gruesome deaths. However, the gore is completely germane to the picture and simply adds to the fun of the film. Wingard directs and edits these scenes with so much exciting energy that you can't help but be on the edge of your seat. And just when you think you've seen it all, You're Next switches gears and becomes a hilarious and sly dark comedy juxtaposed against horror. (I don't want to tell you why or how because you just gotta see it). It's a strange combination that works. Let me tell you that if you have a messed up sense of humor like me, you will be belly-laughing. I was nearly in tears, and my stomach was hurting. Yes, a horror movie made me laugh (in a good way!) more than 90% of the comedies that have come out recently. For a movie to be shocking, scary, and funny all at once -- that's some kind of miraculous ingenuity.

Writer Simon Barrett doesn't reinvent the horror genre here. He tells a rather straightforward slasher/horror plot but injects it with a lot more fun than normal genre films would. However, I must say that Barrett has thrown in a couple of great twists in You're Next that completely took me surprise. I won't even hint at them. Just go see the film for yourself. I will tell you that you'll never know where it's going. And really, how rare is it nowadays to see horror movies -- or any films for that matter -- that are straightforward and yet incorporate twists that not only make sense but also completely work? It's way too rare, unfortunately. That's why I'm so happy that Barrett has written such a fresh horror picture. And what's most brilliant of all? He doesn't dumb-down his characters. He has written smart characters who don't act like idiots. They all try to fight back and find ways to take down the killers. And with the character of Erin, I believe that Barrett has hit the jack-pot. She's perhaps the greatest horror protagonist I've ever had the joy of witnessing. She's that awesome.

Sharni Vinson is wonderful here. Not only is she cute and charming, but she also completely shocks you with her commitment to toughness and bravery. Vinson is an extremely convincing actress who impresses with her stunt skills and her comedic timing. I loved her in this film. Joe Swanberg is a particular standout who really sells the weird humor of the film. And Amy Seimetz is lovely and likable in a rather small role. The rest of the supporting performances are uniformly strong. However, this is Vinson's movie, and she proves that she is a star.

Don't read too much about You're Next and don't watch too many trailers. I've purposely tried to reveal as little as possible about the film just so that you will have the same incredible experience of discovery that I did. Just go see it without knowing much, and you will have one of the best cinematic experiences of the year. You're Next is a joyous horror film that delivers on every level. I absolutely loved this film and am delightfully surprised to report that it's one of my favorite movies of the year.