David Robert Mitchell‘s It Follows is a nightmarish vision executed in glorious mumblecore perfection.
Dare we say it, this little, ambiguous horror flick could very well end up as a cult classic because it did so many things right and exceeded viewers’ expectations. Its initial release at the 2014 Film Festival proved worthy of critical acclaim. It also premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival as part of the Midnight Madness section.
So what exactly is “IT”? You’re going to have to find that out on your own but we’ll do our best to not spoil anything in this review.
The movie opens with a girl fleeing from her house from a visibly absent and obscure presence. It is not made clear to us what or who this girl is running from. We then witness this girl’s body dislocated and bloody on the beach where she ended up. It was quite a sight.
Mitchell’s 360-degree pan track establishes that dread right from the first frame and the mystery of what “it” is builds up right there. The cinematography is impeccable and impressive.
We are then introduced to the movie’s central character, Jay, a blue-eyed blonde teenager (played by Maika Monroe). She’s guarded. She’s dreamy. She stares blankly into space a little too much. We see her go on a rather strange date with a guy named Jeff (Jake Weary) who becomes disoriented after seeing something that Jay doesn’t see (it wasn’t shown on screen). They then both go to another night-out and their little innocent sexual encounter ends up disturbing as he takes advantage of her then ties her up on a wheelchair. Jeff apologizes and explains that he transferred “something” during intercourse. Apparently, this phantom will follow her everywhere she goes. It will disguise itself as people she knows and will constantly head its way towards her. Jeff warns her to stay away at all costs or she gets killed. She must also sleep with another guy to pass it along. She enlists her sister’s help and two of their friends to stop this force.
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A slew of technical wonders is really what this film boasts: long shots of the small town setting, the 360-degree pan tracks, the tight shots when showing the characters in distress situations and the blue-green color scheme worked really well in their favors. The soundtrack is to die for: a mix of galactic 80’s instrumentals and haunting piano score do major wonders for the supposed throwback vibe. It was also not disclosed what decade or time this film is set in. The absence of modern technology (iPhones and computers) helped in setting that mystery.
Mitchell’s previous film The Myth of the American Sleepover also dealt with young, expressionistic lead characters. As the movie progresses, we see Jay and her friends unleash the fighters inside. It is a treat for the viewers because we are all subconsciously rooting for them amid the horrific circumstances they were given with. It Follows IS another coming-of-age story but in menacing form. This is justifiable when we see Yara, one of Jay’s friends reading Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Idiot through a shell phone (yes, they exist). She reads a passage in a bone-chilling scene, “Your soul will leave your body and you will no longer be a person, the worst thing is that it is certain.”
We are not spared of the jump scares and the inevitable weird apparition sightings and through the final act, we see an inventive take on fighting off the antagonist. It was thrilling and nail-biting.
It Follows is slow and dragging plot-wise, the technicalities involved are heightened in a way that viewers can appreciate and still get terrified. When it gets to the climax, it is worth the wait and you’ll see for yourself why it is highly regarded as a possible cult classic.
Reading this review makes me so excited and already terrified for the movie!! So the IT is a force or a curse by some guy? Or is IT a state of mind? I dunno, answer at your own discretion but I WILL SEE THIS MOVIE ASAP. Thanks Film Police this one and Unfriended were pretty great reviews
I think “it” is anything that the audience perceives it. I’ve read people pointing it as a metaphor for STD, but I think it’s a little more complicated than that. I like that the film has something to say, in its own voice, otherwise this would have ended up as another parable on teenage promiscuity.
Thanks for dropping by Katterina! Hope to see you around here again soon! 🙂