Original, unnerving with room for improvement

Rating: 6/10 (24 July 2015)

It Follows is a breath of fresh air in a horror genre that has succumbed to using jump scares and over-the-top gore to engage its audience. It is suspenseful and borderline ingenious with its concept, but it also has some faults that lessen its lasting impression.
The plot of It Follows is as ominous as it is simplistic, yet it is a difficult to discuss without sounding ridiculous. Jay (Maika Monroe) is followed by an insidious force, what is essentially a shape shifting entity, after getting involved in a sexual encounter. She is instructed to "pass it on", i.e. sleep with someone else, effectively passing 'It' further down the chain. In short, the film is the product of personifying an STI, with even more horrific results.
The director David Robert Mitchell shoots the film in a clear homage to horror films from the genre's golden age, with a sinister and atmospheric mood along the lines of John Carpenter's original Halloween. The slow 360º degree pan and an emphasis on the foreground are used to superb effect, helping create an unnerving atmosphere. Add to this a top-notch soundtrack, echoing 80's horror synth-notes, and you have a very unsettling film indeed. Unfortunately some old horror clichés and contrived plot points designed to advance the story chip away at the film's core.
It Follows is the most original horror film since Cabin in the Woods (2012) and a refreshing take on the teenage horror genre, as long as you don't think about it too hard.
6/10