Before continuing the Blair Witch saga and later being tapped to helm the upcoming Godzilla vs. Kong, his first big-budget blockbuster, Adam Wingard directed the little-seen horror gem You’re Next. It’s a home invasion movie crossed with a slasher, peppered with a healthy dose of dark humor, which made it feel like a breath of fresh air in a horror market dominated by lazy cash-in sequels and remakes.
With its pitch-black comic sensibility and enough graphic violence to make even the most seasoned horror buff squirm, it didn’t take long for You’re Next to become a beloved cult classic. Here are some fascinating stories from behind the scenes.
10 Adam Wingard Wanted To Do A Home Invasion Movie Because It’s The Only Horror Sub-Genre That Still Scares Him
Director Adam Wingard asked his friend, screenwriter Simon Barrett, to write a home invasion movie for him to direct, because he determined that home invasion was the only horror sub-genre that still had the capacity to scare him.
It makes sense; while zombies and vampires are just made-up concepts, home invasions are very real things that happen all the time (not always with animal masks).
9 Lionsgate Sat On The Movie For Two Years Before Releasing It
The premiere of You’re Next took place in 2011 at the Toronto International Film Festival. This was followed by a bidding war over the domestic distribution rights by a bunch of studios. Lionsgate placed the winning bid with $6 million.
However, after acquiring the rights, Lionsgate proceeded to sit on the movie for two whole years. This was due to a test screening with negative results. During this two-year period, fans wondered if the movie would get released at all. Eventually, Lionsgate put it into theaters in the summer of 2013.
8 The Script Was Inspired By Agatha Christie Stories, Screwball Comedies, And Chamber Mysteries
After Adam Wingard asked Simon Barrett to write a home invasion movie, the screenwriter got to work on the story of a wealthy family’s wedding anniversary getaway being interrupted by masked killers.
Rather than being influenced by other horror movies, Barrett found inspiration in Agatha Christie novels, screwball comedies, and chamber mysteries. He compared the finished product to Bay of Blood, but said that the comparisons were not intentional.
7 The Original Opening Scene Featured A Decapitated Dog
In the original script for You’re Next, the opening scene served the same purpose of establishing the threat of the killers, but played out in a very different way.
It would’ve featured an old man finding his dog decapitated before being murdered himself. The producers requested that this scene be rewritten before filming.
6 Director Adam Wingard Cast Two Fellow Filmmakers In Major Roles
Drake, the eldest brother of the family, and Tariq, Aimee’s filmmaker boyfriend, were both played by movie directors from the “mumblecore” movement from which You’re Next director Adam Wingard also hails.
Drake was played by Joe Swanberg, director of Drinking Buddies, and Tariq was played by Ti West, director of In a Valley of Violence. Technically, You’re Next belongs to mumblecore’s horror subcategory, “mumblegore.”
5 The Killers’ Masks Inspired Those In The Video Game Hotline Miami
One of the most recognizable motifs from You’re Next is the animal masks worn by the killers. These masks appear to have inspired the masks featured in the video game Hotline Miami.
Set in 1989, the game revolves around a protagonist who receives coded messages from his answering machine that tell him to kill figures in the Russian mafia. It was heavily influenced by the movie Drive and the documentary Cocaine Cowboys. The game’s plot has nothing to do with You’re Next, but the animal masks are astoundingly similar.
4 Some Of The Dinner Conversations Were Improvised
The reviews for You’re Next praised the dark comedy sprinkled throughout the movie. Director Adam Wingard attributes this humor to screenwriter Simon Barrett, who has a very cynical sense of humor.
Not all of the dialogue in the movie was scripted, though. A lot of the dinner conversations were improvised by the actors. Some of it was based on real conversations that the filmmakers had had with their own family members.
3 The House Used For Filming Had Been Vacant For 12 Years
Filming for You’re Next took place in 2011 at an antique mansion in Missouri. Before the film was shot there, this house had been empty for 12 years.
Principal photography took place across four weeks. Most of the shooting days were 12-hour night shoots, taking place from seven o’clock at night to seven o’clock in the morning.
2 Handheld Cameras Were Used To Increase Tension
Adam Wingard and cinematographer Andrew Droz Palermo decided to use handheld cameras for the majority of the movie in order to increase tension. Whether in the fraught dysfunctional family scenes or when the characters are running for their lives, needless to say, it worked.
1 The Tiger Face Killer Was Played By The Film’s Screenwriter
One of the three masked killers, the one with the tiger mask (aptly named “Tiger Face”), was played by writer Simon Barrett at Adam Wingard’s request.
Also, co-stars Sharni Vinson and Wendy Glenn were actually best friends in real life, and at the time of filming, they were living together.
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August 11, 2020 at 05:30AM
