DIRECTOR: David Robert Mitchell STARRING: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Olivia Luccardi, Bailey Spry, Lili Sepe, Debbie Williams, Jake Weary, Daniel Zovatto, Ruby Harris, Leisa Pulido, D.J. Oliver, Linda Boston, Ingrid Mortimer USA 2015
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If I could sum up David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows in one word, it would be; refreshing. Horror movies nowadays have become exploitative trash used to lure casual movie-goers in to a cheap cinematic experience full of clichés and jump scares. However, It Follows is a very intelligent horror movie as it uses a solid script and ambiguity as its main scare tactic instead of CGI, gore and an elaborate monster.
When used correctly, ambiguity is one of the best cinematic tools. It makes the audience think and make up their own minds about why certain things occur in the movie. This has been used effectively in movies such as Donnie Darko, Inception, and 2001: A Space Odyssey to high critical acclaim.
In terms of plot, It Follows is an homage to 1980s slashers so of course it centres around a teenage girl named Jay (Maika Monroe) and her coming-of-age story while being haunted by a killer of sorts. The “antagonist” so to speak of It Follows is a parasite passed through to others via physical intimacy. It’s much more interesting than the usual disfigured psycho going rampant with some sort of bladed object which in today’s world, would be all CGI. We never actually learn what “It” is as it takes on human forms, this is very effective as in horror movies, less is always more and director David Robert Mitchell is totally aware of this. Plus, the soundtrack sounds like it was composed by John Carpenter so that alone means the film should deserve some recognition.
In an age where horror movies are just high budget, computerised B movies, It Follows is a gem, it’s crafted with real artistic merit and is the most refreshing horror experience you can find today outside of little known indie flicks and video games.