It Follows

It Follows is a grass roots horror film by a fresh writer/director named David Robert Mitchell. The subtlety, tension, curious setting and characters, suspenseful timing, and simplicity are what may end up being his calling card in any future successful endeavors. This is his third film, the first a short, and the second an American Graffiti/Dazed and Confused type drama, but this is his foray into the horror genre.

It Follows starts in suburban Detroit in an eerily implacable time. Fashion and scenery could be out of the 1970's, or modern day Eastern Europe, but it's impossible to tell. I found myself second guessing the country of origin for the first twenty minutes or so, but is indeed America. References to Detroit, 8 Mile, and some distinguishable landmarks confirm this suspicion. The ambiguity may not be entirely intentional, but it certainly impacts the tone of the film in a big way, and adds to its unique and refreshing feel. We follow an ensemble of typical early twenty-somethings, languishing in the economic wastelands of suburban Detroit. Their lives are bleak and directionless, but not apathetic and indecisive. It's the black hole of poverty that leads to community college and waiting tables (no disrespect). The lead, Jay (Maika Monroe), is a nobody just sleepwalking through her life until she meets Hugh. After a night of passion, she awakens bound to a chair, and Hugh explains the rules of this particular horror film (convenient for the audience). He tells her that "it" will follow her until she passes it along to someone else. Like the nightmare of all sexually transmitted diseases, this shape-shifting apparition will slowly walk toward her, and she needs to keep moving. If it catches her, she dies. If she dies, it goes after the last person who had it, hence the need for Hugh to explain it to her. It's the deadliest game of sex tag ever.

The beauty of It Follows is that the only ones who see "It" are those who have been followed or are currently being followed, although it does take up physical space and can be hit by other people (or shot). Jay struggles with the knowledge of this curse, and debates the moral dilemma of passing it along to the next unsuspecting victim or keeping the curse. Her friends are skeptical, but eventually come around, and as the slow-moving specter keeps coming, they must find a way to stop it. Or die.

I have said before that Sci-fi and Horror are the two most difficult genres to do well. Entertain they might even without quality, but artistic integrity is hard to come by. There is something special about It Follows, and it starts with the setting. It moves along with the nameless, faceless characters, and wraps things up with the simple, yet chilling story. Filmmakers have struck horror gold by capitalizing on certain universal fears like darkness, creatures, psychopaths, and demonic spirits. It Follows offers an equally frightening fear; having death slowly hunt you down with no way out but to hurt someone else. I suppose the practical solution is simple. Go to a prostitute and let the long line of people create the buffer between you and the evil spirit. Too easy? I suppose. Anyway, as universal as some of these fears are, finding the way to defeat them is equally intriguing.

David Robert Mitchell uses low budget, classic techniques to achieve its goal with the execution of an old pro. Silence, dark hallways, cover of night, tight spaces, sexual tension, and prolonged camera shots where you're just waiting for the arrival of the phantom. There is no fanfare or special powers, just good old fashioned suspense. No special effects or twists, just primal fear. That's what makes the film such an effective example of the genre done well. The plot isn't overly complicated, the characters aren't too deep. It's just a scary movie. I walked away satisfied, which is really hard to do within the horror genre. I want to say The Conjuring was the last one I was impressed with for the fear factor, Cabin in the Woods the last for creativity and fun. Nice work, David Robert Mitchell. I have the feeling this might be a one hit wonder, but I'll keep an eye on his work in the future. 8/10.