Hallow-vent Calendar - Day Five: You're Next
Today’s entry may very well be my very favourite on this list. Adam Wingard’s 2011 film You’re Next is everything that you will want out of a slasher film. Do you like slasher movies or home invasion stories? Have you seen all the major franchises: Halloween, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street? This is the one for you. It is shot with grace and style and looks amazing. The acting is actually decent as well. The villains are somewhat disturbing and creepy, bringing the movie to a successful climax. Also, instead of following constantly reused, clichéd elements of the slasher genre, this movie fully embraces those tropes and the fun begins.
Erin and her current boyfriend Crispian join his wealthy, waspy family for a family reunion at his parents’ estate. From here we are introduced to the entire family and just as things begin to settle in, we are given the first glimpse of what will be there evening. Much in the same vein as the brilliant 2008 film The Strangers and the much less wonderful The Purge from 2013, Erin and her companions are set upon by a masked group of killers who torment the group, trying to single out each person and kill them. I will not give anything away, not only because this film is a must watch, but because honestly, if you have seen a movie like this before, you can easily predict what will happen.
That last sentence was not a downside at all. As I said earlier, this film fully embraces all of the amazing tropes and clichés that come with this genre and instead of trying so hard to be different, claims its place at the top of the pile. The fun isn’t in finding out what will happen next or how the movie will end—the fun is in the ride to the ending which we all know is coming. It is executed so well that after my first viewing, this film immediately made its way into my heart and my top 15 horror movies of all time. If you are a fan of horror at all, this is a must watch. It does for its subgenre what Adam Green’s Hatchet series does for the unkillable slasher market: it takes what we know and plays with it so we can enjoy what we love about those films. You’re Next is suspenseful, creepy, jumpy, and above all else, an immense amount of fun for horror fans.
Find more gory goodness in our Hallow-vent Calendar.
Image - IMDb
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