You’re Next hits blu-ray and DVD on January 14th from Lionsgate Home Entertainment
You’re Next: IMDb Plot Synopsis
When the Davison family comes under attack during their wedding anniversary getaway, the gang of mysterious killers soon learns that one of their would-be victims harbors a secret talent for fighting back.
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If you are looking for a good time at the movies, You’re Next is here for you. Don’t lean your head on its shoulder too closely, though, because you might just trigger a crossbow to your forehead.
Film nerds had a storied history with this film long before this August’s theatrical release and this January’s home video bow. Fantastic Fest attendees in 2011 had an opportunity to see one hallowed screening of the movie before Lionsgate snapped the film up for distribution and held on to it tightly until the festival circuit in 2013. That’s two years for a movie to silently grow it’s legend. And that solitary screening of You’re Next at Fantastic Fest did become something legendary here in Austin, at least. Guess who wasn’t there in that theater that night?
Along with a screening that has such strong word of mouth comes the inevitable backlash and cycle of disappointment. And You’re Next also weathered a fair bit of that as well. Years of hushed anticipation built the status of the film into some kind of revolutionary, next-level horror film along the lines of Cabin In The Woods. But it turns out, You’re Next didn’t try to reinvent the wheel, wink at the audience, or go for anything wildly next-level or meta. Instead, it just went for an all-out fun ride that emerges out of a deep love and understanding of the rich history of horror that it is mining.
You’re Next is a hybrid slasher/home invasion film set at a mostly single location, the Davison family’s gothic mansion where they are all gathering for a reunion of sorts. An Avengers-level assembly of next wave horror talent, You’re Next comes to us via the writer/director duo of Simon Barrett and Adam Wingard, respectively. They’ve collaborated on both V/H/S entries and A Horrible Way To Die, and even have another film on the way this year with The Guest. In front of the camera are many other familiar faces to this cadre of filmmakers, including fellow directors Joe Swanberg (Drinking Buddies, here in a meaty supporting role as one of the abnoxious Davison brothers) and Ti West (House Of The Devil, here in a brief role as a significant other to one of the Davison children). Horror icon Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator) shows up as the matriarch of the family and rising star AJ Bowen (House Of The Devil) plays the “lead” son of the Davison clan, Crispian, through whom we are introduced to everyone else. Upstream Color’s Amy Seimetz plays the Davison daughter and, in a truly star-making turn, Sharni Vinson plays Bowen’s girlfriend Erin, who is meeting his family for the first time. It’s going to be a rough weekend for the Davison family, but Vinson receives and dishes out an incredible amount of punishment in the film, and you’ll love her for it.
The story is whip-smart and wonderfully executed. And it spoils nothing to say that when creepily-masked killers start doing their thing, the practical gore will thrill you and the ebbs and flows of the exciting screenplay will keep you guessing and smiling all the way to the end credits.
A great thing about this home video release is that some of the bonus material actually helped me to think about the film in new ways and put some meat around my skeletal feelings of just really liking the movie. What is it about the tone and overall entertainment value of this movie that make it really stand out among the greatest horror films of 2013? Writer Barrett makes a great point, by noting that although the film is quite funny, it never winks at the audience or blinks at its firmly horror roots. The humor simply comes from the wonderful family dynamics and character work on display, most notably between the Davison brothers played by Bowen and Swanberg. The screenplay also assumes that we, the audience, are well-versed in horror tropes and rather than pulling a “Scream” and allowing the characters to be in on the joke, we simply laugh at how smartly the film uses old standbys in fresh new ways, such as masked killers, hands under beds, and characters with ulterior motives.
Another element the filmmakers spoke about in the bonus materials that really resonated with me was their intent to highlight the fun of the genre. Films like Saw and the whole torture porn sub-genre painted a grim pall over the horror genre with the Uncle Scrooge-like piles of money they made and the endless imitators that followed. Then toss in the gritty realism of Christopher Nolan and his incredible success in breaking through to mainstream popular culture, and you’ve got a few years worth of major motion pictures that played up the melancholy and shied away from the smiles. You’re Next flies in the face of torture porn and offers us a home invasion slasher which pays homage to Die Hard just as much as it does Jason Vorhees.
The twists and turns of the story are a whole lot of the fun of You’re Next, and I am not going to spoil those for anyone here. But if you are a horror fan on any level, and specifically a slasher movie fan, you owe it to yourself to enjoy the blissful, playful gore of You’re Next.
The Package
- “No Ordinary Home Invasion: The Making Of You’re Next” Featurette
- 1st Audio Commentary: With Director Adam Wingard and Writer Simon Barrett
- 2nd Audio Commentary: With Director Adam Wingard and Writer Simon Barrett, and actors Sharni Vinson and Barbara Crampton
- Trailer/s
The film is the crown jewel here. It is highly re-watchable and a joy for any horror fan to own. Multiple commentary tracks is an awesome bonus although I only had enough time to listen to about half of one of them. And the featurette was actually quite solid as well. As I mentioned in the body of the review, some of the filmmakers’ insights in the bonus content of this disc really helped me put my finger on some of the specific reasons why this film is a cut above the rest.
And I’m Out.