Let's do a little comparison to start out here. 2013 brought us two notable home invasion horror flicks: The Purge and You're Next. From producer Jason Blum (who, since Paranormal Activity, is known for making genre movies for minimal budget while garnering maximum profit), The Purge was a mediocre effort that only managed to waste its intriguing premise and feel nothing more than stale but still went on to earn a cool 64 million at the box office. As for You're Next, it took a pretty standard set-up and ran with it by delivering some starkly brutal moments and well-done suspense and being entertaining all the while. However, unlike The Purge, it took a few years to make it into theatres and when it did was pretty much gone before anyone had a chance to see it. Which is truly a shame since it's clearly the superior movie.

Having only seen director Adam Wingard and his collaborating writer Simon Barrett's contribution to ABC's of Death (the hilarious "Q is for Quack"), I was curious to see how the two handled actual horror and I certainly was not disappointed. They kick things off with a moody opening scene where a couple end up being murdered not long after having sex - perhaps a knowing riff on the slasher movie rules?

From there we head over to a remote country house where various siblings and their significant others are gathering together for the weekend to celebrate their parents thirty-fifth wedding anniversary. The main focus is on Crispian (AJ Bowen) and his Australian girlfriend Erin (Sharni Vinson) but we soon get to know the rest of the family. They're certainly a volatile bunch when thrown together as their different personalities don't quite mesh. That night they have a less than peaceful meal as a big argument breaks out between Crispian and one of his brothers (it also serves to give us a little bit of character development) but things soon get a lot worse when sister Aimee's (Amy Seimetz) boyfriend spots something outside in the darkness and is on the receiving end of an arrow shot through the window.

Thus begins the assault as everyone finds themselves becoming the targeted victims of a group of unknown baddies who have taken to wearing some creepy animal themed masks, setting up traps outside if they try to run away (there's one particularly nasty scene involving Aimee) and making their way into the house armed with various deadly weapons to kill off all the inhabitants. Of course, the killers have ulterior motives that are revealed in a twist filled last third but in the meantime Wingard does a really good job of building tension and making things feel bleak. He's aided by one of those rumbly, ominous musical scores (by Mads Heldtberg) that usually accompany this type of flick and some creative ideas in Barrett's script. It also helps they've made Erin into the put-upon heroine since she was brought up in a survivalist camp making her able to kick some major ass - and just you wait until the finale to see how much!

In the lead Vinson plays her strong-willed character to the hilt. She brings a no-nonsense feeling to Erin but injects just enough emotion for you to root for her. Bowen plays Erin's (sort of) wimpy boyfriend decently even if he disappears for a big chunk of the flick. Fans will definitely recognize genre favourite Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator) as the family's paranoid mother and character actor Rob Moran is solid as the dad. Those of us aware of the new wave of horror directors will recognize Larry Fessenden (Beneath) and Ti West (House of the Devil) as two of the unlucky victims and the rest of the cast is filled out with competent actors who have worked in the past for both West and Wingard.

Having more in common with 2008's The Strangers than the aforementioned The Purge, You're Next is a most excellent time. It's definitely one of the more under-the-radar surprises of last year and delivers everything you'd want from the sub-genre as well as throwing in a few awesome moments for good measure. It's definitely worth checking out and makes me want to watch the other Wingard/Barrett efforts A Horrible Way to Die and Autoerotic as well as their segments in both V/H/S movies. (Chris Hartley, 3/5/14)

Directed By: Adam Wingard.
Written By: Simon Barrett.

Starring: Sharni Vinson, Nicholas Tucci, Wendy Glenn, AJ Bowen.