Fun & Original

Rating: 7/10 (5 August 2015)

Jay (Monroe) is a Michigan teenager who goes on a date with Hugh (Weary) and ends up in his car having sex. Afterward, Hugh explains to Jay that he had to pass on to her what was passed on to him. He warns that strangers will show up and try to kill her until she passes it on by having sex. Jay is stunned but only half believes him until she experiences it herself in a scary scene where she is pursued. Her sister and friends come to her aid and Jay must come to terms about what to do about the situation. The killer can look different every time but the effect and how it is used is effective and makes for some jarring moments in the film. Writer/Director David Robert Mitchell makes the most of his straight ahead plot by having a solid cast and characters you care about. All though they're adults around, we rarely see any of them during the course of the picture giving the impression that the teens are on their own to figure this out. Suspense is generated with the unsuspecting killers showing up in the corner of the frame and advancing before Jay can see them coming. This technique works quite well especially in the first half of the film and makes for some intense moments. The production design seems to be making an attempt to make this seem like it was set in the 1980's but they're too many inconsistencies to know for sure. The old school mostly electronic musical score by Disasterpeace (Rich Vreeland) is both effective and out of place depending on the sequence. When it is effective, it is refreshing and dead on perfect with the visuals, but when it is off it seems to stick out like a sore thumb. The plot wears a little thin towards the end and the up in the air ending is abrupt which may leave a bad taste in the mouth of some viewers. Overall, It Follows is a fun and original film that does supply some good chills and scares.