As hard as it may be to believe, Adam Wingard’s surprise slasher hit You’re Next celebrated it’s tenth anniversary August 23rd 2023. 10 years… How can it be?
With buzz around the project from the very beginning, it was perhaps inevitable that the film would become somewhat of a cult hit, but the success the unflinching slasher accumulated was unfathomable to all involved, and was no doubt partially responsible for the slasher resurgence that soon followed.
You’re Next tells the story of a seemingly ordinary family gathering at their country home for a celebration. Things go awry when a group of masked assassins surround the home and begin working their way inside, slowly chipping away at the family, and their fragile dynamic.
More than just a showcase for some stunning special effects, Wingard wove a tale that is layered and packs a series of emotional punches. Whilst on the surface You’re Next is easy to write-off as another tale of men in masks with sharp implements, one scratch beneath the surface reveals a tale of a family in turmoil. As they’re thrown into panic, the characters fracture, with every little seed of doubt, disrespect, and resentment sewn carefully throughout coming to the fore.
As well as being a powerful tale of family strife and how it can tear us all apart at the worst moments, perhaps most of all, You’re Next is a tale of female empowerment. Sharni Vinson steals the show as Erin, the heavily judged girlfriend of “favourite” son Felix. Seeming happy to keep her head down and suffer through the family’s disapproval, it is quite the character arc when Erin lays bear her knowledge of violent traps and hand-to-hand combat. Consequently, both Vinson and her character have become a favourite among genre fans, often held up as one of the best modern examples of the slasher movie’s “final girl.”
With a twist ending that is straight out of an Agatha Christie classic, lashings of practical effects and a harsh message about karma and disrespect, You’re Next holds up even better than it did a decade ago.
Having made $30 million at the box-office on a scant $1 million budget, and given the cliffhanger we’re left on, we can’t help but wonder… where’s the sequel? Audiences long to see more of Sharni Vinson’s Erin, without a doubt. We know Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett have gone on to huge projects since You’re Next and are probably very busy… However, if one of them happens to see this editorial… Isn’t it time for You’re Next… Again?
