Drenched in atmosphere while curiously lacking in substance

Rating: 6/10 (5 September 2015)

There seems to be quite a few films recently which hearken back to the late 70's/early 80's in terms of filmmaking style. IT FOLLOWS is one of the films in this mold that capture a certain feeling of nostalgia while also having its foot firmly planted in the present. It's about a vague entity that follows you around after having sex with somebody who also has the same problem. Inasmuch as the Friday THE 13TH series was about abstinence, IT FOLLOWS is in a similar vein, with a heavy dose of John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN and Wes Craven for good measure. The most outstanding part of this film is the subtle approach taken with the horror, letting it build quietly without using the score to jolt you. There was also great care taken with the direction and cinematography that helped to build an atmosphere of tension and dread. Even without being a horror movie (albeit, more of a psychological one), the cinematography and camera-work was excellent, with precise, deliberate movement, slow pans and zooms, etc. It was quite artful, to say the least. I should also mention the outstanding score by Disasterpeace, which captures a feeling I haven't felt since watching HALLOWEEN. So, at least on the surface, IT FOLLOWS has a lot going for it. However, I do ask a little bit more from movies I watch than to impress me visually and aurally, and apart from these qualities, IT FOLLOWS was quite banal. The acting was decent, although no one really stood out from the rest. The potential in the setup for this "it" to be anything or anyone allowed for a few good sequences, but it also meant that the narratively was a little too linear for my tastes. It boils down to have sex, wait, and run. And for a 100 minute film, I expected more. There wasn't even an underlying emotional subtext like was in THE BABADOOK. Still, despite being bored through parts of it, the film does manage to pull together for a decent (and appropriate) finish. I would recommend people to see this, but don't go in expecting something revolutionary. There is a little bit of subtext about abstinence/STDs that can be read into IT FOLLOWS and, courtesy of a CHARADE billboard, possibly some meta-commentary on artificiality. However, IT FOLLOWS works perfectly fine as a stylistic exercise that aspires to little more than imitating its cinematic forebears, and does an admittedly good job at it.