It Follows [DVD] [2014]

A cross between John Hughes and John Carpenter, IT FOLLOWS is a slow burner of a horror film. Steeped in atmospheric tension and edge of your seat thrills, this movie is not your average blood and guts horror flick. Recommended for anyone looking to dim the lights and get a little scared.

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Horror has gotten stagnant. It's either Zombies, Supernatural-House, or remakes it seems like nowadays. It Follows is the first interesting, original premise I've seen in some time. While it features a supernatural ... beast... it's an original idea that will hopefully warrant a sequel that takes as much care with its film as the original does. "It" is, in essence, a kind of supernatural VD that plays a diabolical game of tag on down the line of "adult" partners. (While this may sound like some hormonal teenagers fan-fiction, the movie itself never revels in the idea of transmitting this creature through said situations. Mature scenes are rarely dwelled upon, and when they are on-screen are tastefully filmed, while in other cases, its only implied the deed ever happened at all). After Jay has a one-night stand, she awakens tied to a chair by her lover, with him explaining "the rules". This demon, monster... "It" follows the last person who had slept with someone who had been "infected". It seemingly cannot be killed, so the only way to rid yourself of it is to sleep with someone else, then have them sleep with someone, and so on and so on... Because once it kills the last person in this evil "chain letter of love", it moves up the chain to the previous person. As a twist, it can look like anyone, but always remains silent. While her friends continue to question her sanity after one incident that affected her only, they'll soon start to realize it isn't her one night stand, guilty subconscious causing her fears. It Follows is incredibly smart, giving you information to enjoy the movie, but only ever hinting at other things that will have you looking online to find answers and have you thinking about it late into the night. There's no timeframe given- old tube TVs and typewriters live in a world with cell phones and clamshell e-readers. The director claims that every form It takes is inherently important to the people that see it- but doesn't give you a face full of information as to WHY they are important in some cases- leaving clues for you to discover for yourself. While a sequel has been talked about, I have my own fears for any It Follows 2. Like the best early-80s slasher flicks that carried the underlying theme of promiscuity being a quick way to getting killed, only to see their sequels bypass that "message" in later films to straight exploitation at times, It Follows handles the nature of It and its ties to sleeping with others maturely, and I'd hate to see this film find itself delving into the typical routine those films found themselves relegated to in order to keep selling tickets. Surprisingly, It Follows found itself as perhaps my favorite horror film in quite a few years- something I wasn't expecting.

This atmospheric, modern gothic horror film has a lot going for it: good performances; an interesting concept; an excellent musique concrete score (one blended with a healthy dose of progressive rock, ala Goblin); some stunning cinematography; and a few genuinely frightening sequences. For some reason, however, the movie as a whole is less than its parts. There are a few glaring plot holes. What, for example, happens in the scene in which Jay enters a lake where three buddies on a boat are horsing around just offshore? The implication is that Jay is going to swim out to the boat to join them and "pay it forward", which raises some interesting questions and implications that are never explored, let alone resolved. Jay enters the water and the scene ends abruptly. Overall, though, this one rates highly and is leagues above most of what's being offered in terms of horror cinema these days. Set your expectations down a notch or two (they're understandably high given many of the glowing reviews and critics' hyperbole) and you may just enjoy this one. Oddly, the lethargy and ennui oozing from the characters here is palpable, and reminds me of the dry, droll, bored and passionless characters seen in, of all things, Napoleon Dynamite, with which this would make an interesting double feature.

It Follows is one of the better horror movies over the past decade. While the more recent horror films have subscribed to the theory that "excess is best," It Follows allows us viewers to delve into our own imaginations, where the blanks it fills in can be more terrifying than anything put up on the big screen. That's not to say that It Follows is an Ad Libs movie, where it all relies on the dark recesses of your mind and forgoes any crunches, splats, and adult situations so ingrained into the genre, but it certainly strays from the more popular Eli Roth/ Rob Zombie/ Saw school of horror, where each following movie feels the need to attempt just one more bucket of the red, sticky stuff. (I enjoy a splatter movie as much as the next horror buff, but it seems as if any new idea attempted on the big screen falls into splatter/ hauntings/ or found footage nowadays). To describe It Follows is a bit difficult due to word combinations Best Buy doesn't allow in its reviews, but I'll give it another attempt. The movie centers around a young lady who has apparently "contracted a creature" after a one night stand. "It" is passed along through intimate partners- much like a chain letter. If you've "contracted" it, you may never get rid of it- your only option is to try to "pass it along" and hope, like some horrific pyramid scheme, It continues to get passed along. Because, if you don't, It will not stop hunting you until it kills you. If it kills those "further down the chain," you're back in-line to be hunted. Making things worse is the fact that, to you, it can look like anyone. To anyone not cursed by it, it's simply invisible (but still dangerous). It Follows also seems to take place in an alternate reality- one in which e-readers exist in the same universe that 50s style cars and typewriters are still everyday tools- this reality is subdued, never forced, and is only one of many Easter eggs the film throws into its universe. It Follows is such a unique vision, one that relies so heavily on letting the scares come naturally rather than forcefully, that it deserves to be in your collection. This type of filmmaking needs to be rewarded with viewings, praise, and yes... Purchases; in the hopes that, in a currently predictable genre, producers will begin offering horror fans some new variety- and in the case of It Follows, perhaps a new franchise.

It's rare to see anything new in the horror genre, as zombies, vampires, variations of Saw/Hostel, slashers, and versions of Paranormal Activity seem to be all that's churned out. This one takes a novel concept and plays it out like it's a early 80's John Carpenter film. You already know the concept, so I'll dispense with the rehash. All I can say is that when I went to see this in theaters, alone with maybe a dozen strangers in the theater with me, it got me. Why do I say that? Well, one of the ideas behind "It" is that only those subject to the curse can see 'It," and it can appear as anyone to the people it's stalking, Midway through the film, some guy walked towards me, probably heading out for some popcorn or a bathroom break. I actually thought to myself "Does anybody else see that guy?" before he walked on by. Yes, that's stupid, but the reaction was fleeting and born out of emotion, not reason. That this film had me going to that extent automatically made it a must-own in my book.

Note: This review is for the Blu-ray release of the movie and not a critique of the actual movie itself. The transfer of the film on this disc is beautifully done with vivid popping colors and rich deep blacks. Audio is also true to the theatre experience. Having an Ultraviolet copy included as well is always a nice bonus to build up the digital collection and watch on demand. My only gripe about this is the lack of a creators commentary. The movie lends itself to a lot of interpretation and questions and it would have been nice to hear the filmmakers thoughts about the movie (though this was probably purposefully left off to keep people wondering and keep the door open for a sequel.) In lieu of this though there is a critic commentary which is a fun addition but doesn't give much new information. A few more extras would have really made this disc shine but overall it's a very respectable release for this movie.

'It Follows' is a movie that snuck into theaters in the spring of 2015, largely based on positive word of mouth coming from people who had been to one of the film festivals where it was screened. 'It Follows' has a clever premise, which focuses around a young woman who discovers she is being constantly pursued by a monster that takes the form of anyone it wants to. She lives in fear wondering if random people she sees could be the one that could kill her. There is a way she can break the curse of being followed, but it would come at the expense of someone she cares about. I don't buy a lot of movies on blu-ray, but I picked this one up at a great price because I'd seen it in the theater and knew I would enjoy it's replay value. It's one of the best low budget horror movies to come along in quite some time--smart, creepy, and well acted.