You're Next is a rather intelligent horror thriller which at least gives some thought to the plot, the motivations of the villains and how the heroine at least manages to keep them at bay.

Unfortunately it is let down with a rather slow opening and low budget as a lot of it is dimly lit. Still it is one of the better horror/thrillers of recent years.

The Davison's are having a celebratory dinner in a remote vacation home. The parents are celebrating their anniversary and their children and significant others have joined them. Their is some bickering before they are attacked by crossbows by people on the outside wearing masks.

In the confusion and among the mounting death toll, one of the girlfriend's invited turns out to be handy in defending herself.

YOU'RE NEXT is the latest in a long line of home invasion horror movies, following on from the likes of the LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT and MOTHER'S DAY remakes, along with the likes of THEM and THE STRANGERS. The good news is that this is one of the best instalments in the sub-genre, a tough and merciless thriller packed to the brim with danger and death.

The plot is a cliché in itself: a family brings together its diverse offspring for a long-awaited get-together, but outside influences have other ideas. It starts off on a strong footing and gets stronger as it goes on, as the surviving family members must do battle with some sinister masked assailants. Like THE AGGRESSION SCALE before it, much of the running time involves one survivor who turns the tables on their attackers, much like a HOME ALONE for adults.

I'm not kidding anyone by saying YOU'RE NEXT is perfect. The characters are thinly-drawn and difficult to care about, and there's at least one scene of exceptionally dodgy shaky-cam which threatens to ruin things. But it is a damned entertaining film, because it focuses on the act of fighting back rather than gruelling torture porn as in so many routine horrors (think TRAIN with Thora Birch for example). Sharni Vinson is a tough heroine to root for, and the film-makers don't hold back on their depictions of pain, injury and death. It's all done in the best macabre way, and it's great fun.

One of my fav home-invasion horror film. Intense. Clever twist. It's unique and even relieving to watch our main star make smart decisions. The whole film is executed with finesse and its pacing doesn't waste any of its minutes.