Go See You're Next RIGHT NOW!

I have been waiting to see You're Next since it first debuted at Toronto International Film Festival in 2011. Unfortunately, I had to wait until this past weekend to see it BUT ALAS. I have. And I have much to say about it.

You're Next is your typical home invasion flick but what separates this from the rest is that is has a twist. I will not reveal anything about that twist so I guess you'll have to see it for yourself. Directed by Adam Wingard and written by Simon Barrett, the film is about a family reunion that is interrupted by three masked intruders. 

I loved You're Next. It was a non-stop fun horror film that made me laugh as well as cringe. The acting was fantastic. I felt as if I were looking in on an actual family reunion. Joe Swanberg and AJ Bowen stood out as two brothers who argued throughout most of the film while the standout performance goes to Sharni Vinson who plays survivalist girlfriend Erin. 

You go girl.

I think what I enjoyed most about the film was Sharni Vinson's character. Instead of cowering behind her boyfriend once things went crazy, she took control. She wasn't afraid to get vicious and you see that throughout the film. This is one badass female character and I left the theater wanting to be as strong as she was. It's not something that you see in most horror films these days. Most females in horror films are there to get naked, have sex, and ultimately get slashed to pieces. But its a breath of fresh air to see a woman fight back and fight hard.

What surprises me the most is that it isn't doing so well in theaters. On opening weekend, it landed at number 6 and only made $7 million. Even when I went to see the film Saturday night, the theater was half empty which surprised me because every movie that I ever saw on Saturday night always ended up being sold out. Shock Til You Drop wrote a very good article on this subject which you can read here. But I think what it comes down to is that people just assume its another regular home invasion flick. And given that The Purge was released back in June, some people are burnt out. I guess that might make sense if this was actually just another typical home invasion film but IT IS NOT. I can't stress that enough. And another thing, You're Next was supposed to come out back in 2011 so obviously The Purge was made AFTER this. It drives me crazy when I see people write that this movie ripped off The Purge. No, if anything, The Purge ripped off You're Next. 

So do yourself a favor and go see You're Next. Support horror! Support good horror! If not, I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of Sharknado in theaters.