A.J. Bowen is great at hugs.

Of all of the things I learned about him and his co-star Sharni Vinson at the recent Los Angeles press day for You’re Next, that was among the most important. Because after three embraces from Bowen, the star of A Horrible Way to Die, no interview seems intimidating, even if it’s for a horror film that fans have been anticipating for more than two years, and that critics are saying gives the genre a much-needed jolt.

Following our brief chat with Vinson last month at Comic-Con International, Spinoff Online sat down with the actress and Bowen for an equally brief conversation about You’re Next, a home-invasion film that takes a sharp left turn when one of the occupants starts fighting back. In addition to talking about the new benchmark the film sets for horror – and perhaps presages the direction the genre needs to go in – the pair discussed the challenges, and the fun, of working on a set populated by a who’s who of independent filmmakers, including Ti West, Joe Swanberg and Amy Seimetz.