A&E

Film review: ‘You’re Next’

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One of the female characters in horror flick You’re Next fights back against a group of homicidal home invaders.
Jeffrey M. Anderson

Two stars

You're Next Sharni Vinson, Nicholas Tucci, Wendy Glenn. Directed by Adam Wingard. Rated R. Opens Friday.

Adam Wingard’s You’re Next has been hyped as a fresh new take on the “home invasion” horror subgenre, helped by the fact that Wingard is associated with the supremely talented horror filmmaker Ti West. (West appears in You’re Next, and both Wingard and West directed segments of the horror anthology V/H/S.) Unfortunately, there’s not much here except one grindhouse-style trick: a female character fights back rather than becoming a victim. Wingard’s other idea, killers in animal masks, is likewise derivative and wears off after a few minutes. The rest is just the typical Ten Little Indians scheme with attempts at heightened gore. Wingard is clearly a horror fan, but he’s also a chronic camera-shaker, and not a particularly tight storyteller: The movie’s red herrings stick out too far, and logic is often in short supply. No amount of enthusiasm can make this movie better than it actually is.

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