You're Next movie poster
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You're Next
You're Next movie poster

You're Next Movie Review

Now available on Blu-ray and DVD (Buy on Amazon)

Hatchets. Knives. Crossbows. Wire. Blenders. Whatever weapon of choice, You're Next. In the new horror film from the guys behind V/H/S, a family reunion meets a team of masked killers, and the team of masked killers meets their match in the form of a sexy Aussie chick. You're Next is ludicrous, but it's also ludicrously fun.

Sharni Vinson stars as Erin, the aforementioned sexy Aussie chick, who is visiting a remote mansion with her boyfriend-who-is-several-leagues-below-her to meet his parents, brothers and sister. The tension-filled family reunion quickly turns into a bloodbath when they are attacked by a group of sociopaths.

Yea for family reunions!

You're Next starts off on a bad foot, or at least you'll think it does. With exception to Vinson, the acting is pretty terrible, in part thanks to the even more terrible dialogue. There are many cringe-worthy scenes early on, where laughing is the best and perhaps only antidote.

The thing is... all that early stuff is a guise, a means to make you complacent in advance of the bloody, ludicrous thrill ride that is to come. I won't go so far as to say the bad acting and dialogue is intentional, but there is a point about 25 minutes into the movie when you realize the filmmakers don't care - because they know they have a horror classic on their hands.

You're Next is a fun, silly horror movie that revels in its absurdity. It isn't a comedy, but it's intentionally funny nonetheless; the movie knows how the audience will react to the suspense, gore and plot twists - first nervous giggles, then outright laughter - and embraces those reactions accordingly. In this regard, it is one of the most confident horror movies since Cabin in the Woods.

Vinson also portrays one of the most likable and coolest horror protagonists in memory; she's sexy, she's Australian and she's an utter badass. By the end of the movie, the audience was fully behind her. You want her to live, and you want her to kill.

Her final encounter with the villain(s) is one for the ages.

In some ways, there's nothing special about You're Next. Its plot is pretty ordinary, the villains not particularly unique and the acting... well, yeah. But the movie operates with a surprising amount of confidence, and understandably so: it's entertaining, fast-paced, funny, gory and exciting. And a man gets killed with a blender.

Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.

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