Have you ever thought that you were being followed? Paranoid that the stranger walking behind you is dangerous and could strike at any given moment? It Follows explores this fear through the ‘monster’ – a supernatural entity that can take the shape of anything – that follows and kills the last person who receives ‘the curse’. The curse is passed through sexual activity, and in this, cleverly parallels with sexually transmitted infections.
The villain of this film is terrifying in its concept, but is not entirely convincing. Throughout the film, we only witness two deaths (although gruesome in their execution) – which could be seen as hardly enough for the audience to see the entity as a seriously dangerous threat. Contrasting this, however, is the way that the film builds tension to bursting point. Its focus on tension and not on gore is what makes this film so refreshing.
From the moment you see a haunting figure in the distance, walking towards Jay (played by Maika Monroe), the pressure is on and your heartbeat quickens, praying that she will get away in time. With an intelligent use of cinematography in order to quicken the pace of the film in true horror film style. The ending is cryptic – is she free? Is Paul free? We don’t know. But what we do know is that someone is following them dangerously closely as they walk away. The charm of this film lies in it’s saturation of subtext and countless nods back to classical horror films, making it a must-see for any horror film enthusiast.
#Peace.Love.ItFollows
