It Follows

Director: David Robert Mitchell
Cast: Maika Monroe, Daniel Zovatto, Kier Gilchrist
Length: 100 Mins
Country: USA

Horror has become a cluttered genre, with countless movies coming out each year promising to give audiences nightmares and trying to match up to phenomena of films such as The Exorcist and Carrie. It Follows really stood out for me; its cinematography and soundtrack came together to make a truly unsettling experience.

The film follows Jay (Maika Monroe) and her friends, who have to deal with an ever-changing and unknown monster that follows Jay after a sexual encounter. It Follows feels like a perfect homage to early 80s horror films, especially in terms of its soundtrack which can be the most frightening element at times as it soars in volume and becomes uncomfortably invasive. Although the film was frightening, it was also washed with the nostalgia of close-knit neighbourhood friends and warm days by the pool, (although we rarely experience said warmth in England) which added heavily to the surreal ambiance and strangeness I felt throughout. There wasn’t much opportunity for me to watch half way through my fingers, partly because I was sitting right in front of the screen, but mostly because through its shot and sound choice, you can’t even force yourself to look away. It Follows makes you feel like you’re deep within the film and aligned with the protagonists, having to look behind you every second and make the right decision – to run.

Image: The Hollywood Reporter

Jay and her friends are an interesting, if not sometimes strange group whose characterisations and quirks help to bring humour into the film in a way that’s not forceful. I found Maika Monroe’s performance as Jay very believable – her performance of fear was a perfect midpoint between hysteria and shock, unlike the ear-piercing and perpetual screams of previous horror heroines.

It Follows makes you feel like you’re deep within the film and aligned with the protagonists, having to look behind you every second and make the right decision – to run.

The film seemed to manifest the idea of fear on screen – we are more afraid of what could be and what could come – the presence of the monster is always there, in the anxiety of the characters and the audience. It Follows has a depth that seems to stay with you, as things aren’t explained clear cut, or even at all, we are left to comprehend, and that fills you with even more fear. Significantly different from anything I have seen in the recent years, It Follows is a haunting, dreamlike experience which builds intensity from its opening shots. Whilst I felt that the film was longer than it needed to be, and one which could be seen as repetitive near the end, it felt like a new horror classic, and the beginning to what I hope is a revival of the 80s style horror.