Hi everyone, Bryan Here…
It’s very rare these days that a horror movie consistently delivers on genuine thrills and scares. And I’m not talking so much about the cheap “jump out and scare you tactics”. I’m talking about a deep psychological horror that lingers in your mind for days after, causing you to look over your shoulder and think twice about those strange noises you heard. Not since ‘The Babadook‘ has a movie been more terrifying than ‘It Follows‘, which is a horror film from newcomer David Robert Mitchell who wrote and directed this masterpiece of horror.
What works so well with ‘It Follows’ is its simplistic nature of the unknown. We never know why this terrifying situation is happening, but it is, and the characters have to deal with it, which makes it seem more realistic and grounded, considering there weren’t a lot of major visual effects. The title focuses on something that follows you. It could be someone you know or a complete stranger and it has one goal. It wants to kill you. How does one become so lucky to have something follow you? The answer is sex.
I thought Jason Vorhees from the ‘Friday the 13th‘ franchise was the leader in pre-marital sex murders. He might still be the poster boy, but ‘It Follows‘ is the new, fresh evil that awaits if you decide to go down that slippery, yet amazing slope. We follow a teenage girl named Jay (Maika Monroe from ‘The Guest‘) who is out on a date with a guy named Hugh. As they are in the movie theater, having a good time, Hugh notices a strange girl staring at him and walking towards him. Jay cannot see her.
Hugh quickly leaves with Jay, playing it off, saying he doesn’t feel well. The couple heads to an abandoned warehouse where the have sex. Directly after their intimate session, Jay wakes up tied to a chair where Hugh tells her she has the curse, which now she sees someone following her. Hugh gives her a few instructions on how to stay alive and then leaves. Now, Jay starts seeing a variety of scary looking people, following her day and night as this entity is trying to savagely murder her.
With the help of her friends and a young man named Paul (Keir Gilchrist from ‘United States of Tara‘), who has had a crush on Jay for years, the teens try to deal and run for their lives from this horror, while protecting Jay. David Robert Mitchell has given us a great set up for something that is truly scary. Each character has their own struggles and the dialogue between the circle of friends is the real thing. As the story progresses, so do the characters and their attempts to try and rid this evil from the world.
Almost every viable option is tested, even the opportunities that would have us not look at Jay in a positive light. But that’s the world of teenagers when it comes to sex, or at least that’s the way I remember those younger years. ‘It Follows‘ is an innovative and fresh addition to the horror genre. It’s creepiness and terror lasts for days after viewing, making you look behind you to see if anyone is indeed following you.
4.5 out of 5 Stars
– Bryan Kluger