Great Concept

Rating: 7/10 (26 May 2015)

It Follows is one of the rare horror films with a great concept. As the film went on I expected that we would eventually delve into the mystery about who or what the "Follower" was and how it all began. But the film doesn't do that and as it nears the end you realize that's not important. You don't need to be told, you already know. What follows is sin, karma or whatever word you want to choose. It is our human failure personified from which you can try to run but it always catches up.
The film has a beautiful simplicity. It's horror comes from such common things like footsteps slowly advancing, knocks on the door, people approaching as you wait in fear that they might be after you. Since regular cinema so rarely manages to capture the world of mental illness it is left to horror movies to show the fear and trauma that can be part of everyday life. Just the damage that you can't escape.
The characters actually feel like real people, a crucial thing for any horror film. The main actress does a great job of portraying a person living in utter terror. Overall there is lots to recommend about this film, but it is, sadly, not without flaws. Parts of it feel slow and needlessly drawn out. Then there is some silliness towards the end when they try to fight the thing. Generally things are less scary when there is a group of people rather than just one individual against the killer/monster.
Basically, while it is still miles above the average jump-scare flick, with such potential the film could have been a lot better and it never managed to achieve those heights.