Ryan McNeil
Without getting into get into the rationale as to why, tonight was my first Midnight Madness screening in seven years. I always have a ball at these sorts of shows, and feed off the rampant energy of the crowd…but being a more “daytime fester”, getting home after 2am can make a morning screening the next day (or even a noon hour one) a tricky endeavour. Tonight though, I took the plunge back into those bloodied waters.
The film that drew me back was YOU’RE NEXT – a slasher yarn from the guys who created A HORRIBLE WAY TO DIE. (Sidenote: After seeing INSIDIOUS at last year’s Midnight Madness, they were bound and determined to be a part of the programme this year). The plot isn’t anything groundbreaking: At a country house out in the middle of nowhere, a family of ten is terrorized by some masked boogiemen – with a talent for killing efficiently – and picked off one by one.
The fun, of course, comes in how each one will meet their untimely demise, and likewise the fact that this brood of lambs lined up for the slaughter are pretty darned dysfunctional. This odd chemistry amongst the misfits strangely makes for a lot of laughs. But back to the twisted, an amusing bit of creep factor comes in with the detail that the killers are wearing dime-store animal masks. So as if a dude dressed all in black sporting a sheep mask isn’t weird enough, he comes in and out of the story brandishing a machete.
Early on, it becomes apparent that the “final girl” in this scenario will be the girlfriend Erin as played by Sharni Vinso (who last made me shriek with horror in STEP UP 3-D). Erin makes for a great hero in this twisted little tale – taking charge in a way that would make Kevin McAllister proud, and using everything she can find within this country house to its full lethal potential…and I do mean everything.
While the film was a lot of fun – and again, the crowd atmosphere cannot by overstated – it’s not without its flaws. While it has a lot of moments of genuine terror, much of the scariness was broadcast by a soundtrack that spelled out every ominous situation like you need your hand held. That said, I will give them points for a piece they play in the final act which is a fitting callback to the scores of classics like HALLOWEEN and FRIDAY THE 13TH.
So on the whole, not a film that’s going to climb up the charts of my all-time freakiest films, but one that made for a lot of thrills and a lot of laughs. What more could you want on a Saturday night?
YOU’RE NEXT plays TIFF twice more: Monday September 12th – 6:30pm @ AMC and Friday September 16th – 4pm @ The Lightbox.
After seeing ‘A Horrible Way to Die’ at Fantasia this past summer, I’m a full on supporter of this writer-director duo. Nice to know that they have some other tricks up their sleeve. This sounds pretty different from Way to Die. Any clue as to whether or not this has been picked up for a release?
I haven’t read whether or not it’s been picked up just yet, but it’s so much fun that I’d be surprised if it doesn’t get play somewhere. At the very least, look for it at Fantasia next summer.