IT FOLLOWS
It has long been noted that all the classic slasher films have a puritanical angle - the characters who break the rules in some way - smoking, drinking, taking drugs - and above all, HAVING SEX - are often the ones marked for death.
It Follows takes this to its logical conclusion -with a sexually transmitted curse that seals your fate. This is such a genius idea, the slasher film distilled, purified, and remixed with a J-Horror curse vibe. As a writer, this definitely falls into the “damn, it’s so simple - why didn’t I think of it first!” category.
But a clever idea is nothing without execution - and there is craft and attention to detail in every frame. The dreamy cinematography and production design defies you to pin the film to a time period - the fashion is classic slasher-era 70s/80s, the clamshell e-reader from who knows when.
And the essential icing on the cake is Disasterpeace’s John Carpenter-evoking score, easily one of the best horror soundtracks of the last 20 years.
You still want more? Well the film also introduced horror fans to Maika Monroe who has since gone on to be a true star of the genre.
And did I forget to mention it’s also fucking scary? It’s a film you can never truly relax into - there’s always the edges and backgrounds of a frame to scan - looking for a glimpse of the next follower. The film turns the whole viewing experience into an active, rather than passive event.
All in all, I’m very excited to see the sequel, and see if it can in any way follow, IT FOLLOWS.
Andy Edwards