Movies
[Review] FF ’11: ‘You’re Next’ Cleans Up Awards, Another Rave Review!
Acquired by Lionsgate with hopes of becoming their next big franchise, Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett’s You’re Next cleaned up the horror awards at the Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. The home invasion slasher won “Best Picture,” “Best Director” (Wingard), “Best Screenplay” (Barrett) and “Best Actor” (Sharni Vinson). In the film a family comes under a terrifying and sadistic attack during a reunion getaway.
In addition to our first rave review out of TIFF, below you’ll find Brad McHargue’s thoughts on the film that he calls “one of the best theater-going experiences of the year.”
You’re Next tells the unfortunate tale of the Davison family and what happens when a gang of masked intruders armed with crossbows interrupt their peaceful night. Gathering together at their parents’ mansion to celebrate their 35th anniversary, siblings Crispian, Felix, Drake, and Aimee, along with their significant others, settle in for an awkward dinner filled with all the sibling rivalry the family can muster. This, unfortunately, is interrupted by a gang of masked marauders brandishing crossbows and a burning desire to kill every single person in the house. Cripsian’s girlfriend Erin, a tiny yet ferocious Aussie, takes it upon herself to try and keep everyone safe.
You’re Next is a brilliant send-up of the “home invasion” sub-genre. Throughout the film every possible convention you can think of – cell phones not working, heading to the basement for safety, et al – is poked fun at through quick witted dialogue with just the right amount of subtlety to prevent it from straying into outright parody. It’s more straight horror than it is a parody a la Scream, but the subtle jabs at the genre are there. In addition, unlike many horror comedies that tend to move away from humor as the tension rises, the comedy in You’re Next is paced in a way that is remarkably even-handed, with random quips, humorous banter, and brilliant satire appearing exactly when needed.
Much of this is accomplished through the pitch perfect performances of almost everyone involved, particularly the trio of male siblings and our intrepid hero Erin. The former, played by AJ Bowen, Joe Swanberg, and Nicholas Tucci, play off each other, hurling insults and engaging in witty banter anyone with a sibling can relate to; the latter, played by Sharni Vinson, kicks so much ass you’ll stand up in your seat and cheer. When looked at as a group, each character had a distinct personality that brought something wholly unique and, in most cases, just downright fun to the extended siege on the Davison house.
As their situation worsens, this gives way to pithy one-liners; several moments elicited gut-busting laughter from the audience, though this was quickly tempered by the amazing pacing and undeniably entertaining violence. There isn’t a single dull moment in the film, and when you’re not laughing, you’re cringing.
The direction of the film was spot on, though director Adam Wingard failed to learn from the mistakes he made in A Horrible Way to Die. There is absolutely no reason to shake the camera so much, especially during some of the more tense scenes. Thankfully, much of it tapered off as the film progressed or, in some instances, wasn’t anywhere near as bad as it could have been. Beyond this, the only real complaint comes from a seemingly irrelevant part of the film that is seemingly introduced to inform a later scene, despite it not working within the context of the film. It’s a minor quibble, but one that deserves a mention.
You’re Next is one of the best horror films of the year, and with its acquisition by Lionsgate, we can only hope that its release is successful. Don’t let its run-of-the-mill premise fool you – it has its tongue planted firmly in its cheek while maintaining a necessary sense of respect for the genre, and the end result is one of the best theater-going experiences of the year.
4.5/5 skulls
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At the Abigail premiere, Dan Stevens listed Norway among his four favorite vampire movies. “I just saw a great movie recently that I’d never heard of,” he told Letterboxd. “A Greek film called Norway, about a vampire who basically exists in the underground disco scene in ’80s Athens, and he can’t stop dancing ’cause he’s worried his heart will stop. And it’s lovely. It’s great.”
You won’t find a better endorsement than that, but allow me to elaborate. Imagine Only Lovers Left Alive meets What We Do in the Shadows by way of Yorgos Lanthimos. The quirky 2014 effort follows a vampire vagabond (Vangelis Mourikis) navigating Greek’s sordid nightlife circa 1984 as he dances to stay alive. Not as campy as it sounds, its idiosyncrasies land more in the art-house realm. Stylized visuals, colorful bloodshed, pulsating dance music, and an absurd third-act reveal help the existentialism go down in a mere 74 minutes.
With the recent solar eclipse renewing public interest in the astrological event, Bloody Birthday is ripe for rediscovery. Three children born during an eclipse – Curtis Taylor (Billy Jayne, Parker Lewis Can’t Lose), Debbie Brody (Elizabeth Hoy), and Steven Seton (Andrew Freeman) – begin committing murders on their 10th birthday. Brother and sister duo Joyce (Lori Lethin, Return to Horror High) and Timmy Russell (K.C. Martel, The Amityville Horror) are the only ones privy to their heinous acts.
Bloody Birthday opened in 1981 mere weeks before the release of another attempt to claim the birthday slot on the slasher calendar, Happy Birthday to Me. Director Ed Hunt (The Brain) combines creepy kid tropes that date back to The Bad Seed with slasher conventions recently established by Halloween and Friday the 13th – with a little bit of the former’s suspense and plenty of the latter’s gratuity. The unconventional set up helps it to stand out among a subgenre plagued by banality.
Starting in the late ’70s and throughout the ’80s, Italy built an enterprise out of shameless rip-offs of hit American movies. While not a blatant mockbuster like Cruel Jaws or Beyond the Door, 1989’s Alien from the Abyss (also known as Alien from the Deep) was inspired by – as you may have guessed from its title – Alien, Aliens, and The Abyss.
After a pair of Greenpeace activists attempt to expose an evil corporation that’s dumping contaminated waste into an active volcano, the environment takes a backseat to survival when an extraterrestrial monster attacks. Character actor Charles Napier (The Silence of the Lambs) co-stars as a callous colonel overseeing the illicit activities.
Director Antonio Margheriti (Yor: The Hunter from the Future, Cannibal Apocalypse) and writer Tito Carpi (Tentacles, Last Cannibal World) take far too long to get to the alien, but once it shows up, it’s non-stop excitement. The creature is largely represented by a Gigeresque pincer claw that reaches into the frame, giving the picture a ’50s creature feature charm, but nothing can prepare you for its full reveal in the finale.
Set against the backdrop of displaced Syrian and Palestinian refugees, What Is Buried Must Remain is a timely found footage hybrid from Lebanon. It centers on a trio of young filmmakers as they make a documentary in a decrepit mansion alleged to be haunted on the outskirts of a refugee camp. Inside, they find the spirits of those who died there, both benevolent and malicious.
It plays like Blair Witch meets The Shining through a cultural lens not often seen in the genre. The first half is presented as found footage (with above-average cinematography) before abruptly weaving in more traditional film coverage. While the tropes are familiar, the film possesses a unique ethos by addressing the Middle East’s plights of the past and the present alike.
Cathy’s Curse is, to borrow a phrase from its titular creepy kid, an “extra rare piece of shit.” The Exorcist, The Omen, and Carrie spawned countless low-budget knock-offs, but none are as uniquely inept as this 1977 Canuxploitation outing. Falling squarely in the so-bad-it’s-good camp, it’s far more entertaining than The Exorcist: Believer.
To try to make sense of the plot would be futile, but in a nutshell, a young girl named Candy (Randi Allen, in her only acting role) becomes possessed by the vengeful, foul-mouthed spirit of her aunt, destroying the lives of anyone who crosses her path. What ensues is a madcap mélange of possession, telekinesis, teleportation, animal attacks, abandoned plot points, and unhinged filmmaking that must be seen to be believed.
Visit the SCREAMBOX Hidden Gems archives for more recommendations.
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