Takes from the best, to become one of the best

Rating: 8/10 (26 June 2015)

I won't say It Follows is a horror movie like no other, nor will I say that it is original, because it's really not: it is a film that recycles many ideas that have existed for many years and, at times, just borrows these shamelessly. But It Follows does this in a very cool way and comes off not as a cheap copy of Halloween, but as a movie that pays homage to slasher classics of the late 1970's and 80's, like Halloween.
In the first 10 seconds of the movie, if someone were to ask me if I was watching It Follows or Halloween, I would probably have a hard time guessing. But, like I said It Follows can copy these ideas like Tarantino could copy Leone: it has its own style that pays homage to the original. There is one scene in the movie where Jay is sitting in the classroom and gets bored and looks out the window...for those of you fond of horror movies, you know where this is going. I also love that they explain that IT cannot run, it can only walk (just like Michael Myers). The soundtrack of the movie also has that 80's vibe and fits perfectly with the atmosphere of the film.
It Follows does an amazing job at creating tension throughout and being able to scare you, without an abundance of cheap jump-scares, although I counted two unnecessary ones in the movie (ball hitting the window, for example). The movie is flawed in the sense that I think one or two things don't make a lot of sense, like the ball hitting the window when Jay is in the bathroom was completely unnecessary and another thing when you see IT on the roof of the house for no apparent reason whatsoever...how the hell did he get there in the first place? Also, when Jay takes the car to the woods all by herself, why in the world would she sleep on top of the car instead of inside where the doors and windows are locked if something wants to kill you? Stuff like that just makes me cringe cause the movie could have been more.
I don't want to sound too negative, cause I really enjoyed It Follows. One of the things I enjoyed the most was Maika Monroe's performance in the movie, which was excellent. Overall, I believe It Follows is definitely not for everyone, not a movie made for general audiences, but if you can appreciate the tribute to classic slasher films like Halloween and keep an open mind to clever ideas, It Follows is a solid horror film that I look forward to owning in my horror collection.