8) You’re Next
Simon Barrett and Adam Wingard are quickly becoming two of the most important names to watch in horror, with You’re Next elevating their status like a soaring rocket ship. If you think you’ve seen everything the home invasion horror genre has to offer, you’ll be in for one shocker of a watch when you sit down for what you might assume to be more generic blandness. A vacationing family in a creepy old mansion becomes the victim of aggressive attackers – sounds new and original, right?
That’s the beauty of You’re Next – it starts out like any other similar genre fare, but as the night presses on and the twists start spinning out of control, we’re treated to a smorgasbord of goodies made from only the highest caliber ingredients. Collaborating once again with close friends and filmmakers like Joe Swanberg, AJ Bowen, and Ti West, the cast comes together with relative ease, and newcomers like Sharni Vinson fit in snug as a bug. Mix that with harmonious song selection, creative scripting, and gory horror slayings that rival the best slasher death scenes you can think of. I’ve never seen better usage of a blender in my entire life…
Sharni Vinson deserves her own special shout-out for playing the film’s surprising hero, doing so in true survival girl fashion. She’s tough, intelligent, and provides a formidable opponent for the animal mask wearing invaders. Vinson plays a character who you can easily root for and admire greatly, creating a lasting impression that sears You’re Next into your brain. Man, if a movie this good is coming in as my eighth pick, I can’t wait to see what I rated higher (he coyly says pretending he has no idea).
