You’re Next has a pretty basic premise… on the surface: Erin (Australia’s Sharni Vinson) joins her boyfriend Crispian (AJ Bowen) as his somewhat dysfunctional family gathers together at a secluded house to celebrate his parents anniversary. Things go awry when strangers with sinister intentions pay the family a visit, although these trespassers may have underestimated one of their targets.
The only thing is You’re Next is far from a basic home-invasion picture, as all pre-conceived notions of how the narrative will play out are shattered by the second act: this is a film that creatively gives the horror genre a huge shot in the arm, as it takes some incredible risks creatively, and it’s astonishing to see the results successfully played out on screen.
Point Break 2: Dead Kitties
You’re Next is the creative result of the collaborative effort of the new-wave of American horror film-makers; led in this instance by director Adam Wingard (V/H/S) and featuring fellow directors Joe Swanberg (dir. Drinking Buddies) and Ti West (dir. The Innkeepers) in acting roles. These young film-makers are revitalising the genre by acknowledging that current audiences are well aware of the generic horror tropes — in this case the clichés which are found in the home-invasion sub-genre — and go out of their way to subvert the audiences expectations, which makes for a surprising and enjoyable thrill-ride.
With the power of Guillermo Del Toro producing, Vincenzo Natali (Cube) directing and an idea which promised something between The Fly and Species; on paper Splice is an absolute winner. Too bad that the execution for the most part is fairly uninspired and an initially encouraging – if lacklustre – first half is blown into ridiculousness come the third act.
Elisa Iannunzio
Luke Miksa
Sorry I'm Late.com 