COLLECTOR'S CRYPT - "YOU'RE NEXT" (SECOND SIGHT LE 4K UHD)
There are few things as universally terrifying as a home invasion. No matter where you live, or where you’re from, the idea of people you don’t know breaking into your home to harm you or the ones you love is one of our most basic and primal fears. It is a fear that evolves with the times to be even more frightening than before as it adapts to new methods that law enforcement and citizens use to fight back against intrusion. The home invasion subgenre is host to some of horrors best and brightest, but isn’t immune to the kind of redundancy and monotony that plagues other subgenres. While the core formula of the home invasion film hasn’t changed much over the years, what has is the kind of malevolent people who carry these acts out. We used to be afraid of serial killers following us home, but now digital tools make it easier than ever for people to find out everything they need to know about you with just a few “clicks”. While these new societal fears have made their way into the genre, many of these films owe a lot to “You’re Next”. From Director Adam Wingard and Writer Simon Barrett, “You’re Next” is one of the defining and most innovative films in the home invasion genre, and the wonderful folks at Second Sight Films have given this modern era masterpiece their sleek limited edition treatment with a 4K UHD transfer. Is this edition the one worth invading your shelves with, or is it a case of save your shelf-space?
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
A family reunion takes an unexpected and gruesome turn when their home is invaded by masked killers. What the cold-blooded intruders don’t count on however is a guest that can turn just as violent they are.
HOW IS IT?
“Modern Classic” is a lofty term to throw around, but we’ll be damned if “You’re Next” doesn’t fit the bill to a tee. It can be hard to forget that the film came out in 2011 and still feels as fresh today as it did then, maybe even more so as the traditional final girl has now become the penultimate badass of horror. In many ways “You’re Next” set the tone for what the next iteration of “slasher” movies would look like. One where the final girl isn’t there to be tortured and traumatized into submission, but one where the final girl fights back. It would be fair to even call “You’re Next” an inverse slasher since it flips the script on its head by making the killers as fallible as their victims and discounting the potential of others assumed to be weaker to their peril. It also cleverly infuses humor that is subtle enough to be a welcome distraction without ever trying too hard to get a laugh and is a testament to how solid storytelling, great practical effects and powerhouse performances can elevate something familiar to amazing new heights.
The premise of “You’re Next” on paper doesn’t scream “ingenuity”. A home invasion thriller with excess amounts of violence sounds like a lot of movies one could’ve seen in 2011, but “You’re Next” takes those base concepts and toys with them like a cat playing with a captured mouse. It takes the mundane, albeit dramatic setting of a dysfunctional family reunion and spices things up with a group of animal-masked killers who lay siege upon the home of seemingly innocent folks staying within only to find out that things aren’t exactly as they seem. We will avoid spoilers, but even once all the pieces are laid out after multiple viewings “You’re Next” still stands out as hugely entertaining. Perhaps it is because “You’re Next” was one of the first in a wave of American independent horror movies that took old tropes and made them new again. Similar to Ti West’s “House of the Devil”, “You’re Next” treads familiar ground but does so with a new pair of shoes. Here, the home invasion is happening to people you generally don’t like and like less as the movie progresses. Additionally, the killers are not some indestructible forces of nature a la Michael Myers, but regular everyday folk who bleed just like everyone else. These concepts aren’t new now and weren’t wholly unique then, but how Director Adam Wingard and Writer Simon Barrett weave these ideas together with an authenticity that wasn’t common at the time. Sure, we had complicated characters in the Saw franchise, but they were defined by their complexity rather than being multi-dimensional. In “You’re Next”, almost no one is redeeming, but they become that way rather than start that way.
Much of what helps “You’re Next” to stand out amongst a wave of impersonators and inspirations are the practical effects and the script. On the former, the effects work here straddles the line between excessive and hilarious without ever veering into the absurd category. This is not to say that the violence is comical, but rather some of the setups end in darkly funny ways that are hard not to laugh at even if they’re quite bloody. Wingard carefully demonstrates some resolve by not succumbing to an all-out blood bath no matter how tempting the material makes it, yet he also gives you more than what you’ve bargained for in the splatter department creating the unique situation where the violence is perfectly suited for the material. On the script front, everything in “You’re Next” is so snappy and efficient. From the storytelling to the reveals, and the genuine dialogue shared between characters as the proverbial shit hits the fan. Some of this is helped by a cast of emerging (at the time) talents such as Sharni Vinson as well as the assistance of veterans like Barabara Crampton who play delightfully off each other, especially Crampton who is pitch-perfect as Aubrey. A horror film can rarely retain such high replay value in the days of disposable content and overwhelming amounts of material to engage with, but that is exactly what makes “You’re Next” a modern classic. It is innovative without being too far ahead of the zeitgeist, and even after the twists are revealed you still engage fully in the experience each time you watch. “You’re Next” isn’t just one of the best horror movies of the modern era, it may be one of the best horror movies ever.
HOW DOES IT LOOK?
Those familiar with the pedigree of Second Sight Films should feel good knowing that they are still delivering the most consistent and quality experience for home media collectors today. “You’re Next” is just another feather in their already strong cap of remasters where we are presented with what is likely the definitive version of this modern home invasion classic. With an HDR Dolby Vision transfer approved by Adam Wingard “You’re Next” is presented in 4K UHD with 2160p and an aspect ratio of 2.39:1. The color grading from the HDR is used to perfection here to bring out the darkest possible hues, which help give so much of the film deals with obscured images in dark / low-light surroundings. It also helps to make the more natural, earthy tones of the color palette stand out without artificial brightening proving once again that Second Sight is second to none when it comes to their transfers. Images from this release are used throughout the review and below.
HOW DOES IT SOUND?
On the sound front, Second Sight seemed to have ported over the previous audio tracks from the Lionsgate releases porting over the 5.1 DTS-HD surround soundtrack. It is curious though that only the English subtitles were brought over and not the Spanish ones, but the 5.1 track is more than enough so it makes sense why a newer track wasn’t commissioned. The action in “You’re Next” is less prolonged and more moment-based, but the audio track does use the rear speakers wisely if not sparingly to support the strong front and center outputs.
ANYTHING SPECIAL?
Heaping praise on Second Sight Films for their releases is a given at this point, as the boutique label has yet to disappoint with any of their releases, especially the Limited Edition ones. This LE for “You’re Next” is the perfect companion to this modern horror classic featuring a slew of newly commissioned and one of the legacy materials ported over. One of the first things to mention is the 120-page book of essays included with the Limited Edition, a staple of the Second Sight release. These include a series of academic reads on the impact of “You’re Next” as well as broader appreciations that encompass a wider cultural context that surrounds the film. Such as in Heather Wixson’s opening pages where she refers to “You’re Next” as being the ultimate modern independent horror movie as it is a tapestry of frequent collaborators and genre legends working in diabolical harmony. Some essays also talk about “You’re Next” in terms of where it sits in the pantheon of Home Invasion films that rose to prominence at the start of the 2010s, or the musings of the inverted final girl role that sees Erin become the exact thing she is escaping in the film. These essays aren’t just love letters to an amazing film, they are time capsules to better understand the context of our society at the time and the impact these films have on the future.
The second feature we took in was the 60-minute newly commissioned interview, Children of the 80s: A New Interview with Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett. This is as in-depth as one can get as both Wingard and Barrett talk at length about the entire history of “You’re Next” including the humble beginnings as a home invasion anthology, and how they were inspired to create in this genre after seeing so many of these films at film festivals they had been attending. It also provides a closer look into the working relationship between Wingard and Barrett, which began with a film before “You’re Next” and who are still frequent collaborators to this day. There are also some important discussions around distribution and how making a film is a form of alchemy as every set seems to be plagued with some variation of Murphy’s Law. This interview doesn’t just offer insight into “You’re Next”, but it does explore the process of independent filmmaking and how it is as much luck as it is effort. A full list of special features included in this release are listed below:
Bonus Materials
Special Features
New 4K restoration and HDR Dolby Vision grade approved by Director Adam Wingard
Dual format edition including both UHD and Blu-ray with main feature and bonus features on both discs
New audio commentary with Director Adam Wingard and Writer Simon Barrett
Audio commentary with Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett, Sharni Vinson and Barbara Crampton
Children of the 80s: A new interview with Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett
The Most of Us: A New Interview with Producers Keith Calder and Jess Wu Calder
Script as a Blueprint: A New Interview with Actor AJ Bowen
Down in the Basement: A New Interview with Actor Joe Swanberg
Be Funny and Die: A New Interview with Actor Amy Seimetz
Falling into Place: A New Interview with Production Designer Tom Hammock
Slashers Don’t Die: Tim Coleman on You’re Next
Who’s Next? The Making of You’re Next
Animated Storyboards
Limited Edition Contents
Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Nick Charge
120-page book with new essays by Martyn Conterio, Andrew Graves, Kurt Halfyard, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Shelagh Rowan-Legg and Heather Wixson
6 collectors' art cards
LAST RITES
“You’re Next” is a stone-cold classic of the modern era and Second Sight has given the film the red carpet treatment it so rightfully deserves with a slick new HDR Dolby Vision 4K scan, and so many extras that you’ll find yourself coming back to this set frequently. This isn’t just a great release, it is one of the best of 2024 without question!
THE GORY DETAILS
Thank you to the fine fiends over at AIM Publicity and Second Sight Films for providing a review copy for the crypt! “You’re Next” is available NOW and can be purchased via Second Sight Direct!
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