You're Next - Second Sight Limited Edition 4K UHD/Blu-ray New Release Review
Director: Adam Wingard
Starring: Sharni Vinson, Joe Swanberg, AJ Bowen, Wendy Glenn, Barbara Crampton, Ti West,
Written by: Simon Barrett
Produced by: Simon Barrett, Jess Wu Calder, Keith Calder, Kim Sherman
Cinematography by: Andrew Droz Palermo
Original Score by: Mads Heldtberg, Jasper Lee, Kyle McKinnon, Adam Wingard
Synopsis:
When the Davison family comes under attack during their wedding anniversary getaway, the gang of mysterious killers soon learns that one of the victims harbours a secret talent for fighting back.
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Thoughts:
Thirteen years after Adam Wingard's tense, home invasion horror film terrified audiences worldwide, physical media giants Second Sight Films have remastered the film on Limited Edition 4K UHD Blu-ray with a stack of brand new special features. The animals will hunt you. Can you survive?
Barbara Crampton and Rob Moran star as Aubrey and Paul Davison who have invited all four of their children and spouses to an intimate dinner at their rather lavish fixer-upper mansion in the quiet countryside to celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary. It'll be the first time in years that the whole family have been together and the first time the parents have met some of their kids' partners. Our protagonists are Crispin (AJ Bowen) and his girlfriend Erin (Sharni Vinson) who are the first couple to join Paul and Aubrey at the house. The next morning they are joined by Drake (Joe Swanberg) and his wife Kelly (Margaret Laney), Aimee (Amy Seimetz) and her new boyfriend Tariq (Ti West) and the youngest sibling Felix (Nicholas Tucci) and his girlfriend Zee (Wendy Glenn). They all perform the pleasantries before soon sitting down to a generous dinner where, naturally, some family issues begin to overspill, notably between Drake and Crispin. The heated arguement is interrupted when Tariq, who has slowly rose from the dinner table and made his way to the window peering outside, is crossbowed right through the centre of his forehead. Chaos ensues and the family quickly realise that they are being fastidiously attacked by a group of psychopaths who are stalking the house from outside.
Admittedly inspired by a random rewatching of Wes Craven's iconic 90s slasher 'Scream' Adam Wingard was eager to re-team with pal Simon Barrett to come up with a new take on a home invasion slasher in the same vein as the famous Drew Barrymore led opening scene and shaped by Bob Clark's 1974 seminal classic 'Black Christmas'.
'You're Next' marks the third collaboration between Wingard and writer Simon Barrett, after their previous low budget efforts 'A Horrible Way to Die' and 'What Fun We Were Having' and although clearly still working within a limited budget this is a step up in terms of cinematic storytelling and production design. Barrett's script is clever and punchy with dollops of dark humour layered throughout but it never sacrifices any of the violent action or gore, in fact it heightens it. With a film like this you learn to expect a fair few jump scares but Barrett and Wingard are more careful than most at when to include them. The script is elevated by the fantastic performances from the ensemble including the legendary Barabra Crampton, who returned to the genre after essentially being retired from acting and Joe Swanberg, whose dry wit adds a little extra humour even after he is brutally pierced in the shoulder by a crossbow bolt. The entire cast have their moments but it's in the group dynamic that they all excel.
Sharni Vinson is a competent final girl in that she doesn't conform to tradition. She has an abundance of survival instinct, something that is necessary in the final girl template, but her character actually brings the fight to the trespassing killers early on instead of waiting until her back is against the wall. Erin is smart and tough as nails but her most impressive quality is her logic, a trait that is not always visible in horror films. Vinson plays Erin with gusto and poise.
What makes 'You're Next' really stand out from your average home invasion/slasher film are the kills. The first is shocking, the second is brutal and unexpected and there's a kill towards the end of the film using a kitchen appliance that is super fun and incredibly inventive. I think the twist is revealed just a little too early and there's some expositionary dialogue that felt unnecessary but overall it's just an ultra violent and highly entertaining horror film.
It feels like while 'You're Next' certainly pays homage to classic slashers, it absolutely creates it's own thing and may even itself be an influence to the likes of Jordan Peele's 'Get Out' and Radio Silence's 'Ready or Not' with its clever blend of taut action, dark comedy and bloody violence.
Second Sights new 4K restoration really delivers in sound quality with a fun commentary from Wingard, Barrett and some of the cast. There's six new interviews including Producers Keith Calder and Jess Wu Calder and Production Designer Tom Hammock. And there's a great video essay from Tim Coleman on slasher cinema and how and where 'You're Next' falls into the sub-genre.
Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½
-Gavin Logan
'You're Next' is available to own on Limited Edition 4K UHD/Blu-ray from Second Sight on August 19th
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