It Follows - Raw Review

Rating: 9/10 (21 July 2015)

I hate it when I'm late to the party, especially when everyone is raving about how much fun the party turns out to be. In any case I finally had the opportunity to see David Robert Mitchell's new horror offering It Follows and I'm kicking myself for not seeing it sooner. The web is full of reviews gushing about It Follows. How much it adds to the horror genre. How surprising it is that a low budget film is so provocative. How such a simple idea can be so scary.
It Follows is proof that simple ideas can make the best horror movies. The premise of the movie is incredibly simple. Jay, played by Maika Monroe (The Guest, Labor Day), learns that she's been infected after having sexual intercourse with Hugh, played by Jake Weary (Zombeavers), and now the infection is following her.
Infected with what you ask? That's a great question!
Call it a curse. Call it a spirit. Call it a demon. Call it anything you like because any explanation is as good as another. What's important are the rules. The thing following you is slow, but it's not dumb. It is always coming no matter where you are, it's always moving toward you. If it gets you then it comes after the person who infected you, then right on down the line. It can look like anybody and only those infected can see it.
It Follows is a beautifully crafted gauntlet of fear, tension, and horror. Many comments online claim the film is slow and boring. Not enough action. Sleep inducing. Nothing special. Yada yada. Take my word for it, it's one of the most intense films horror-thrillers since Sinister. Don't let the slow, moody manner of the characters fool you, this movie will stick with you for days. Like an albatross hanging around your neck, you won't be able to get the idea out of your mind. Between Mitchell's direction and Monroe's sympathetic portrayal of a young woman put in an impossible situation you'll find yourself engaged in the story, feeling like you're there next to them.
I watched the movie with my wife, sister-in-law and mother-in-law. All of them enjoy horror movies, but every now and again a film comes along that has them all (including myself) yelling at the television. It Follows is one of those movies. All of us felt Jay's burden as she waited for the unknown horror to arrive, again and again and again. We'd yell at the screen if we spied what we believed to be the creature, arriving deep in the background. Getting closer and closer as the characters are focused on anything but their surroundings.
The film capitalizes on this premise with excellent cinematography. From the very first scene it's clear we are meant to see more than just the characters. Mitchell wants us to see the environment, the background. A very clever set-up because it lulls the audience into complacency. By the time Jay learns of her plight we're already used to the long shots and wide panning camera angles. This makes the first time she sees 'It' even more powerful and creepy.
It Follows is a brilliant film. David Robert Mitchell takes an extremely simple idea and through some deft direction, exception camera work, and provocative soundtrack is able to inject the the film with the most powerful elements of multiple genres. Horror, monster, thriller, and coming-of-age. Thematically the movie is all about the discomfort of adolescence, love, and emotional insecurity.