๐ฌ Movie Overview
Title: It Follows (2014)
Release Date: March 27, 2015 (wide release) (premiered earlier)
Genre: Supernatural Horror / Thriller
Director: David Robert Mitchell
Cast: Maika Monroe (Jay), Keir Gilchrist (Paul), Jake Weary (Hugh), Daniel Zovatto, Olivia Luccardi
Where To Watch: Available on Netflix in many regions
1. Plot Summary
It Follows opens with Jay (Maika Monroe), a young woman in her late teens living in suburban Detroit, who after a sexual encounter with her new boyfriend Hugh, discovers she has contracted a mysterious curse. This curse causes a supernatural entityโreferred to only as โItโโto pursue her relentlessly at a walking pace. The entity can take the appearance of anyoneโfriend or strangerโand only Jay can see it.
Jayโs friends initially doubt her, dismissing her claims as paranoia. But as the stalking intensifies and people around her begin to witness the strange presence, she and her allies (including Paul) must find a way to survive the curse and break the cycle. In a setting of quiet neighborhoods, dim streets, and suburban normality, It Follows turns the familiar into something horrifying and inescapable.
What sets this apart is the idea that survival depends not on outrunning It (since It canโt be outrun) but on strategy, trust, and sacrifice.
2. Notable Elements
- Atmosphere & Cinematography: The film leans heavily on slow, wide framing, long takes, and stillness. The suburban environmentโempty streets after dark, vintage houses, quiet lakeside poolsโbecomes ominous. The camera often frames characters with distance, enhancing vulnerability.
- Sound & Music: The score by Disasterpeace is haunting and minimal, achieving dread more by whatโs not heard than by loud shocks. Silence, ambient noise, footsteps, distant humsโthese are used effectively.
- The Entity Design: โItโ is simple but terrifying. Because it moves slowly, can mimic anyone, and cannot be clearly identified early on, the suspense is psychological. We anticipate its arrival more than we see it.
- Key Scenes:
- The first moment Jay senses someone following her, with distant footsteps โ a scene that primes audience paranoia.
- The poolside moment at night, where a figure stands in the darkness โ ambiguity and threat merge.
- The climax, which uses darkness, minimal lighting, and tension rather than a spectacle of CGI or gore.
- Performances: Maika Monroe brings vulnerability without overacting โ she feels like someone ordinary thrown into a nightmare. The supporting cast (Paul, others) are believable in their reactions โ the blend of skepticism and fear works well.
One minor shortcoming: occasionally character decisions (e.g. not immediately believing or acting) feel like they exist to prolong tension, not always logical. But that is often a trade-off in horror.
3. Themes and Messages
- Inevitability & Mortality: The entity is relentless and impartial; eventually, everyone will โfollow.โ Itโs a metaphor for mortalityโdeath follows us, always advancing, sometimes slowly.
- Sex, Transmission, and Anxiety: The curse passes through a sexual act. Critics and fans interpret It Follows as a metaphor for STDs, sexual guilt, or the anxiety of intimacy.
- Isolation & Trust: Jay must rely on friends, but at times her solitude is stark. The idea that you might be vulnerable even among loved ones resonates.
- Uncertainty & Identity: Because It can appear as anyone, trust is uncertain. The film questions who is real and who is threat.
- Lingering Fear vs. Jump Scares: Rather than shock, the horror is slow and accumulative, lingering in the mind long after the film ends.
Though the film is not related to holiday traditions, its deeper message resonates: some fears, guilt, regrets, or consequences follow us persistently, unrelenting.
4. Personal Impressions
Strengths:
- I love how It Follows crafts horror from paranoia, not spectacle. The fear that something is always behind youโeven when you look awayโstays with you.
- The design of the entity is elegantly simple but deeply unsettling.
- Maika Monroeโs performance anchors the film emotionally; her fear is believable and grounded.
- The minimal use of effects, the attention to everyday settings (suburb, streets, homes) make the horror feel personal and possible.
- The pacing is deliberateโnever rushed, allowing tension to build.
Weaknesses:
- Some plot mechanics are vague: how exactly It behaves, what rules always apply, what loopholes exist โ the film leaves many questions open, sometimes frustratingly so.
- Occasionally, character choices feel like they exist for tension rather than realism (e.g. delaying telling someone, lingering too long).
- The ending is ambiguous โ which is artistically fitting, but some viewers may prefer closure.
5. Audience Recommendations
Youโll particularly enjoy It Follows if:
- You like psychological / โslow-burnโ horror rather than gore or frequent jump scares.
- You appreciate horror that lingers, making you check over your shoulder after watching.
- You enjoy horror with metaphor and depth โ it works on more than one level.
- You like minimalistic horror, creative tension, and subtle fear more than spectacle.
Maybe skip or brace yourself if:
- You want clear, explained mechanics and resolution.
- You dislike ambiguity or โopenโ endings.
- You need frequent action or scares to stay engaged.
6. Conclusion & Rating
It Follows (2014) is a modern horror gem that uses simplicity and atmosphere to terrify. Itโs less a spectacle, more a creeping dread you carry with you. Its blend of allegory (mortality, intimacy, anxiety) with classic horror tropes gives it staying power.
Final Recommendation: A must-watch for horror fans who prefer subtle, haunting tension over gore.
โญ Rating: 4.5 / 5 stars
