It Follows

This is a creepy movie. It doesn't have a ton of jump scares, it isn't bloody or gory. What is has is enough creep factor to make you start looking around the room while you're watching it. Great music to help set the tone of a sense of dread. The acting is pretty good and it isn't too long. Overall a really good creepy movie that doesn't overdo it with the "sex" theme. There is plenty of tension and it starts at minute one and doesn't stop. There were no surprises and it was done "right". Definitely should be watched in a dark room at nighttime. Oh yeah, the females in the movie are really easy on the eyes. Just sayin. Worth the watch.

Does anyone else wish this had been a short film? The mood and atmosphere are so thick for the first half hour or 45 minutes and then it just trucks along for the rest of the movie without a lot of energy. Fantastic cinematography and music, but the characters are pretty limp and it's hard to care what happens to them. Once they go into the investigation part of the film, everything falls apart and it becomes a chore.

Greetings again from the darkness. Known for an endless stream of copycats and re-treads, the horror genre periodically surprises us with a dose of originality. Heck, we don't even ask horror filmmakers for anything too revolutionary … just give us something we haven't seen a few dozen times before. Writer/director David Robert Mitchell "gets it" and delivers a game of psycho-sexual-tag-you're-it featuring the most sinister STD ever.

A definite departure from the all-too-common teen slasher films, the slow-drip terror of this one has more in common with dread and eventuality than scream-inducing terror and "made you jump" scares. When we first meet Jay (Maika Monroe), she is a typical pushing-twenty student who enjoys leisurely swims in her suburban backyard pool, hanging out with friends, and a healthy dating scene. Well, healthy until one evening of back seat passion with Hugh (Jake Weary) sets off the above-mentioned sinistry. See Jake has purposefully "passed on" some kind of affliction that attracts a death-seeking entity who slowly, but purposefully pursues its target. Supposedly the only options are to be killed or pass it on through more passion … the worst kind of "pay it forward".

Jay is supported in her ongoing attempts to avoid the entity by her sister Kelly (Lili Sepe), her neighbor and classmate Greg (Daniel Zovatto), and Paul (Keir Gilchrist) her not-so-secret admirer who would do anything to protect her. The big catch is that only Jay can see the entity … making heroism quite elusive for her support group.

Lest there be any doubt of the dire situation, director Mitchell begins the movie with a very vivid example of the likely result in being "caught" by the entity, and adds the score from composer Disasterpeace … an ominous throwback techno-sound that would be distracting if not so fitting. This has all the makings of a breakout role for Maika Monroe, with similarities to Jamie Lee Curtis in the original Halloween movie (1978).

The low budget caused some obvious production limitations – in particular an awkward bounce from day to night and back again, and some iffy effects. However, the suburban Detroit setting provides a nice backdrop, and of special note are the Redford Theatre (est 1928) replete with its beautiful pipe organ, and the indoor swimming pool put to spectacular use in the film's climax. As long as the audience is not expecting the typical teen slasher, this creative horror film should gain an audience while putting director David Robert Mitchell on the fast track to bigger budget films.

Inspired by 70's and 80's horror, it follows is a refreshing psychological horror film with a simple premise and a chilling concept. The cinematography is electrifying, every shot is beautiful and the score holds brilliance, it carries a very obvious John Carpenter vibe to it. The tension is raw, avoiding cheap jump scares and relies on music. Its eerie atmosphere is extremely effective keeping you inches above your seat for the majority of the runtime. The characters are interesting, providing depth and emotional attachment, most modern horror films seem to forget the importance of character development, its nice to see the genre hasn't completely lost it yet. There are several jumps scares, but they work, as they are not carried with unnecessary piecing music jolts but with the use of disturbing and sudden imagery.

The only errors I could detect were the unconventional editing style, the transitions were a little dodgy lacking fluency, this left the film to appear choppy at times but this flaw can be easily forgiven. Its outstanding cinematography and soundtrack make up for this. The film leaves a daunting stain of disturbing after effects that follow you for a long while, with a constant reminder to always check behind your back. An exceptional low budget indie horror film, strongly recommend.

I just recently rewatched this film and really enjoyed it. I had forgotten how well made it is. I love the way it makes you feel tense and unsettled, but does it in a way that feels like the old school classic horror films. It's got a good pace, believable characters and feels very real. Like this could happen to you, which is why I think it works so well. It definitely is thought-provoking, and has the same kind of feeling as a John Carpenter movie. On second viewing, you start to see all the creative elements going on that all work well together. (score, choice of locations, production value, props) Some have said the idea of having a curse put on you through having sex is a little silly, but I think it's a fresh approach and like that the writer was thinking outside the box. Too many people like to bash on filmmakers, but I am here to praise people for their creativity and their hard work. It's not easy to get a film made, and I commend anybody for getting it from script to screen.