A sexually transmitted haunting plagues a Detroit teenager in this stylized horror film from director David Robert Mitchell (The Myth of the American Sleepover). In the wake of sleeping with a handsome stranger, Jay (Maika Monroe) quickly learns that she has inherited a most unusual curse: wherever she goes, lumbering, half-naked phantoms follow, and their singular goal is to see her dead. Desperate, Jay turns to her younger sister and loyal circle of friends to for help. In time, however, Jay learns that her only hope for escaping death is to sleep with someone else, and pass the curse on. But the pursuing phantoms are invisible to Jay's friends and it soon becomes apparent that her time is running out. Now, with death closing in, the terrified young woman will be forced to make a difficult decision if she hopes to survive her terrifying ordeal. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Director: David Robert Mitchell
Cast: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto
Release Date: Mar
13, 2015
Rated: R for graphic Nudity, Disturbing Violent Content,
Disturbing Sexual Content and Language
Runtime: 1 hr. 40 min.
Genres: Drama, Horror, Suspense/Thriller
Review:
The horror genre is a virtual wasteland of garbage littered
with cheaply made lazy films. If you’re
a fan of the genre you really have to run through a lot of garbage to find a
few gems here and there. It Follows is
one of those gem that hits all the right notes while turning some of the
genre’s tropes on it’s head. David
Robert Mitchell’s film a tightly wound ball of tension with only an occasional
splat of blood here and there. Its DNA
is laced with Carpenter’s Halloween, Craven’s original Nightmare on Elm
Street and even a bit of Kubrick’s The
Shining. While there’s a clear linage on
screen, the film works very well on its own merits building up a pervading
sense of dread for the majority of the film.
It’s a dense film that’s got plenty of to say about budding sexuality,
adolescence and self identity with an impressive level of authenticity, thanks
in large part to a wonderful cast, that makes the film even better.
A
