[Editorial] 10 Years Later: You’re Next (2011)

And you thought a weekend trip to meet your partner’s family was scary enough...

Contains spoilers

You’re Next is a 2011 home invasion movie, featuring a badass woman and some fun twists. At first, You’re Next seems to be the story of a family randomly brutalized, but we slowly learn that there is a plan unfolding. First we meet Paul and Aubrey (played by Rob Moran and Barbara Crampton), a married couple, celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary at a large, remote house in a rural area. Their adult children, and their children’s partners, are coming for a celebratory weekend. We are introduced to Crispian (AJ Bowen), one of the sons, and Erin (Sharni Vinson), his partner. Erin is immediately charismatic and fun, balancing Crispian’s somewhat shy and quiet nature. The rest of the adult children arrive two-by-two with their partners, and most of them are not very likeable. They are selfish or standoffish, uninterested in their family. We learn that Crispian’s family are very wealthy, because Paul just retired from a defense contractor company...but don’t worry, he only worked in marketing! 

During dinner, with tensions escalating and brothers fighting, an arrow shoots through the window, killing one of the guests. The family screams and panics, as glass crashes and more arrows fly, but Erin immediately takes control of the situation and gathers the family in another room safely, at least temporarily. Eventually, Erin shares that she grew up in a survivalist compound, and that’s why she knows how to fight back and think ahead to ward off the attackers. Despite Erin’s best efforts, family members die one by one, as she tries to stay in control and get help. 

Two plot twists make this film more than a simple home invasion story. In the first reveal, we learn that Felix (Crispian’s brother) and Zee (Felix’s partner) hired the attackers to kill the family, so Felix could collect his inheritance. We get the second reveal in the last few minutes of the movie, when we find out that Crispian was in on the plan, too. This is obviously devastating and shocking to Erin, and instead of running off with the inheritance, she stabs Crispian in the neck, in a final act of rage and catharsis. 

For many fans of You’re Next, Erin is the reason to watch. She is partly relatable, and partly what we might wish to be. She works as a bartender, goes to school, loves her boyfriend but is nervous to meet his family, and likes good whiskey. However, she also knows how to think on her feet, booby trap a house, and prioritize survival. And there is no denying how much ass she kicks. We get the first hint of how cool she can be in a crisis when she comforts Aubrey in the driveway. Aubrey heard a noise in the house and was waiting outside, scared and crying, while Paul and Crispian investigated. Although Erin had never met Aubrey, she immediately went to her side and reassured her. Erin is a woman who does everything right, and she still goes through a horrible life-altering event. 

It’s the threat of the men around Erin that put her in danger, specifically her partner Crispian and his brother Felix. Crispian is supposed to be loving, supportive, and protective, but he is responsible for putting Erin in peril. When she confronts him and says, “I could have been killed,” he brushes off her concern and states that it was his plan for her to live and be a witness - as if simply because he planned it, it would turn out the way he envisioned. He even uses the moment as an opportunity to needle Erin further, and says if she had reacted “normally,” they would be rich, and she never would have had to know about his plan. He further insults her by saying she would be “insane” to throw away all that money, as if making her feel “crazy” will get her back on his side. Crispian’s mother and sister are not shown as capable, so perhaps Crispian does not expect Erin to be, though he should probably know her better. Erin survives being shot, stabbed, and beaten to hell and back, and on top of it all, her boyfriend calls her crazy. Erin’s story is still just as relevant today, if not more so, than it was in 2011.

How much you enjoy You’re Next might depend on what you find comforting and fun to watch. Some may find this movie more upsetting than cathartic, since we are watching a woman  attacked over and over again. On the other hand, everyone who hurts Erin gets it right back.

Watching Erin can make us feel strong, and remember what we are capable of. If it’s been a while since you watched this one, it’s a great rewatch, because there is substantial foreshadowing of the twists that you wouldn't notice the first time. 

And if nothing else...there’s a really catchy song to get stuck in your head.

RELATED ARTICLES

---

---

EXPLORE

---

MORE ARTICLES

---

---