A modern American classic

Rating: 10/10 (27 March 2015)

Yeah, I know that sounds lofty, but that's the impression this film left on me, and I believe has on many others as well. It's been a long time since I've left the theater after seeing a horror film feeling truly roused, and "It Follows" exceeded my wildest expectations.
The narrative here is fairly straightforward: A young college student, Jay (Maika Monroe) goes on a date with a guy. On their second outing together, the two have consensual sex in his car; all is well and normal, until he inexplicably chloroforms her. She awakens tied to a wheelchair in an abandoned building, and is warned in detail by her suitor that she's been bestowed a threatening supernatural entity that will follow her until making its fatal strike— the only way out is if she "passes it on" by having sex with someone else.
Is it a parable of female sexuality? A commentary on millennial sex culture? A veiled warning on the dangers of unprotected sex? I frankly don't know, and I don't think that's really the point here. While the topic of sex is a plot hinge, the real meat of this film is in its execution of concept. Newcomer David Robert Mitchell wrote and directed the film, and has essentially taken a basic concept and fleshed it out into a feature length exercise in disquietude. The reality of this film is that there is not much to the skeleton of it; it is heavy on concept and borderline emaciated on narrative, but not to its own detriment. The main reason the film works so well is because it operates on the universal fear that humans have of being followed— on the street, in our classrooms, in the grocery store, even in our own home. The fear of being followed and not knowing why or who is after you is terrifying on every conceivable level, and Mitchell's playful striking of this very nerve is what this film is all about.
This incessant terror creeps in through a series of unsettling and sometimes downright scary confrontations with the nebulous "it", which manifests as different people. Sometimes it's strangers, sometimes people the afflicted victim knows; in either case it is inescapable, and the film closes in on the world of its characters to claustrophobic effect.
The photography here is another large part of the ambiance in the film, with the camera capturing expansive views of a dilapidating Detroit, and the sleepy lives of young adults living on the suburban outskirts of it. The ambiguity of the time period is hand-in-hand with the general ambiguity of the film itself; the camera-work is sophisticated and even at times lyrical, presenting beautiful compositions and chilling run-ins with the various manifestations of "it", whether it be lurking in corners or slowly approaching the camera from distant landscapes. The scope is undoubtedly reminiscent of John Carpenter, which has been mentioned time and again, and while the film playfully references several other genre films, it does so without being obnoxious. Underlying all of this is a pulsing synth score that is jarring yet appropriate, and is perhaps the film's most ostentatious "throwback" element. Regardless, it works.
Skilled performances are the icing on the cake here, and make it all the more believable in all the unbelievability; Maika Monroe and Keir Gilchrist lead the cast, both turning in admirable and realistic performances, and the supporting cast members are equally believable. It's a rare instance in which I felt like the filmic representation of young adult ennui was on-par. These characters and their relationships toward one another look and feel very real.
While some have decried the film's showdown finale and conclusion, I didn't think there was really any better way to end a film like this. In a film whose core is so indefinite, all bets are off as far as I'm concerned, and maybe that's part of what makes the film so quietly scary— the threat lacks definition. The only conclusive attribute "it" has is that it follows you, and through a skillful amalgamation of atmospheric camera-work, evocative mood-setting, and strong performances, that is more than enough. Check your inhibitions at the door, and this film will follow you for days. 10/10.