It Follows (C+ or 2/4 stars)
Set in a timeless Detroit suburb where rotary phones, old-fashioned porn magazines, & tube televisions co-exist with 21st century nooks/e-readers, 'It Follows' (an indie horror flick written & directed by David Robert Mitchell) tells the story of "Jay" (Maika Monroe, of The Guest), an 18 yr. old girl who's looking forward to losing her virginity to new boyfriend, Hugh, only to discover that the endeavor turns out to be something deadly. When their sexual tryst ends with Jay being chloroformed & bound to a wheelchair, Hugh explains that he's "infected" her with a sort of curse where the victim becomes stalked by a slow-walking entities that can assume the form of anyone (strangers, loved ones, etc.).
Only the "infected" can see these entities walking ever-slowly towards them, but if said entity catches you ... it will kill you. Furthermore, the only way to get rid of it is by having sex with another person & "passing it on". And even then, you're not really safe because, if it kills THAT person, the entity comes back for YOU. Trapped in a constant state of paranoia, Jay must rely on her friends - including sister Kelly & childhood crush Paul (Keir Gilchrist) - to stop the monster from taking any more lives. Dread, a creepy atmosphere, some light scares, but overall disappointments ensue.
'It Follows' has many good things going for it. The concept/premise of an entity (STDs, moral compass, death) following someone who engages in premarital or lustful sex is pretty interesting. The director/cinematographer does a swell job creating a specific visual experience. Many shots are unique, dread-inducing, even iconic (I recall a jump scare when a certain giant appears in a doorway). I appreciate the inherent fear that Maika Monroe brought to the role of Jay. And there's a great electronic musical score that I found to be unnerving throughout the proceedings {in a good way!}. I also must mention that 'It Follows' is very much a retro homage to the classic 70s/80s horror flicks of old. The way in which the camera movies around the seemingly normal Detroit suburb recalls John Carpenter's Halloween. And the film's dreamlike vibe/tone (and helpless female heroine) recalls the Nightmare on Elm Street flicks. Each scene drips & oozes with 'mood'.
Having said all of that, there are issues within the script and, worst of all ... I simply wasn't scared by this "horror" flick. Was I un-eased, unsettled, creeped out? Eh, a little -- sometimes. But I was not scared nearly enough or as much as the film intended. I wanted to be terrified! Script-wise, we never really learn the source of the entity or how it came to be that this curse befalls people who engage in premarital and/or lustful intercourse. How did this urban legend-like curse begin? How, why, & what happens if this entity winds up killing all of its victims back to ground zero/victim #1? The film has no interest in explaining even a shred of any of that. As for the editing, well, to much time is spent on characters sitting around nervously; the pace could have been quickened a bit. Also, aside from Maika Monroe & Keir Gilchrist (who plays Paul), I thought the acting was amateurish; which almost always takes me right out of any movie I'm watching.
So yeah, while I respect/admire what David Robert Mitchell was trying to do here (and truth be told, it's a more inventive, elegant horror film than we're used to getting nowadays), 'It Follows' is simply scarier in concept than in execution -- nothing overly frightening or sustainably suspenseful. I didn't feel the same mounting sense of dread that Jay was feeling. I was just witnessing it ... and that's not a god thing. There are homages to other horror films everywhere, but nothing truly original transpires. Having received high praise & internet buzz, I have to say that I was let down by an overhyped movie. While the film has its merits, it relies too much on its eerie premise, its visual tricks ... and not on genuine, gut-wrenching horror. It's almost as if critics are so pleased that 'It Follows' looks to be something BETTER than your typical B-movie scary movie that they're overlooking the actual quality of what they're watching in front of them.
Only the "infected" can see these entities walking ever-slowly towards them, but if said entity catches you ... it will kill you. Furthermore, the only way to get rid of it is by having sex with another person & "passing it on". And even then, you're not really safe because, if it kills THAT person, the entity comes back for YOU. Trapped in a constant state of paranoia, Jay must rely on her friends - including sister Kelly & childhood crush Paul (Keir Gilchrist) - to stop the monster from taking any more lives. Dread, a creepy atmosphere, some light scares, but overall disappointments ensue.
'It Follows' has many good things going for it. The concept/premise of an entity (STDs, moral compass, death) following someone who engages in premarital or lustful sex is pretty interesting. The director/cinematographer does a swell job creating a specific visual experience. Many shots are unique, dread-inducing, even iconic (I recall a jump scare when a certain giant appears in a doorway). I appreciate the inherent fear that Maika Monroe brought to the role of Jay. And there's a great electronic musical score that I found to be unnerving throughout the proceedings {in a good way!}. I also must mention that 'It Follows' is very much a retro homage to the classic 70s/80s horror flicks of old. The way in which the camera movies around the seemingly normal Detroit suburb recalls John Carpenter's Halloween. And the film's dreamlike vibe/tone (and helpless female heroine) recalls the Nightmare on Elm Street flicks. Each scene drips & oozes with 'mood'.
Having said all of that, there are issues within the script and, worst of all ... I simply wasn't scared by this "horror" flick. Was I un-eased, unsettled, creeped out? Eh, a little -- sometimes. But I was not scared nearly enough or as much as the film intended. I wanted to be terrified! Script-wise, we never really learn the source of the entity or how it came to be that this curse befalls people who engage in premarital and/or lustful intercourse. How did this urban legend-like curse begin? How, why, & what happens if this entity winds up killing all of its victims back to ground zero/victim #1? The film has no interest in explaining even a shred of any of that. As for the editing, well, to much time is spent on characters sitting around nervously; the pace could have been quickened a bit. Also, aside from Maika Monroe & Keir Gilchrist (who plays Paul), I thought the acting was amateurish; which almost always takes me right out of any movie I'm watching.
So yeah, while I respect/admire what David Robert Mitchell was trying to do here (and truth be told, it's a more inventive, elegant horror film than we're used to getting nowadays), 'It Follows' is simply scarier in concept than in execution -- nothing overly frightening or sustainably suspenseful. I didn't feel the same mounting sense of dread that Jay was feeling. I was just witnessing it ... and that's not a god thing. There are homages to other horror films everywhere, but nothing truly original transpires. Having received high praise & internet buzz, I have to say that I was let down by an overhyped movie. While the film has its merits, it relies too much on its eerie premise, its visual tricks ... and not on genuine, gut-wrenching horror. It's almost as if critics are so pleased that 'It Follows' looks to be something BETTER than your typical B-movie scary movie that they're overlooking the actual quality of what they're watching in front of them.