It Follows is a horror that thrills in getting under your skin, and inside your head. Full of imagery that will evoke memories of the best o...
It Follows is a horror that thrills in getting under your skin, and inside your head. Full of imagery that will evoke memories of the best of John Carpenter, it's a cautionary tale that takes familiar genre cliches and puts it's own stamp on them, all anchored by another star turn from Maika Monroe.
Excelling in last year's The Guest, Monroe returns here for something altogether different, but no less magnificent. She plays Jay, a suburban teen with all of the hang ups that burdens kids of her age. Only, after a night of sex with a guy she's been seeing, Jay now finds herself plagued by nightmarish visions of strange people and a mounting sense of dread as it becomes apparent something is following her. With the help of her friends, Jay must figure out whats happening to her and how, if at all, she can unshackle herself from whatever it is.
Director David Robert Mitchell has crafted a brilliant and original supernatural thriller that constantly manages to ratchet up the tension and raises the stakes in ever more inventive ways. His vision of American suburbia owes much to Halloween and A Nightmare On Elm St, with deserted streets and a town almost devoid of adult characters. At times the camera follows Jay and plants the audience in her shoes, nervously scanning the surroundings for a glimpse of something, anything, lurking in wait, until the intensity and fear is almost unbearable.
Sex and death are heavily linked in modern horror; however, seldom is sex not only the catalyst for one's doom, but also the possibility of salvation. The moral dilemma that this poses for Jay and her pals is part of what separates It Follows from the saturated market it finds itself in. Moreover, the film is unabashedly a throwback to 70's and 80's horror and wears that badge with pride, it's glossy, dreamlike sheen barely masking the menace lying in the shadows.
It Follows is fresh, clever and most importantly, genuinely terrifying. Every scene is loaded with malice and tension and as it progresses it becomes more and more unsettling. Monroe is fantastic in the lead and her willingness to give over to her vulnerability only makes her transition into someone stronger all the more compelling.
A horror that will stay with you long after the credits roll, It Follows is, simply put, the best chance you'll likely get to leave a cinema with your nerves shredded and your senses pounded to a pulp this year. Destined to be one of those films that everyone ends up talking about, do yourself a favour and see it soon. Just don't see it alone. You never know what you may take home with you.
Excelling in last year's The Guest, Monroe returns here for something altogether different, but no less magnificent. She plays Jay, a suburban teen with all of the hang ups that burdens kids of her age. Only, after a night of sex with a guy she's been seeing, Jay now finds herself plagued by nightmarish visions of strange people and a mounting sense of dread as it becomes apparent something is following her. With the help of her friends, Jay must figure out whats happening to her and how, if at all, she can unshackle herself from whatever it is.
Director David Robert Mitchell has crafted a brilliant and original supernatural thriller that constantly manages to ratchet up the tension and raises the stakes in ever more inventive ways. His vision of American suburbia owes much to Halloween and A Nightmare On Elm St, with deserted streets and a town almost devoid of adult characters. At times the camera follows Jay and plants the audience in her shoes, nervously scanning the surroundings for a glimpse of something, anything, lurking in wait, until the intensity and fear is almost unbearable.
Sex and death are heavily linked in modern horror; however, seldom is sex not only the catalyst for one's doom, but also the possibility of salvation. The moral dilemma that this poses for Jay and her pals is part of what separates It Follows from the saturated market it finds itself in. Moreover, the film is unabashedly a throwback to 70's and 80's horror and wears that badge with pride, it's glossy, dreamlike sheen barely masking the menace lying in the shadows.
It Follows is fresh, clever and most importantly, genuinely terrifying. Every scene is loaded with malice and tension and as it progresses it becomes more and more unsettling. Monroe is fantastic in the lead and her willingness to give over to her vulnerability only makes her transition into someone stronger all the more compelling.
A horror that will stay with you long after the credits roll, It Follows is, simply put, the best chance you'll likely get to leave a cinema with your nerves shredded and your senses pounded to a pulp this year. Destined to be one of those films that everyone ends up talking about, do yourself a favour and see it soon. Just don't see it alone. You never know what you may take home with you.
