Ol' style scary movie delivers the goods, and then some

Rating: 8/10 (29 March 2015)

"It Follows" (2014 release; 100 min.) brings the story of Jay and her friends as Jay is battling "it". As the movie opens, in the pre-opening credits scene we see a teenage girl running out of a house, in obvious terror of something that seems to be following her. She drives off in a panic and later we see her mutilated body. After the opening credits, we get to know Jay, another teenage girl, and her group of friends. Eventually Jay and her boyfriend have sex in his car, and that is when stranger things start to happen. To tell you more would spoil your viewing experience , you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out. Couple of comments: this is the second full-length feature from writer-director David Robert Mitchell, and this time he gives us a scary movie worthy of that name. This is MILES away from so-called scary (but in reality violence-porn) movies like the Saw franchise. Instead this movie is reminiscent of the ol' style John Carpenter movies. In fact, it is no accident that "It Follows" has a strong 1970s-1980s vibe (lots of old cars from that era, no cell phone, no internet, no cable TV, etc.). The movie is set in and around Detroit, and the city feels like it is playing a character itself in the movie. Check out the scene where the group of 5 kids is driving through one of the more harrowing parts of Detroit, seemingly a post-apocalyptic area, and later the Detroit Swimming building. Kudos to Maika Monroe in the leading role of Jay. I saw her most recently in "Labor Day" but here she brings an outstanding starring performance as vulnerable Jay. I couldn't help but be reminded of a young Cloe Sevigny. Last but certainly not least, there is an outstanding electronic soundtrack, composed by Disasterpeace (the stage moniker of Rich Vreeland), which is equally worth seeking out. After months of internet buzz and other hype, the movie finally opened nationwide this weekend, and I couldn't wait to see it, even though as such I am not a big fan of 'scary' movies. The early evening screening where I saw this at was attended okay but not great, which surprised me (I had expected a lot more people in the theater). It doesn't matter. "It Follows" lives up to the hype, and then some. One of the better scary movies I have seen in a long, long time. If you have a chance to see "It Follows", be it in the theater, or eventually on Amazon Instant Video or DVD/Blu-ray, do not miss it. "It Follows" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED