There are a number of movies that come out each year put
into the hands of a marketing team that then turn around and make you believe
you're watching one type of movie when it's actually another. Confused yet?
Okay let's consider this. The horror genre is making major inroads into mass
culture. No longer are horror films the once in a blue moon genre but more
often they're the main thing playing. So if a movie has horrific elements a
marketing team highlights those even if the movie isn't really a horror film at
all. Take YOU'RE NEXT for example.
The movie opens with a man and woman attacked in a home
invasion that really has little to do with the plot other than to establish the
villains, a group that wears animal masks and brutally kills the couple. It
moves from there to a family reunion of sorts in a secluded, wooded area. First
to arrive are mom and dad, both apparently retired and looking forward to the
weekend getaway with the now grown kids.
First to arrive is Crispian, a teacher and his girlfriend
Erin. Not as successful as he had hoped, it becomes a sore point later on with
his more successful brother. As the story unfolds you realize that there are
many unresolved issues between various family members but that is nothing compared
to what they will soon face.
The next day the rest of the family arrives in the form of
older brother Drake, their sister and younger brother Felix and his new
girlfriend. The low level bickering begins and culminates at the dinner table
with Drake insulting his sister's new boyfriend. When the boyfriend goes over
to the window to look outside glass is shattered, he turns and we see an arrow
sticking out of his chest. The movie turns from a family convergence to a home
invasion film unlike any other.
Unable to cope with the reality of what's going on it is
Erin that saves the day and calls out instructions to the rest in an attempt to
stave off the attackers. While the invaders might have planned on this family
falling apart they had no clue what they would get in Erin. The family is
forced to come together on a basic level if they are going to survive this.
Traps have been set, some invaders have already been hidden in the house and
the only ones armed seem to be the bad guys.
So what we're presented with here is more of a thriller,
along the lines of something Alfred Hitchcock might have made were he alive
today. Even more so as things begin to slowly unspool with each minute of the
film and we learn why this is happening and just who is behind it. To say the
final revelation is not one most will see coming doesn't do it justice. And now
that I've said that don't watch expecting to find clues easily as to that
ending. Just know once they start to come, more follow.
The movie will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout
even though it takes a short time to get going. But then if you don't establish
the players here nothing makes sense. Even the early portrayal of Erin as a
student aid who seems to be pretty frail is turned upside down along with many
other characters in the movie.
At first glimpse one could mistake this for the torture porn
films that I've come to loathe over the past few years. Be glad that this
doesn't fall into that genre at all. Instead it's a white knuckle ride that
grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go until the final credits roll. Top
notch acting, a solid story, great effects and some smooth camerawork make this
film one that will stick in your memory come bed time. What more could you ask
for from a thriller?
Click here to order.
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