Zachary Zuber
Connector Contributor
If there is one film fans of the horror genre or movies in general should see this year, it is “It Follows,” directed by up-and-comer David Robert Mitchell. A critical darling with a 95 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the film debuted last year at the Cannes Film Festival and was given a limited release on March 13, before high demand allowed it to be released in most theaters March 27. Mitchell manages to craft something that is extremely refreshing and original, yet at the same time serves as a throwback and homage to the early classics of the genre.
“It Follows” is the story a beautiful young girl named Jay (played by Maika Monroe). After having sex with a boy she had recently started seeing, she finds herself chloroformed and incapacitated. When she wakes, the boy explains to her that he has just passed something on to her. He says that it will now follow her—what it is he does not know—but it can look like anything, from a total stranger to somebody she knows. Whatever she does, she cannot let it touch her. She can pass it on to someone else by sleeping with them, but if it kills that person it goes back after her and straight down the line to whoever started it.
“It Follows” plays out like a visceral nightmare. In the vein of films such as late legend Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” and horror icon John Carpenter’s “Halloween,” Mitchell’s “It Follows” is able to terrify you through its constant suspense and eerie atmosphere. The film did not fall into the trap of only using jump scares to induce its frights from the audience. Boo from “Monsters Inc.” could jump out from behind a corner and make me jump 10/10 times, but that does not make her scary. From the beautifully-shot opening scene, “It Follows” grips you with a lingering fear and palpable tension that lasts and eats away at you throughout the viewing. There is something inherently scary and brilliantly cliché yet original about the film’s concept. Everyone always makes light of how horror movie villains seem to do nothing but walk and somehow manage to always catch up to the fleeing victim. This comes across to most as silly and can take people out of the movie. Mitchell takes this concept, as well as many other horror tropes and turns them on their head, making what was considered a silly and classic flaw in horror movies into something terrifying. The image of an ominous figure off in the distance, that no matter where you go or how fast you run, is always slowly making its way towards you is something of out of a nightmare and something unnervingly disturbing that sticks with you well after you depart the theater.
“It Follows” is both a visual and sonic achievement. In an era where horror movies are made very cheaply without attention to detail, it is tremendously refreshing to see a horror movie that has breathtaking cinematography. You can’t help but sit back and admire how stunning the scenery in this films looks, how gorgeous the color palate is and how well positioned the shots are. Mitchell is able to pull off various tracking and 360-degree pans to perfection. The soundtrack is absolutely mesmerizing as well. Crafted by Disasterpeace, it is reminiscent of the immediately recognizable “Halloween.” Consisting of retro ‘80s electronic beats, the score is relentless, thoroughly heightening the suspense, hopelessness and mystery of the movie. It ranges from being beautifully eerie and soothing to a magnetic and pulsating paranoia. The cinematography functions as a tool, along with the soundtrack to elevate the tension and atmosphere to new levels, making “It Follows” an amazing and chilling sensory experience. The film is also very well acted (Monroe especially), with likable and defined characters. You can really believe the friendship the characters have in this movie. With a very well written and smart script as well, “It Follows” manages to cover all its bases.
“It Follows” is a technical masterpiece with a refreshing concept, but it might not be for everyone. This isn’t a movie littered with jump scares, scary monsters and gore. “It Follows” is a slow burn that grasps you with suffocating dread and immerses you in its haunting atmosphere. It’s not something that is going to have you constantly jumping out of your seat or have you spilling your popcorn on the floor. There is no scene-stealing monster like Michael Myers or Freddy Krueger. You need to fully immerse yourself in this movie to truly appreciate the things that make it great; make sure you know what type of film you are going into before you see this, otherwise you might end up disappointed.
Lauded as the best horror movie in recent memory, the big question is does “It Follows” live up to the hype? The answer is simple: yes.
