It Follows (2014) Reviews

• It Follows breathes new life into a dying genre

  lnvicta2015-06-02

  This is probably the best horror movie I've seen in the past decade. It Follows is a throwback to classic late '70s - '80s horror films and draws many comparisons to John Carpenter's style, from the music to the cinematography, and rather than appearing like a carbon copy or rehash of Halloween, director David Robert Mitchell executes this odd premise with such flair and finesse that you can't help but be refreshed by its cleverness. Everything about it works, from the brooding pace to the relatable characters, effortlessly sucking you into this gloomy world where STDs can pass on entities that follow you around no matter where you are. This is where most of the suspense comes from, because instead of relying on blood and shock value, It Follows is subtle and thought provoking - you never know where this thing is and it moves so slowly that you don't know when it will appear, and this uncertainty in waiting is what real suspense is all about. One aspect that stands out, apart from the brilliant writing and directing, is the musical score by Disasterpeace. It's absolutely gorgeous in the most ominous, haunting way you can imagine. It's retro but not dated - heavy on synths and low on bombast, it sets the eerie tone of the movie right from the get-go and elevates the film's effectiveness into the stratosphere. Even as a standalone listen the music is brilliant, but when juxtaposed with the bleak imagery and unnerving atmosphere, it's downright masterful. It Follows is not an overtly scary movie. It's a slowburner, and the emphasis on mood over jump scares makes it all the more terrifying. The acting is spot-on, the cinematography is glorious, the pacing is perfect - it's a breath of fresh air into the horror genre that has been on life-support for a while now. I can go on and on, but the thing to remember is that It Follows is not for everyone. If you're expecting this to be a paranormal slasher or something of the sort then you probably won't enjoy it. It's purely psychological, and these days, psychological horror is making a huge comeback. Last year we had The Babadook and this year the movie to beat is It Follows. Both movies are by new directors - Jennifer Kent and David Robert Mitchell respectively - which means they have their entire career ahead of them to rejuvenate the genre to the heights it used to reach. It Follows is a masterpiece in every respect and an absolute must-watch for horror fans that thought the genre was completely drained of originality. I can only imagine where horror will progress from here.

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• return of the real horror

  lukamaras2015-05-28

  Finally a real horror in a long time! No more bloody, slasher crap. This is how the really scary movies were made. Suspense and fear are created by great cinematography and music. The pace of the movie is slow and almost no to few special effects are present. I surely hope that this movie hails the return of the great horror genre: we are scared of the unknown and not violence for the sake of it. All the young actors are promising, they really pulled it off. Kudos to the director who also wrote the script, I am looking forward to his next movie. Go see it, you won't regret it!

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• A Modern Horror Classic

  SushiStoner1032015-04-19

  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.

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• It Follows (2014)

  groomeschase122015-04-23

  It Follows is a horror film made for horror fans, and it's about time one of those came around again. This is a movie that was light on the jump scares, which is a delightful change of pace. In the past few years more and more horrors have relied on jump scares to make up for the true scariest part of any horror film, the sense of dread. Dread is felt in this movie almost immediately because it combines so well with the tone, another forgotten about ingredient in horrors. There is no real way to explain the plot of this film without it coming across like a more twisted game of "tag," which played a part in exactly how many people I could talk into seeing it after the mixed feelings from the trailer. That being said, the film breaks a lot of the norms set by today's "scary" films. This is a movie that knows what it's doing, and its main concern is to make the audience feel as if they are a part of the experience with the sense of realism. With the enemy being as far-fetched as it may come across in conversation, it's easy to get caught up in the surroundings of the characters looking for "it." Having to watch over the characters' shoulders throughout the movie makes it all the more frightening when something IS seen, and there's never a sense of safety. It Follows takes a good deal from the greats in the horror genre, namely Halloween. I recall a great deal of times thinking "wait, that was in Halloween," where the background is scarier than what could pop up out of the shadows with some loud sound surrounding it. The score in this movie is simply unnerving and remarkable. It adds to the tone and creates an even more frightening and uncomfortable feeling when "it" has appeared. It was as if I were watching a great Carpenter movie in the theater, and it's been a great while since such a possessing and haunting score has come along. It truly is like another character in the movie, but used so well it adds to already-present uneasy feeling that one has while watching. It Follows delivers where other recent horrors have failed, it creates memorable moments and characters which the audience feels for. Also unlike recent films, there is no way to predict what direction the movie will take, and there is finally not a completely predictable ending. Horror movies have taken easy ways out and desensitized the audience throughout by having things jump on screen which make the "big moments" feel insignificant and forgettable because audiences have been jumped at so much they just don't care anymore and they're ready to see "the monster die" (I'm oversimplifying of course, but the intent is clear). Meanwhile, this film has (quietly) some of the most memorable terrifying sequences of the decade thus far. Of course, I'd have a useless review if I didn't address the performances of It Follows. All of the other elements I've brought up in the review were almost created by, and greatly assisted by, the acting. If the acting is bad (which is a common thing in horrors), then it's hard to make anything else believable, which distances the audiences and takes away a lot of the sense of terror. The acting is so real by the cast that they make this plot seem genuine. They're not the usual teens that the audience can scream "why did they not think of.." or "I would've.." at. They address the horrifying situations as real people would, they're not magically filled with some convenient insight and they're not face-palmingly idiotic, either. In a year filled with soon-to-be many blockbusters and money makers, It Follows will be remembered by many as one of the best of the year. It is a film that embodies all things horror, and pays great homage to what made people adore the genre. Like a good brand of medication, without the side-effects, It Follows is what the genre needed and is, to me, one of the best horror films of the decade to this point. With all of the key ingredients in place, we've got a great film here. 9/10.

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• Completely original. Certain to become a classic. Wonderful addition to the best of horror lists.

  markgorman2015-03-06

  SPOILER: It Follows begins how it ends. Mysteriously. A young woman runs from her suburban home half dressed, terrified, confused. She crosses the road haphazardly, then runs back to her house picks up her bag and escapes in her car, with her father shouting after her trying to work out what the hell is going on. It is not explained. The movie then unfolds. No captions. No narrative. It just unwraps itself in a way I have never seen in horror. Whilst it nods at convention (the music is unquestionably influenced by early John Carpenter and the cast is a bunch of Sorority kids) it is completely original in every other way. It's beautifully shot, carefully scripted without a single ham line and has a plot that is entirely unpredictable. The basic premise is this. A "thing" (monster, demon, zombie, entity: call it what you like) is passed between couples having sex. And then it follows the 'host' until it is passed on to the next host, again following sex. It manifests itself as a sort of walking zombie that follows the host. Should it catch them it will not only kill them but possibly all those in the chain behind. That's easy to understand. What isn't is how our heroine Jay, played beautifully by Maika Monroe, attempts to resolve her plight. Really, this is a rare horror performance, understated and properly acted. Her fear is palpable. And she doesn't go wandering into unlit basements every five minutes. It's up there with Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween. However, the plot becomes pretty confusing, but it kind of doesn't matter because throughout this great movie you're just taken in by its vitality, outstanding cinematography, freshness and the endless MacGuffins. Seriously there must be 20 times you're expecting to be scared to death (Hitchcock style musical and SFX builds) only for nothing to happen. Anyone walking slowly in this movie could be the 'entity' and that's repeatedly used as a trick. Another great thing about it is the setting in Detroit. It's never overplayed but it adds a decaying creepiness that is entirely appropriate. It's a great addition to the world of horror. Not as terrifying as some say, but absorbing and pure quality from start to startling finish.

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