Counselors are being killed off at summer camp, and Sam (Fran Kranz) is stuck in the middle of it. Instead of contacting the cops, he calls his friend and slasher-film expert (Alyson Hannigan) to discuss his options.
The film opens in the aftermath of the killings of a group of camp counselors leaving only counselor Sam (Fran Kranz) left alive. On the run from the killer and now hiding in a cabin, not knowing what to do next. He decides to call his friend Chuck (Alyson Hannigan), who is a horror movie expert. While working her night shift at a video store she attempts to help Sam figure out what to do next, how to survive, and most importantly, find out who the killer is!
Based on the plot alone, I was beyond excited to see this due to there not being many good slashers coming out these days. I find that most slasher films post “Scream” have just continued to try to deconstruct the genre and have not succeeded. The last good slasher I can think of, offhand, is “You’re Next,” which did a great job doing something different by having the character fight back. With “You Might Be the Killer,” it has a unique commentary to it. Almost like the sibling type, where Chuck is like the older sibling showing/telling Sam, the younger sibling, about horror films. I found this relatable due to the fact that is how I was introduced to horror.
What is so fresh about this is that Chuck is not thrown in our faces about being smart in horror. She is just a normal person that is a horror fan. While I love Randy from “Scream,” his character was very on the nose. I suppose it was harder to believe considering they were in the middle of the danger. With Chuck, though, it is like she is the literal audience, we live through her. She says what we all would want to say or do. It makes her character believable and easier to relate to. With Sam, we can relate to him because he is also a form of the audience. He is like the common person of today just being dropped into a horror film and having to deal with it.
I’ll say this, director Brett Simmons nails it with this one. His understanding of what fans want and how the would think in a horror film. The man carries a horror IQ that is higher than most other modern horror directors. I truly do feel that he has an amazing career ahead of him. I want to make the prediction that if the rights to “Friday the 13th” get picked up, Simmons in my eyes would be a great candidate to helm this. I don’t know what his next move is, but I am all for whatever it is.
If you like slashers or just horror, in general, I think that you will have a great time with this. It has an amazing balance of horror and comedy, has interesting and relatable characters, and a style that makes you feel like you’re watching an ’80s film from today. I hope this gets a release of some kind because this deserves to have an audience. If you have an opportunity to see this, do yourself a favor and see it, you will not regret it.
“You Might Be the Killer” had its World Premiere recently at Fantastic Fest
