Way back in 2013, an iconic slasher gem broke out onto the horror scene, carving up creative team Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett as a true force in the genre. That little indie was You’re Next, swooped up by major distributor Lionsgate out of a stellar TIFF Midnight Madness debut in 2011. The film would be shelved for two years before finally being released into a crowded landscape that included similar home invasion franchise, The Purge. For those who saw it upon its original theatrical release, there was a magical energy with the crowd that speaks to the power of a shared experience. All these years later, the tongue-in-cheek fan favorite thriller arrives with a brand new 4K restoration, overstuffed with three hours of extras!
For the uninitiated, You’re Next collects many of the frequent Wingard/Barrett collaborators to put a fresh spin on the slasher subgenre of horror. Certainly, some of the tropes are here: unsuspecting folks being picked off one by one, a blood-soaked final girl, and a reveal that lays bare the motive of the sadistic murderers. Even if the beats it touches sound obvious, the execution is anything but. Before this, Wingard only had a couple of indie titles under his belt. You’re Next would mark his biggest swing yet into the mainstream. Of course, this was year’s before the incredible Blair Witch reboot and Wingard’s huge-budget Godzilla movies.
For the 35-year wedding anniversary of their ridiculously wealthy parents, the spoiled siblings and their significant others get together at a grandiose mansion for a celebratory dinner. Unfortunately, three masked killers—ceremoniously dubbed “Lamb Mask,” “Tiger Mask,” and “Fox Mask” in the end credits, after their disguises—have other plans. Only minutes into a tense dinner argument, crossbow arrows blast through anything in their path as they explode into the dining room. From the way this sequence is frantically shot, Wingard gets us into the headspace of these characters as they attempt to figure out a way to make it out alive. Not a single one of the kids seem to have any survival skills, but headstrong Aussie Erin (Sharni Vinson), girlfriend to schlubby Crispian (AJ Bowen), immediately swings into action.
What sets this apart from one’s standard home invasion horror is the razor-sharp script and freewheeling improv. The cast have a certain vibe together nearly impossible to replicate, and actually make a believable family unit. When the crazy shit hits the fan, we fully care about what happens to each of them. Barrett carefully walks the line between comedy and horror, leaving ample room for both to naturally blossom. The practical effects make all the difference but sound like a nightmare to actually carry out—gnarly kills are the bread and butter of any great slasher, and thankfully Wingard and Barrett understand this. No stone is left unturned when it comes to the brutality. In all, fifteen people are dispatched onscreen, as the gore remains both playful and plentiful. A kitchen blender becomes a weapon of mass destruction in the hands of the twisted duo. They even manage to leave room for artistic shots; an early one involving Crampton’s matriarch observed by Lamb Mask in the reflection of a window and a later sequence lit only by the automatic flash of a camera are just two of my favorites.
Fast-paced and succinctly 80s in nature, You’re Next constantly turns the tables on expectations. Erin ends up with a body count nearly equal to the people trying to kill them, which is ironic and somehow kind of perfect. Each time we expect the film to zig, it zags instead. Horror legend Barbara Crampton came out of retirement for her role as the mother here, and soon after would star in a copious amount of horror (including iconic modern flicks Superhost and Suitable Flesh). Everyone involved cannot speak more highly of her if they tried, and the same can be said for recently-deceased cast member Nicholas Tucci. Even without a sequel, Sharni’s Erin became an enduring final girl still beloved to this day.
As far as the special features are concerned, some are carried over from previous releases. However, its the new ones which I wanted to highlight here. Simon Barrett and Adam Wingard have recorded a brand-new commentary track for the feature, an incredibly informative one that, when coupled with an included interview with the duo running over an hour in length, present a full vision. Most interestingly on the commentary, they briefly discuss their original plans for a You’re Next 2 that would have seen Erin railroaded by the system and blamed for the murders. Her prison van would get attacked, and she would end up stranded at a booby-trapped meth lab chained to others. If only this would have happened, but never say never!
In addition to the commentary and director interview, actors AJ Bowen, Amy Seimetz, and Joe Swanberg both weigh in with their thoughts on the legacy of the film; production designer Tom Hammock talks layering the airbrushed masks with detail; producers Keith Calder and Jess Wu Calder look back on discovering the house used for filming; and analyst Tim Coleman evaluates the position of You’re Next weighed against other slasher titles. The supplementals are the cherry on top of an excellent 4K transfer, with crisper picture and cleaned up color grading in spots. As with many 4K discs, this is the best You’re Next has looked since its big screen release. Make sure to pick it up now in an exclusive (and gorgeous!) box set!
Adam Wingard’s You’re Next slices and dices onto a brand new limited 4K UHD and Blu-Ray, now available from Second Sight Films.
