IT FOLLOWS
It Follows was written and directed by David Robert Mitchell. It was released on DVD, Blu Ray and VOD July 14, 2015.
The film follows Jay and her friends as they try to figure out what or who is following her. Jay has had sex with the boy she has been dating. As soon as they are finished he chloroforms her and she wakes up tied to a chair. At this time Jay is told that a curse has been passed to her. He informs her that until she has sex again she will be followed by “It”. “It” is a person but can take the form of multiple people. Sometimes “It” is a stranger, sometimes “It” is someone you know. If “It” catches you “It” will kill you and then go after the person who passed the curse to you.
Jay is dropped off at her house where she and her friends spend the remainder of the film trying to evade and destroy this “It” that follows her. I’m going to stop here since I don’t do spoilers. I enjoyed this film. It kept me engaged and totally creeped out. However after thinking about the film for several days, I do feel it was a bit thin on plot. How did the curse begin? What is “It”? Why is “It” following people after sex?
It is possible the film was intended to be vague. Sometimes a simple monster is scarier. I believe there will be sequel to this film based on it’s success. If I could make a request it would be for a prequel.
That said, I liked this film even without the explanation. It Follows is not set in any clear time period and this I love. It was almost eerie how much it felt like 70s and 80s. The music gave me the chills as it transported me back to horror films of those decades. I felt that the thing following Jay had a paranormal origin however it seemed to be up for interpretation. It Follows was able to convey a strong feeling of dread with the atmosphere created by the cinematography. There is sex but only one set of boobs and when you see them you will wish you hadn’t. There is violence but it is not excessive with just several deaths. If you like a slow burn that sets out to creep you out with it’s atmosphere over gore and jump scares this may be the film for you.
I have a few bits of trivia for before my rating:
— The director has said in an interview that the idea for the film came from a recurring nightmare he had of be stalked.
–He also has indicated that neither a condom nor gay sex will stop the curse from being passed.
I encourage my readers to share their thoughts on It Follows in the comment section below.
LITTLE MISS HORROR NERD’S RATING: 3 1/2 out of 5
