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IT FOLLOWS
[2015, USA - English]
One of last year's most highly acclaimed horror flicks, It Follows, was conceived based on writer-director David Robert Mitchell's childhood nightmare. “The basic idea of being followed by something that is slow but never stops is from a nightmare I had when I was a kid,” the fairly new but diverse director shared. “I would see someone in the distance, and they would just be walking very slowly towards me, and I would turn to the people around me and point them out, and they wouldn’t know what I was talking about. I immediately knew that this was a monster, something that was going to hurt me. And I would run away from it and wait, and then eventually it would come around the corner. I could always get away from it, but what was horrible about it was that it just never stopped. It was always coming for me.” This stroke of genius is what makes It Follows highly effective, a 100-minute torment packed with suspense that anchors on the anxiety of expecting something dreadful to happen: making it the sixth-most praised film of 2015 at Rotten Tomatoes.
After hooking up with her newly met boyfriend, Jay's (Maika Monroe) life descents into a never-ending nightmare where she is pursued and taunted by a shape-shifting entity, and unless she can find someone to pass her affliction on to (through sex), the relentless following monster will continue to haunt her. Jay hopelessly investigates her condition and attempts to outrun the supernatural force, flanked by her sister Kelly (Lili Sepe) and friends Paul (Keir Gilchrist), Greg (Daniel Zovatto) and Yara (Olivia Luccardi).
In a seemingly singular and straightforward premise where sex is portrayed as both the problem and solution, It Follows does not deal its cards so simply, not at all! As we follow Jay's desperate journey to save herself, director Mitchell toys excessively with our minds with obscurities; some blatantly thrown onto our faces, testing our limits while some requiring a much more fervent commitment to analyse and fully grasp the story. The set up and timeline are purposely made questionable. While the characters live in a vintage era of black and white televisions, antique cars and retro house deco, we are at the same time introduced to a "clamshell" device which functions like a sophisticated e-reader. With the accompaniment of 80’s horror-synth soundtrack, the teenagers practically live their lives in the run-down suburb of Detroit without much supervision or even presence of adults. Their parents are only introduced through minimal shots in the background and cut-out photos on the wall. It's difficult to get into too much details without giving out spoilers, but suffice to say that this film demands your focus, and your own interpretation. And yes, be prepared for an obscure ending as well.
Already touted as the new-generation horror cult, It Follows takes its own sweet time to scare its audience. Miller serves varying types of shots for us to see entire spaces and hopefully collect clues, either through long pans, tracking shots, or zooms. There won't be any jump scares or sound cue, his lingering camera becomes a character all on its own. The notion of an unavoidable death creeping towards you one step at a time will heighten your fear, and you'd find yourself can't help but sink into paranoia, having the awareness that something is out there, somewhere. I am rather entertained with the unpredictability of the plot as well, thanks again to the intended ambiguity and cryptic format. This horror flick burns low and walks slow, and it'll surely creep it's way to you.
Rating: B+
#ItFollows #ItFollowsFilm #DavidRobertMitchell#MaikaMonroe #LiliSepe #KeirGilchrist#DanielZovatto #OliviaLuccardi #Horror#HorrorMovies #FilmReview #MovieReview #thriller#ScaryMovies
IT FOLLOWS
[2015, USA - English]
One of last year's most highly acclaimed horror flicks, It Follows, was conceived based on writer-director David Robert Mitchell's childhood nightmare. “The basic idea of being followed by something that is slow but never stops is from a nightmare I had when I was a kid,” the fairly new but diverse director shared. “I would see someone in the distance, and they would just be walking very slowly towards me, and I would turn to the people around me and point them out, and they wouldn’t know what I was talking about. I immediately knew that this was a monster, something that was going to hurt me. And I would run away from it and wait, and then eventually it would come around the corner. I could always get away from it, but what was horrible about it was that it just never stopped. It was always coming for me.” This stroke of genius is what makes It Follows highly effective, a 100-minute torment packed with suspense that anchors on the anxiety of expecting something dreadful to happen: making it the sixth-most praised film of 2015 at Rotten Tomatoes.
After hooking up with her newly met boyfriend, Jay's (Maika Monroe) life descents into a never-ending nightmare where she is pursued and taunted by a shape-shifting entity, and unless she can find someone to pass her affliction on to (through sex), the relentless following monster will continue to haunt her. Jay hopelessly investigates her condition and attempts to outrun the supernatural force, flanked by her sister Kelly (Lili Sepe) and friends Paul (Keir Gilchrist), Greg (Daniel Zovatto) and Yara (Olivia Luccardi).
In a seemingly singular and straightforward premise where sex is portrayed as both the problem and solution, It Follows does not deal its cards so simply, not at all! As we follow Jay's desperate journey to save herself, director Mitchell toys excessively with our minds with obscurities; some blatantly thrown onto our faces, testing our limits while some requiring a much more fervent commitment to analyse and fully grasp the story. The set up and timeline are purposely made questionable. While the characters live in a vintage era of black and white televisions, antique cars and retro house deco, we are at the same time introduced to a "clamshell" device which functions like a sophisticated e-reader. With the accompaniment of 80’s horror-synth soundtrack, the teenagers practically live their lives in the run-down suburb of Detroit without much supervision or even presence of adults. Their parents are only introduced through minimal shots in the background and cut-out photos on the wall. It's difficult to get into too much details without giving out spoilers, but suffice to say that this film demands your focus, and your own interpretation. And yes, be prepared for an obscure ending as well.
Already touted as the new-generation horror cult, It Follows takes its own sweet time to scare its audience. Miller serves varying types of shots for us to see entire spaces and hopefully collect clues, either through long pans, tracking shots, or zooms. There won't be any jump scares or sound cue, his lingering camera becomes a character all on its own. The notion of an unavoidable death creeping towards you one step at a time will heighten your fear, and you'd find yourself can't help but sink into paranoia, having the awareness that something is out there, somewhere. I am rather entertained with the unpredictability of the plot as well, thanks again to the intended ambiguity and cryptic format. This horror flick burns low and walks slow, and it'll surely creep it's way to you.
Rating: B+
#ItFollows #ItFollowsFilm #DavidRobertMitchell#MaikaMonroe #LiliSepe #KeirGilchrist#DanielZovatto #OliviaLuccardi #Horror#HorrorMovies #FilmReview #MovieReview #thriller#ScaryMovies
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