It Follows
Review by: Patrick F.
Close your eyes. Now, imagine a horror film that didn’t rely on ‘jump scares’ or brutal gory images, but one that put faith in its suspense and patience. Picture one that has philosophical value and layers of metaphor. Envision one that somehow manages to seem refreshingly new while also appearing retro. David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows is a delicately crafted horror picture that stays on your mind long after the credits roll.
It Follows tells the story of a young girl named Jay who is pursued by a paranormal entity after a sexual experience. After contracting ‘it’, the entity follows at all times. The boy who passed it on to Jay tells her “it could look like someone you know or it could be a stranger in the crowd. Whatever helps it get close to you”. From that point on, Jay spends the film’s entirety looking over her shoulder.
This film is a byproduct of every great horror classic. Dashes of the original Halloween are paid homage through a series of long, ‘walking through the suburbs’ scenes. The film’s dream-like tone reminds the viewer of the early Nightmare on Elm Street movies. The score, written and performed by Disasterpiece, is hauntingly beautiful. The music is a perfect blend between an 80’s horror flick soundtrack and new-wave Trap music. It sounds like a Skrillex and John Carpenter collaboration.
In respect to its horror influences, It Follows does overmatch the others in terms of its cinematography. Mike Gioulakis, the film’s cinematographer, proves his talent in the first frames of the opening scene. The opening sequence contains a beautifully innovative 360 degree continuous shot following a young girl running from an oncoming invisible presence. Gioulakis and Mitchell use this patient cinematic approach to let the tension build, a tension that sticks around from the beginning until the end.
Maika Monroe plays Jay as a troubled, desperate girl on the look-out for something she can’t explain. Monroe leads a wonderful young cast who manages to display certain verisimilitude with such an outrageous concept. The likeable group of characters also succeeds in giving the film depth. In addition to the horror aspect, It Follows is a coming of age story. It tells a story about the loss of innocence, the period of time when adulthood is lingering, not far behind. With the seemingly intentional omission of parent or guardian characters, Mitchell gives the adolescent characters full control of their lives, with the power to make decisions and to solve problems.
On the surface, It Follows is a creepy, beautiful, slow-building horror flick. But beneath, it’s a thought-provoking story about growing up, and a rich, refreshing contribution to filmmaking that demands interpretation and discussion.
