Wednesday, 28 August 2013

You're Next (2011, Dir. Adam Wingard, USA) (Cert: 18/R) ***


 

 

Starring: Sharni Vinson, AJ Bowen, Nicholas Tucci

 

The Davison family have gathered for an anniversary dinner, having not been together for a few years, also bringing their own set of loved ones. As they settle down to dinner, a family argument is interrupted by a murder and so begins a night of bloody terror.

 

Having been produced in 2011 and languishing without a release for two years, You're Next has finally made it into the wider public forum and delivers some mixed results. Primarily marketed as a horror film, You're Next fails to break any new ground within the horror genre, having elements comparable to cult horror films from Stagefright (1988) to The Toolbox Murders (1977)the acting and reacting to the situation leaves a lot to be desired and although the film does have a good way with giving the audience an occasional jolt, it often falls foul to shaky-cam overload.

 

However, underneath that, there's a play towards comedy that becomes more pronounced and clearly intended as the film goes on. You're Next may not make for too strong of a horror film (in fact, it makes for a pretty weak one) but when it decides to trade in gasps and screams for laughs, it pays off, largely turning the entire premise on its head and making the film akin to Home Alone (1990) recreated  as an 80's slasher. Go into You're Next expecting to be scared and you'll be disappointed. Go into it expecting a good laugh and you'll get a lot more enjoyment out of it.

 

Next time, we take a trip back twenty years as Sam Neill and Laura Dern visit a theme park with recreated dinosaurs in an IMAX 3D re-release of Jurassic Park.

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