Arriving on DVD and Blu-ray here in the UK next Monday with heaps of praise behind it, is home invasion slasher You’re Next was hailed as something special. Sadly, for me, it failed to live up to the hype.
The film starts with an older man (cult film director Larry Fessenden in a cameo) having sex with a co-ed. He goes to shower and she decides to wander round his glass fronted house in her panties with her titties hanging out (straight away it’s as though Scream never happened) despite the fact that the porch light keeps coming on and she suspects that someone is outside (no prizes for guessing who’s next there). You’re Next continues this odd blend of comedy and horror, stupidity and smartness throughout its 95 minute running time both winding up and pleasing its audience to mixed results.
In terms of casting, Sharni Vinson (star of Bait 3D and the forthcoming remake of Patrick) earns her stripes here in a tour de force performance. She is ably supported by many familiar genre faces including Barbara Crampton and director Ti West, so there’s a lot to look forward to for the hard-core horror crowd and that’s before clever nods to A Nightmare on Elm Street and Halloween are worked in to the action.
I expected a lot from this movie and it didn’t deliver on all of its promises. I hated the soundtrack and score, the characters dumb decisions and the comedy aspect, but I enjoyed the nods and winks, casting and of course the masks.
OVERALL SUMMARY
Apart from one truly terrifying jolt You’re Next was a strange film which I didn’t warm to as well as I expected to.
