Slashers III: You're Next 🦊 & The Strangers: Prey at Night 🚪
In theaters this weekend: 'The Lighthouse'
🎉 Happy Friday!
It’s Friday, so we’re recommending a home invasion double feature for our last day dedicated to Slashers 🔪. If you’re interested in getting out of the house, I’m also recommending a movie in theaters this weekend.
Okay, here’s day 3️⃣.
Movie #1: You’re Next
STREAMING ON TUBI
What it’s about: A family gathered for a small reunion in their isolated forest vacation home is horrified when they come under attack by a group of home invaders donning animal masks. Thankfully, Erin (Sharni Vinson), who is dating one of the sons, is Australian and armed with an ax.
Why it’s great: You’re Next begins as a pretty typical home invasion slasher filled with brutal kills and pitch black humor. However, as the movie progresses, the humor gets more ridiculous and it begins to challenge the notion that the final girl has to be resigned to her fate. The result is a no-holds-barred, entertaining genre upending romp.
The details: 🎬 Adam Wingard // ⏳ 94 minutes // 🗓 2013 // 📺 Trailer
Fun fact: The very funny (and very awkward) dinner scenes were largely improvised and based on real-life experiences the filmmakers had with their families.
Also available on: Prime Video | iTunes | YouTube
Movie #2: The Strangers: Prey at Night
STREAMING ON PRIME VIDEO
What it’s about: A family (Christina Hendricks, Martin Henderson, Bailee Madison, and Lewis Pullman) gathered for a small reunion in an isolated trailer park is horrified when they come under attack by a group of home invaders donning masks. Wait a minute… The difference here is that this is a follow-up to 2008’s The Strangers and your friendly neighborhood psycho killers The Man in the Mask, Dollface, and Pin-up Girl are back.
Why it’s great: Johannes Roberts — he directed the equally tense 48 Meters Down — knows how to maximize a simple concept. The Strangers: Prey at Night is lean, mean, and full of nearly unbearable tension. It has some slasher pitfalls — specifically characters that make frustrating decisions — but makes up for them with pure terror, great cinematography, and solid performances.
The details: 🎬 Johannes Roberts // ⏳ 85 minutes // 🗓 2018 // 📺 Trailer
Fun fact: Despite this being a slasher and home invasion movie, Roberts has said he doesn’t like either genre.
Also available on: Prime Video | iTunes | YouTube
In theaters: The Lighthouse 🌊
What it’s about: A lighthouse keeper (Willem Dafoe) and his assistant (Robert Pattinson) slowly descend into mistrust and madness as they become isolated on a tiny New England island by a storm.
Why it’s great: It’s not hyperbolic to say The Lighthouse is one of the most well-produced films of the year. The costumes, production design, and sound — and the choice to film in black-and-white — combine to make watching it an immersive experience. It’s a movie that needs to be experienced on the big screen. While the story, which plays like a maritime tale of terror, doesn’t reach the heights of director Robert Eggers’ debut The Witch, both Pattinson and Dafoe turn in career-high performances that make it engaging to watch.
The details: 🎬 Robert Eggers // ⏳ 89 minutes // 🗓 2019 // 📺 Trailer
Fun fact: The story is very loosely based on a real-life tragedy from 1801, in which two Welsh lighthouse keepers, both named Thomas, became trapped on their lighthouse station during a storm.
That’s it for our week dedicated to Slashers! You can see all the movies we covered here. I’ll be back next week with a new theme and a new set of recommendations.
Have a terrific (and spooky) weekend! 🎃
Karl (@karl_delo)