It Follows (R)

“It Follows” is one of the most divisive horror movies to have come out in years. Some critics think it is strikingly original. Others feel it to be a waste of time. I don’t want to spoil my own review, so we’ll get back to this at the end.

The plot, like any good horror movie, is incredibly simple. A young woman, played by Maika Monroe, has sex with a young man, played by Jake Weary, in the backseat of a car in the parking lot of an abandoned building. Afterwards, she is chloroformed into unconsciousness by the same young man. As she awakens, tied to a chair in a dilapidated parking garage, the young man tells her the rules:

“This thing… it’s gonna follow you. Somebody gave it to me, and I passed it to you back in the car. It can look like someone you know or it could be a stranger in the crowd. Whatever helps it get close to you. It can look like anyone, but there’s only one of it.”

From this and other parts of the movie, we learn that “It” can only be seen by those who have had it follow them. Also, if it does catch someone then it will kill them and then move back to following the person who gave them “It.”

This young woman gathers her rag-tag group of friends, who readily believe her, and they go about trying
to survive this mysterious creature.

Visually, “It Follows” is extremely intentional and deliberate. Most shots are very wide-angle, giving the viewer plenty of space to look around and try and find “It.” If there is camera movement, then it is a slow zoom or rotation, mimicking the plodding pace set by “It.” And the time between cuts is unnervingly long, even during moments of horror and fear.

One of the most unique elements to “It Follows” is the treatment of the monster. Unlike traditional horror, “It” is constantly shown. We see it as an audience even when the characters don’t. Sometimes it is very obvious, like when it is all sorts of naked people. Other times we don’t even know that it is “It” because it looks like a main character. Much of the anxiety of this film is simply trying to identify “It.”

Unfortunately, the only character in this movie that seems to be well written and fleshed out is the City of Detroit, in which “It Follows” takes place. There are practically no adults in this movie, explained away by empty wine glasses next to a bed or even just ignored outright. The main characters, although we are told they have known each other all of their lives, talk to each other as though for the first time. The dialogue is wooden, and usually just a placeholder until our next opportunity to see “It.”

There are a few genuinely good scares in “It Follows,” but the movie as a whole aims to be creepier and more unsettling than outright scary.

It doesn’t surprise me that “It Follows” has been so divisive for viewers. This is not a traditional horror movie. Many elements, especially those not pertaining to the actual horror, are kind of bad. If you look for plot holes or character inconsistencies, you will find dozens. But, if you can watch “It Follows” as a unique and macabre horror story and not sweat the small stuff, then I think you’ll be rewarded.

– by Lane Vespertine