It Follows Review: Frightening and Refreshing

The world of horror is full of all kinds of scares. Some films deal with ghosts and hauntings; while have deranged killers stalking teenagers. However there are times where this genre can be daunting to watch because so many movies follows the same formula; and it seems to be getting harder and harder for horror movies to stand out from one another. Yet filmmakers attempt to bring some quality to this aged genre. The latest film to enter this genre is an independent horror film by the name of It Follows. The movie has received some good press when it started with its debut at the Cannes Film Festival in 2014. Since then, the film has received praise from a number of critics; but could this horror flick impress this Film Adventurer?

The tale of It Follows surrounds a young girl named Jay. Proceeding a date with a mysterious boy named Hugh, Jay is abducted by Hugh where he reveals his true intention. It turns out that something has been following Hugh and the only way for this mysterious being to pass him is if he has sex with another person; which he did with Jay. Now Jay finds herself being hunted down by a creature who takes any form and is only visible to her. With the help of her friends, Jay tries to evade this entity; however no matter what she does or where she goes, it follows.


The plot to It Follows was definitely intriguing. While the story has very little explanation in its back-story, this drawback actually benefited the overall plot by strengthening the mystery tone which added to overall tension to the movie.Though the movie was an hour and forty minutes, the pacing to the film was long. This was not to say a bad thing as so many horror films go by quickly. However there were times where the plot would drag on; particularly during the end of the film. In the end, It Follow's plot does hold true to many horror plot elements; but rather then coming off as generic, the story uses these traits to the best of their abilities making this spooky tale very engaging.

 Characters in horror films can be a tricky thing as they tend to rely on being stereotypes. While the characters of It Follows fall under cliched characteristics, the cast was still effective. Jay does fall under the category of the lead being constantly haunted, but she does come off as a character that you can understand; which is likely thanks to Maika Monroe's performance. Jay's friend are pretty standard, but the fact they do believe that Jay is being stalked does break away from the stereotype that these kind of characters are known for. Then again the doubtful character comes in the form of Greg. While Greg was helpful to the group, he was the one who disbelieved the existence of the monster. While it was great to see Greg was a different kind of character, his development and motivation was underwhelming. Then there was the creature itself. Rather then just coming off as a ghost, the monster could be physical; which was a callback to slasher characters like Jason Voorhees. By meshing elements from various horror monsters, the creature came off as a unique villain; and this approach made the overall film that more effective.

The horror of It Follows is a combination of scare tactics. While the movie has a few jump scares, the movie thankfully did not rely on this concept. Instead the film would rely on its frightening; atmosphere which was definitely the better move. Thanks to mystery of the creature and its concept  of following Jay everywhere, you never knew when this creature was going to emerge.  There were plenty of times where you see someone walking in the distance, and you never knew if it was the creature or not. This kind of horror was definitely effective as it gave the movie a different approach  scary its audience. The cinematography to It Follows was impressive by having an 80's sense to it. The camera work and look to the movie created vibe seen in classic horror films from the 80's. Along with the stellar cinematography was the fantastic score by Disasterpeace. The music was not only catchy but it help continued the sense of nostalgia of this movie by reflecting various horror scores heard in the 80's.

It is safe to say that It Follows is a solid horror film. While it does has some issues in its execution, the movie makes up for it in a variety of areas. The film comes off as unique by taking elements from a variety of horror films. It Follows is to say the least refreshing and; after watching the film you will definitely be watching or back-because you never know what could be following.