You’re Next (2013)
– Adam Wingard helmed one of the less offensive bits of The ABCs of Death, but his work on a feature film is a bit more
successful, even if it leaves me a bit divided.
Sharni Vinson stars as Erin, a woman caught in the midst of a
dysfunctional family when her boyfriend brings her home, only to find that the
family is being targeted by a vicious group of masked home invaders. In a blend of pitch-black comedy and revisionist
horror, it turns out that Erin is far from helpless. This Whedon-esque empowerment move is one of
the film’s better angles; Vinson is a capable action heroine, and it ably picks
up the slack when the home invasion horror beats drop off. The film does make the mistake of taking off
the masks, separating it from the infinitely more terrifying 2008 film The Strangers, though as the film
evolves it steps away from the horror and closer to the dark comedy; if you had
any doubts, the creative use of a blender in one killing should dispel any
doubts. Taken individually, I like the “strong
female protagonist” approach, and self-aware black comedy is always welcome in
more recent horror films to prevent the genre from going stale; added together,
however, there’s a tonal imbalance that is very distracting. As usual, I settled in with all the lights out,
and that creeping dread set into my stomach as good horror does to me, but then
the film gets us cheering for Erin without fully letting go of the jump
moments. Don’t get me wrong, I had a
good time watching You’re Next, but I
don’t think I’d call it a well-made movie.That does it for this week’s edition of “Monday at the Movies.” We’ll see you here next week, but n the meantime don’t forget to have a Happy Thanksgiving!
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