Film Mostly good execution of a flawed premise.
From the get-go the premise was somewhat problematic. Sure, it’s pretty simple, but raises a lot of questions. What if someone passes it to someone, then sleeps with them again? What if they sleep with someone in a different continent? What if it’s a threeway? (This is a possibility hinted at but never used.) Do oral and anal count?note Insert obligatory ‘be Jay’ pun here. There are plenty of solutions that are never explored.
On a symbolic level, the film was supposed to be some sort of exploration of young sexuality. It feels awfully misguided (the idea of transferring STDs that somehow only affect one person at a time is... odd) and just plain disorganised to the point it stops being coherent and looks more like throwing allusions to a general concept at the proverbial wall just to see what sticks.
Now, ‘It’ is also said to be able to shapeshift to someone close to its victim to get closer. Somehow it never does so. It’s also said to be smart, and yet everyone treats it like an idiot, especially in the pool scene. Well, I guess it’s justifiable, because it doesn’t act too smart. Sure, the dialogue and acting (aside from the last sex scene, which looked like missionary with bizarrely reversed roles) were well-written, but the plot conveyed thereby was lacking.
Similarly, the music was very good, but felt very... not scary. It ruined the mood somewhat. Instead of focusing on the atmosphere, suddenly I was just appreciating the talent the musician who produced the soundtrack had.
Finally, the film is somewhat predictable. Once it’s established that ‘It’ acts a certain way (contrary to what we were told) and the characters keep passing the Idiot Ball around, it loses most of its edge. At the first real confrontation with ‘It’, when the characters were hiding in the shed, I just thought, ‘3... 2... 1... Jump Scare. Hm. OK. 3... 2... 1—called it. Jump Scare.’
It was a somewhat entertaining watch, but I’d give it just about 8/10.
Film Averts the "standard horror movie" tropes to create something original and better
What do you think of when you hear the words "horror movie"? Horny teenagers with asshole personalities being stalked by someone who wants to stab them all to death for some reason, right? How lame!
Well, this movie actually takes that "standard horror movie format" and transforms it into something fresh.
The college (not high school) students here are, for once, not mega-horny, nor are they obnoxious assholes we all want to see dead. Sex is still had, and even plays an important role in the plot, but it's handled with restraint. And the threat is supernatural, implacable, and follows consistent rules, rather than just being some dumb stalker with a knife.
Here's the basic idea: there is a curse, which is passed on via sex. Anyone who is cursed will be stalked by a creature that assumes human form, until that person is dead. The creature, which is invisible to everyone not cursed, goes on to the next victim, and so on down the line. Having sex passes the curse on, but if that person is killed, the creature changes its focus to the previous victim. Etc.
The rules are quickly established, and the heroes now have to try to subvert them, or play by them. Do they pass the curse on to buy time? Do they try to kill the creature? Run and hide endlessly?
Rather than cheap jump scares, it's all played for suspense and atmosphere. The creature can show up anywhere at any time, and look like anyone. That means any person in the background could be it. The audience is invited to play along and scan the background for clues as to who might be the creature at any given time, or if it's even there.
It Follows also deserves a lot of praise for the things it doesn't do:
- There's no explanation given for the creature.
- There's a minimum of jump scares, and no Scare Chords.
- Fake-out scares occur naturally, fitting into the "the creature can be anyone" premise.
- Nudity and sex are NOT eroticized, but are actually downplayed or used for creepy effect. (The creature is often naked in both male and female form)
- Almost no gore, save for one early scene.
This is a movie that relies on smart reactions to its consistent rules, and a well-designed atmosphere. Horror movies more like this should be the norm, not the exception.
Film Sent My Wife Through the Ceiling
The premise for It Follows makes comedy gold for parodists: a girl is informed by her date that he has sexually transmitted a curse to her, and that until she has sex with someone else, an unstoppable killer "thing" is going to follow her everywhere until it catches her. It’s the Terminator in STI form. It’s the Ring girl without her TV. It’s that lecherous Wolf running from Droopy, made into a horror movie. Whatever jokes you can make out of the concept, it turns out to be quite brilliant. It Follows is one of the best directed, suspenseful and frightening horror movies I’ve seen in a while.
The movie follows a group of college age kids in a story that’s largely devoid of adults, in a setting that somehow combines futuristic e-readers, 80s synth music and 70s fashion. It is a bit peculiar to look at, despite being wonderfully photographed and edited. It all works towards setting up this somewhat old fashioned horror movie atmosphere; the slasher style, implacable killer. One might think this would be a stale subject of a horror movie, but after so many blandish haunted house movies, Exorcist derivatives and Saw gore spectacles, it actually has come around to feeling like a fresh idea again.
It also helps that the slasher, It, is an excellent original character. It can look like anyone, and changes appearance in every scene. The only thing that stays the same is its peculiar behaviour. We never really get to understand what ‘It’ is or what It wants, and we never need to. Fear is of the unknown.
I fully recommend It Follows, especially to anyone who has grown as tired of the horror genre as I have.