The Best Original American Horror Movie Since Insidious.

Rating: 10/10 (27 March 2015)

I heard of this movie many months before its release when I google searched Horror movies coming out in 2014 at the time. This was on many lists but I never really looked into it more until finally in 2015 it was announced that it would get a very limited theater release. I saw the glowing reviews and was envious that only 4 theaters would play it. Well apparently the movie had one of the best performances in such a small theater count that it was graced with a nationwide theater release soon after. I was glad that the trailers didn't give away much of the real scares because after leaving the theater from this movie I am still shocked at some of the images depicted in the film.
-Plot- An attractive teenager meets a seemingly nice guy and they go on a few dates. After a bit they finally have sex. Suddenly she wakes up tied to a wheelchair by the young man. He tells her that he has passed on an entity to her through sex and that it will follow her at a walking pace until it kills her. It will take many different forms of random strangers or someone close to her. To make sure she believes him, he waits with her, still tied to the wheelchair until "it" comes. Then he quickly releases her and hopes for the best.
That's the gist of the set up of the movie. Seeing all the reviews prior, I expected a good horror movie. In actuality, this is more than good, it's fantastic. The main cast are all teenagers, which could make the premise seem less scary, but boy does it all deliver. The movie has a retro feel at points with many of the best scenes using longshots that give it a roller-coaster feeling. The music ranges from terrifyingly loud but effective to soothing but creepy synths in the style of 80s classics. The opening sequence features one of the most terrifying images I've seen on the big screen. Every scene featuring "it" is executed masterfully and will have you on the edge of your seat. I will admit some of the secondary characters were annoying. The girl with glasses was pointless as she tried to be meaningful as she read quotes throughout the movie yet I just found her tiring quick. There are some scenes that did drag on a bit without much to offer and ended up feeling awkward. I think that a good 5 minutes worth of footage could have been taken out of the film and it would still be great. I'm not really complaining about it though, but I know that many others will. I would go as far as to say this is the "Drive" of horror movies. I mean that as a compliment. This movie will leave you with a sense of terror brooding in your stomach when you see someone blankly walking in your direction. I strongly think this movie could save the horror genre as it seems to be slipping in the past few years. I would strongly suggest you to see this in theaters if you are reading this while it is still in nationwide release. If you want a good scare then I'm urging you to experience this on the big screen. This movie really earns its R rating. There is no reason whatsoever to show this movie to anyone under the age of maybe 16 even with supervision. There is a lot of nudity and strong sexual moments not to mention the opening scene that I promise you will traumatize many viewers. Just bare with the movie in its slower moments because it's worth it all in the end. If you can't make it to the theater then I suggest you view the movie at home on a night where you can really sit back and relax with few distractions. Turn the volume up. Oh and watching this with a group can be fun depending on who its with. Just don't let your guard down afterwards when walking around in public, because It follows.