Thursday, October 20, 2016

31 Days of Horror: IT FOLLOWS (2015)


Welcome horror fans, to Day 20 of the 31 DAYS OF HORROR!  We are back with another film in our lead up to Halloween, and today we will be reviewing the critically acclaimed 2015 horror film...IT FOLLOWS.  Enjoy!

It Follows is a unique horror film directed by David Robert Mitchell, who's only film before this was coming of age drama "The Myth Of The American Sleepover", and in a way, this film is a coming of age drama, disguised as a horror film.

But that does not mean it isn't a horror film, because it is.

It Follows is definitely scary. The synopsis is as follows : For 19-year-old Jay, the Fall should be about school, boys and weekends at the lake. Yet, after a seemingly innocent sexual encounter, she suddenly finds herself plagued by nightmarish visions; she can't shake the sensation that someone, or something, is following her. As the threat closes in, Jay and her friends must somehow escape the horrors that are only a few steps behind.

Long story short... It Follows is about a supernatural STD... And as crazy as that sounds, it works as a great little horror film (and little it is, made for a mere $2 million). It boasts stylistic visuals and a great scream queen debut for Maika Monroe, who I loved in this and 2014's The Guest, which, yes, can be classified as a horror film, but I count it more as a thriller, so I consider It Follows to be Monroe's debut into the horror genre. And judging by her excellent performance here, she should be in the genre for a long time.

But getting back to the supernatural STD. This plot could have been handled badly, it could have come off very silly, but David Robert Mitchell handles it seriously. He doesn't make it funny, he makes it scary... Because it would be legitimately scary.

Having the plot be about a girl getting a supernatural STD that follows her around and tries to kill her, makes it, in a way, grounded. The only way, without getting into spoilers, this girl can get rid of this scary STD is to pass it on to someone else. Which will be, inevitably a vicious cycle. Everyone has sex. Everyone has urges. And by making the villain an STD, makes the villain almost unbeatable. Kind of like how Freddie Krueger kills you in your dreams, you can't help but sleep, and billions of people can't help but have sex.

And getting back to the coming of age aspect. The film may be crazy, but there are scenes that look like they come straight out of a quirky teen dramedy. Jay ( Maika Monroe ) spends her days, hanging out with her friends, watching old shows on her old TV, that screams Sofia Coppola and Wes Anderson. And that is what I love most about It Follows, it is a somewhat formulaic horror film that isn't formulaic at all, if you get what I'm saying.

The film follows classic horror tropes, but also has it's own style, it's own vision, that I think is unique, and exciting.

It Follows is a visually stylistic, moody, scary movie that boasts an excellent performance from Maika Monroe. The 3rd act is not as good as the first two and there are some genuine problems with the mythology, as legendary filmmaker Quentin Tarantino explains HERE, but overall, I loved watching It Follows, watching Mike Gioulakis's gorgeous cinematography and listening to the trippy and awesome score by Disasterpiece.

Sammy's Score: 8/10


Be sure to stay tuned throughout the rest of the month! We're posting a new horror review every day all throughout October, both old and new! Check back to see what movie we'll have you covering your eyes from next!

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