You're Next 4K 2011

The low-budget indie horror 'You're Next' was first screened at the Toronto Film Festival two years ago, after which Lionsgate immediately acquired the North American distribution rights to the film, thus generating a lot of interest in this seemingly faceless genre product. After all, films, one way or another related to the subgenre of home invasion appear regularly; and to find in this concept of some revelations and unconventional approach to talk about, as a rule, is not necessary. This brings to mind the recent 'The Purge', which, despite the fact that it won in some ways thanks to its 'utopian' concept, nevertheless managed to fail in all other parameters, presenting nothing sane in terms of the realization of its horror component.

In the case of this movie, it's exactly the opposite. The creators initially make it clear that they are going to demonstrate, as it were, an 'ordinary' slasher, with no claims to revolutionize the genre. This is clear from the 'classic' opening scene, in which we are shown the murder of an unsuspecting random couple - a typical prologue, which sets the right mood, and is a timely warning for those who can't stand the sight of blood, and by some miracle wandered into the session by chance. Then we see the expected plot, during which a large family gathers together in a country house. The family is not a small one - the parents and their adult children: three sons and a daughter. Of course, each of them will arrive at the family dinner party with a couple; to provide the script with more room for a variety of personal confrontations between the characters; and the viewer's imagination with more scope as to who will be the next victim. But the bloody mayhem comes a little later - for now, time is given over to depressing family squabbles. One of the brothers, on his way to his parents' house, tells his friend Erin (Sharni Vinson) - 'You'll see what happens when they all get together!' A note of caustic humor already at this point shows itself from time to time; and this irony doesn't look strained, but proves to be quite inventive. Of course, the gorgeous episode of the family feast deserves special mention; however, only viewers with some knowledge of the American indie scene will be able to understand all its subtle nuances and appreciate the power of banter. Thus, the notorious horrormaker Ty West plays the boyfriend of the only daughter of the family, and he himself is a 'walking piece of meat'. But that's not the main thing - the main thing is his hilarious dialog with his brother Aimee, who shows himself to be a shallow snob, and, with a certain amount of sass, shows a very disdainful attitude towards independent cinema, issuing murderous maxims like 'documentary advertising - that's the real trend'. That would be all right, but the only thing we see in the role of this snob is Joe Swanberg, a director known for his numerous mumblecore creations that regularly tour American independent festivals. Well, Aimee herself is played by Amy Saimetz - she was recently seen in Shane Carruth's 'Upstream Color'.

However, as expected, the family squabbles will be interrupted by a carefully planned invasion of strange individuals with crossbows and axes, which will be a complete surprise for the family gathered around the table; but not for the viewer, who has already had time to look at the reflections of animal masks in the windows outside. At this point, the movie begins to masterfully manipulate genre canons, pitting the intelligence of some characters against the stupidity of others; mixing fear and irony, and interspersing obviousness with uncertainty. The motives of the 'capture team', at first, are rather vague, and even if they remained so at the end, and we were offered another story about 'head-sick scumbags' - it wouldn't have spoiled the impression much, because of really competent technical realization and confident dynamics of the film. But, to the credit of the creators, they decided not to limit themselves to the 'cosmetic effect', when there is a lot of blood but little sense - and also endowed the movie with a clear plot background; that is, all the cards will be revealed in the finale in a logical way; and in the process we expect a lot of interesting twists. Not 'Scream', of course - but initially the picture deceptively makes you believe that we're looking at a completely linear slasher in the vein of 'Friday the 13th' - and the presence of such twists here is a pleasant surprise.

A lot could be said about the heroine Sharni Vinson, who suddenly, unexpectedly even for herself, woke up Hit-Girl - but it's better to see it once. And here, again, it is saved by the fact that the creators very subtly feel the necessary mood and control the tone - if some moments have the risk of seeming silly - the script elegantly turns them in the direction of mockery of the genre's stamps, and it works perfectly. The movie is expertly made, with a sense of style and a genuine love of the genre. You can't reinvent the bicycle, of course, but there's nothing wrong with building your own, which will be no worse than your neighbor's. Even if the neighbor is Sam Raimi.