Pursuit of excellence
A modern horror that stalks the stalk…
IT FOLLOWS 15
Film HHHHH Extras HHHHH OUT NOW DVD, BD, VOD
Inspired by a recurring nightmare that plagued him as a child, writer/director david robert Mitchell’s It Follows is, like his youth, rooted in the ’70s and early ’80s: its insidiously mobile camera and unnerving synth score are versed in John carpenter’s earlier, scarier movies, while key scenes, themes and ideas pay specific homage to Wes craven’s a nightmare On elm street. given the glut of film critics who are of a similar age to Mitchell and harbour the same formative cinematic experiences, it’s little wonder that It Follows was declared an instant masterpiece. Here are widescreen images, beautifully composed and cut, that understand the finer points of crafting suspense, while the characters aren’t smartarses and actually care for each other. This is a movie that looks to a time prior to postmodern snark, soulless remakes, tasteless torture porn and seesawing found-footage movies, and while it’s not, as some have claimed, the greatest horror film of the 21st century, it is quality genre fare, classically constructed.
Mitchell’s nightmare begins with a dream date for its 19-year-old heroine, Jay (Maika Monroe), but her fun evening with a seemingly sweet, slightly older guy darkens abruptly when she learns that she has contracted a curse. she will now be followed by a shape-shifting it that will not stop, ever, until she is dead, or at least has sex to pass it on (but even then it can work its way back down the chain, one death at a time). Jay’s pursuer will sometimes camouflage itself as one she loves, sometimes sidle up as a nondescript stranger, and sometimes appear as an appalling vision of heart-stopping terror, but one thing is certain: wherever Jay is, it is making its shambling, implacable way towards her.
Detroit shock city
initially set in the tree-lined suburbs of Michigan where Mitchell grew up before migrating into desolate, derelict regions of detroit, It Follows occupies an off-kilter landscape that is at once strange and familiar: dreamlike. The camera’s creeping movements are both sinuous and insidious, while meticulous framing encourages the viewer to rummage into not just the corners of the screen but also the deepest background – a blot in the distance might just keep on getting bigger until its unblinking eyes can be seen to be
‘This is a fresh threat, ingenious in premise and unstoppable’
fixed on Jay. everything is made more peculiar still by the almost complete absence of adults and the fluidity of the era: items of clothing and Jay’s TV are from the ’60s; landlines, huge-lensed spectacles, and polaroid photos suggest the ’80s; one of Jay’s friends is forever on her Kindle.
similarly, the it that does the following is an amalgamation of old and new: slasher icons Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers are resurrected by its unhurried, relentless progress; its foot-dragging advancement is pure zombie; and its frequently darkeyed, lank-haired appearance recalls the ghouls of J-Horror (never more so than when one apparition leaks urine as it closes in on Jay). and yet this is a fresh threat, ingenious in premise and so unstoppable that Mitchell himself has trouble finding a way to satisfyingly close his picture. There are other niggles, too, with the sexual politics at once progressive and reactionary – for once, teens aren’t judged for having sex and Jay is as free as any boy to exercise her libido, yet you also only get in this mess by having intercourse – while some of its tactics make little sense. but then dreams are illogical too. so while appearing as a naked man stood on a neighbouring roof isn’t the most practical route to Jay, why let rationale spoil such a memorable klaxon-scare?
Star Maika
as the object of its monomaniacal hunt, Monroe, after so impressing in adam Wingard’s The Guest, here proves she’s the scream Queen du jour. strong, vulnerable, smart, she makes for an engaging heroine who is rightly surrounded by supportive friends to watch over her, though any sense of protection is cleverly stripped away by having her face it in a succession of exposing outfits: hospital gowns, swimsuits, underwear, pJs. Voyeurism, as you’d expect in a movie about stalking, and in which remaining observant is crucial to your survival, is a major theme, and Monroe’s career trajectory will surely be one to watch.
given the many talking points, bonus materials are slight, with Mitchell and Monroe nowhere to be seen. still, the commentary by writer/film critic danny Leigh and film/TV prof Mark Jancovich is astute, hot on identifying motifs (water plays a vital role throughout) and eager to splash through the Freudian dread that drenches the entire movie. and an interview with composer rich Vreerland aka disasterpeace breaks down the “melancholic… unpredictable… bombastic” noise-mongering – a welcome extra given his score is one of the most memorable Jamie Graham of recent years.