It Follows

It Follows is a terrific little indie horror picture that secured a major theatrical release after scoring big with audiences and critics at Cannes. In this movie, writer/director David Robert Mitchell (The Myth of the American Sleepover) creates an old-school chiller reminiscent of the early horror films of John Carpenter, with a touch of David Lynch and George Romero, though it never comes off as mere homage or a retro retread.  It Follows tells the story of a group of young adults whose lackadaisical post-high school lives are upset when one of the girls is cursed and placed in an unusual, highly unsettling predicament. Maika Monroe (Labor Day) plays Jay, the girl who must first convince herself, and then her friends, that the curse passed on to her is real and she’s being followed by an entity that means to kill her.

If I were to elaborate on the plot, it would both spoil the movie and lead readers to think It Follows is one of those deep horror films with a rich metaphorical subtext ripe for endless interpretation. It’s not, though it certainly boasts several interesting underlying ideas.  Mitchell’s premise is thin, but the moral dilemma it creates for the main character is powerfully engaging, and it’s more than enough to sustain the dreamlike spell this picture casts over its audience.

The young cast is solid across the board. Each actor embodies an individual we can empathize with and we can understand all of his or her motivations and actions—always important for a horror movie’s credibility.  The film takes place in suburban Detroit at a time that—apart from the disappointing inclusion of a few portable electronic devices—could be anytime in the last 30 years. The setting is key to the picture’s effectiveness, luring us into a world we instantly recognize yet can’t fully relate to. It’s almost as if these kids live in a ghost town—a nearly adult free, work-free, responsibility-free bedroom community of a city that died when they were little children. 

Mitchell shoots with a directorial confidence that more than makes up for the few narrative choices that didn’t totally work for me. In collaboration with cinematographer Mike Gioulakis and editor Julio C. Perez IV, he creates the kind of simple, elegant visuals that breed disquieting unease and apprehension in a viewer, and he holds these prowling, lingering shots long enough for their full effect to take hold. Most modern horror directors don’t seem to know that restrained, nearly empty frames are far more unsettling than busy, herky-jerkey compositions; and solitary figures approaching in the distance are infinitely scarier than CGI monsters that rush the camera. Mitchell not only understands this aesthetic, he’s built most of his film around it.

The picture begins with a slow, wide 360 degree panning shot that exquisitely establishes the mood of the piece—it’s the best opening to a horror movie in over a decade. Mitchell returns to this type of shot a few times as the story progresses, but it never becomes stale or gimmicky. The wide-lensed, 2.35:1 compositions give the film a Carpenteresque look, enhanced by the many smooth, slow tracking shots.  Rich Freeland’s amped up synth music recalls Carpenter’s ‘80s horror scores, as well as Angelo Badalamenti’s work with David Lynch, and Gene Moore’s organ music from the 1960s indie horror/dream classic Carnival of Souls.

All the elements work in over-the-top harmony to create a movie that unapologetically tries to scare you. Thus, It Follows is one of those little indies that benefits greatly from its theatrical release, not only because of audience reactions but because the visuals, sound editing, and music are designed on such a grand scale (this film would loose a great deal if viewed on an iPad.)

Apart from a few awkward turns in the second half, this is a solid and effective chiller. While relatively free of gore, it boasts disturbing images that will stay with viewers.  It Follows delivers the goods horror fans crave, whether you like your scary movies psychologically creepy and intelligent, or you just like to jump and scream.