The Next big thing? Almost.

YOU'RE NEXT (2014) (original release 2011)

K. So this film got made a while ago, and then they hit the festival circuit... and wow did the buzz kick into high gear. Add in a couple nifty promotions and bam! A real word of mouth (or type of finger) must see horror flick.

So naturally I get scared. Yup. Bears. No problem. Ninjas. Pft! Nothing to worry about. A new healthcare reform... well... ok... marginally scary, the point is... I love horror and when people start going around saying things like "The next great horror film is here" And "A must see for horror fans" Well naturally... I start to worry that it will be a horrid let down...

So here we are with YOU'RE NEXT. A would be nifty little piece of indie horror...

You're plot: A family gathering (a big old family, parents, 4 siblings, a plus one for all) is slightly less awesome due to a gang of masked thugs showing up and offing people with arrows, axes, piano wire... you know, stuff. The twist comes in the way of one of the girlfriends putting up waaaaaaay more of a fight than these thugs expected to get from a bunch of rich kids. Who knows... maybe she'll be our (wait for it).... Survivor girl...

Le Meow. Le pur-pur.

First off I have to say with the budget, director Adam Wingard, and writer Simon Barrett, really get the extra mile out of this film. However, there are some problems here... and I really do need to bitch about them because, well, dammit, they just really drop the ball on a few things.

First the opening 30 minutes. Ok the 25 minutes after the opening 5. They are horrible. I mean horrible. Acting. Writing. Dialogue. How can you possibly care for this family because they are all cardboard cutouts. Hell, the guy that dies in the opening 5 minutes showed more personality. So, if you are awaiting all the glorious gore... and there is much... you will have to sit there and just try to get through those opening 30 minutes.

The next major issue with this film is that it tries to out clever you, the audience. Here's the thing. I am sitting watching a low budget gore fest. Horror. B movie. Do I really care about plot twists? Let me ask you something horror fans... Do you like the original Sleepaway Camp with the OMG! It's really a boy at the end twist... or the crazy gore and fun of the sequels? I'm pretty sure if you love the Sleepaway trilogy, the first one ain't the one that gets watched the most. BUT, I digress...

Sometimes. You just have to take a breather... Some you time.

Point is. Twist. Then Twist. Then Twist. I'm sorry at some point I actually had my arms raised going No you bastards, enough, just end it, you did good... you did good... end it! No. They beat those twists to death till all the coolness of the last 30 minutes of the film gets watered down by unwanted shit.

But. BUT. You read that right Booniacs, the 30 minutes before the twist/double twist endings are awesome. I am talking blood by the bucket, body parts on clearance, practical gore of the hizzie of shizzie... (sorry was bumping some Snoop... last week lol). Yes. It is a blast. Well done, well directed, and hey once the action starts, the writing finds it's groove, and game on!

The lead, Sharni Vinson, does a damn fine job once she settles into weapon usage. I have to admit I have not seen to much of her resume, though I did enjoy (on a mind of level) Bait. She really owns the role, and as the movie progresses seems to come into her bad assert. I mean the ways this girls owns here some thug is just... awesome. You ever wanted to see some one killed with a blender? Yup. Dreams do come true.

That said.

I have said this time and time again. You know it Booniacs. There are just too many good movies out there. So I will not now, or ever, excuse a movie a shitty last five minutes, because the rest of the film entertained me.

One twist too many.
Some times. Some times it is ok to just let em walk away boys.

Just let em walk away.
Dammit.

Movie scale 2. 5 out 5 stars
horror scale 3 out 5 stars

Enough blood, and guts, and well... everything in-between to entertain you gorehounds out there. And enough fun to keep the horror purists engaged. I say I am not sorry I watched it, but I doubt i will need to a second time... well, maybe with a friend or two...

-Chuck B. Boonsweet.