On the surface, You're Next hits all the marks of your basic home invasion thriller: unsuspecting family with petty drama, isolated location and creepers in masks. It's not until halfway in to the film you realize that this movie puts an interesting and ingenious twist on the typical intruder story. Writer/director duo Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett have a good track record of adding a gritty and fun spin on their projects, so naturally, I have been a fan of their work since this theatrical debut. The trailer and promotional campaign promises both tension and action which can be a hard ratio to balance for a lot of filmmakers but in many ways, this is an area where the movie excels. The tense moments had me on the edge of my seat and the action scenes had my adrenaline pumping as I cheered on our group of unsuspecting house guests. Wingard and Barrett really went into this project knowing exactly what kind of story they wanted to tell and they did it wonderfully. Instead of the "hide and seek" or "cat and mouse" tactic that we typically see in slasher or home invasion movies, they focused more on the "hunt or be hunted" mindset. Playing with this idea and having fun with the approach, makes this film a roller coaster ride of quiet suspense and intense action. The bad guys are menacing with an almost tactical aesthetic, you never feel that they are just psychopaths running rampant on the street, but a mini-militia of hunters on the prowl. They are capable of very bad things and the audience is made well aware of this early on. The film pulls no punches in the death department and even though some moments can be a bit over the top, it all works somehow in the context of this movie. It's as if they knew the first quarter built up to a point where the audience would be disappointed if it wasn't a bit exaggerated. They also throw in a some dark humor to really give the feel that this movie, while not a comedy, doesn't take itself so seriously that it can't be fun which is exactly what You're Next is. If you haven't had a chance to see this movie, I highly recommend that you don't miss out on this one. With laughs, scares and a perfect blend of nail biting suspense and gritty action, this should be "next" on everyone's watch list.
Your review for this gem of a movie is so spot on. It really was a cool twist on the typical killer on the loose movie. The fact that the killers weren't just psychopaths running around, but, instead had a plan and knew what they were going to do, made it so much more unsettling. This is hands down one of my favorite movies, thank you for highlighting the reasons why it's so good!
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