By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.75 cats
Director: David Robert Mitchell
Country: united_states
Year: 2015
Running time: 100
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3235888/combined
Brett says: “In horror, in action/adventure, and in thrillers, the keystone premise of an external conflict that threatens protagonist(s) to an hyperbolic degree is one that has been recycled and reinvented many times in many different ways and always with the objective of never having one key question get old for the flocks of movie-goers who continue to buy in to these concepts: ‘How are they going to get out of this one?’An absolute necessity to such films, no question. And, of course, the resolution of said films is to provide a climactic scene or mind-blowing scenario that indeed answers or resolves that very question, much to the satisfaction and relief of a cheering audience who goes along for the ride in overcoming the once impossible
foe/situation.
“And then there’s the horror sensation IT FOLLOWS (or IT WILL FOLLOW, the film’s alternate title as it awaits a widespread theatrical release date).
“On paper, the idea for this film might make it seem as if this is yet another campy horror movie that doesn’t have much of a shot with horror purists. Quite the contrary, this film is truly a gem that true horror enthusiasts should do everything in their power to see. The concept in question is a very smart take on the all-too-familiar horror genre cliché that young 20-somethings/late-teens are probably going to have sex in the film at some point. Perhaps the genre-bender SCREAM was the first to capitalize on this notion as a major plot point, along with the other typical expectations from late-70s-to-present-day horror films. Others have since followed suit, but IT FOLLOWS is the real deal in terms of horror; it is by no means ironically self-aware like SCREAM or any of those types of films, nor is it trying to make itself seem smarter than the previous films of the genre it represents. Its brilliance is in utilizing the young carnal knowledge theme (a staple horror movie plot device) as its nightmare fuel and not as any sort of running gag or joke.
“The concept is that ‘it’–which, much to the film’s credit, is never given a name or much of an explanation, thus adding to ambiguity that gives truly great horror its edge–is some sort of supernatural STD. As stated, the first instinct might be to see that statement and scratch your head. But, it’s the otherworldly nightmare that comes with the spread of the disease that is the payoff that makes this film thrive. Once a person contracts the mysterious disease, the curse that comes with it … is death. Cleverly enough though, it isn’t instantaneous, much like an actual STD. The concept ‘it’ (which from here on out shall be referred to as It) can strike at any time. It takes human form. And It moves at a slow, threatening pace, as if to make sure you see It before It gets to you. Amid one’s day-to-day lifestyle, It can be lurking, assuming the features and appearance of someone you know or see every day, or It can take the form of someone you have never met before in your life. One consistency no matter what form It takes, however, is that It will come for you, and It comes with the intent to kill. The blend of real life scenarios with this nightmarish interference in the day-to-day lifestyle is the kind of line blurring that adds necessary psychology to intensify the physical fright factor.
“Aside from the sexually transmitted part of the plot device, the concept is deeply rooted in a particular kind of nightmare that most people have had at some point: the idea of a stranger that is out-of-place in a crowd and has the intent to do harm. That, or the idea of someone you know suddenly taking on a strange demeanor and turning on you with the intent to do harm. Tying the horror aspect to that basic premise is one thing that horror has sometimes missed all too often. It’s amazingly effective in its simplicity. Like actual bad dreams of this nature, no backstory accompanies it. The film never tries to explain the mythos of how any of this came to be. In fact, little is known about It, and that is exactly why this is horror at its finest: we are often most scared of that which we do not understand. This makes the audience as vulnerable as the characters; for survivalist horror fans, the uneasiness and relentlessness does not let go.
“Another thing that IT FOLLOWS does especially well that most horror films are afraid to attempt is that it narrows its focus on one particular victim throughout and sticks to it. Maika Monroe plays Jay, a young girl with a mostly innocent or naive curiosity about boys and the world in general and on the threshold of adulthood. Monroe is a name to look out for; the young actress delivers a stellar performance for the genre with shades of a young Jamie Lee Curtis (HALLOWEEN) and Heather Langenkamp (NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET) in the lead role. (She also doubles up her thriller/horror genre-starring role in this year’s release THE GUEST, which she also nails. This young actress has what it takes to be a Comic Con-like modern icon for the genre if her roles in these films get enough film distribution and exposure.) A support cast of four that fill in wonderfully for the overall suspense and terror that she must face primarily surrounds Young Jay. With a script that focuses on one individual’s affliction in particular, it is noteworthy that director/writer David Robert Mitchell is able to utilize supporting characters to become part of the big picture, develop each of them along the way, and subsequently face the conflict alongside Jay in a manner that doesn’t feel forced, arbitrary, or just to fill a ‘someone has to die’ role. One remarkable atmospheric effect on the character choices is how devoid of adult figures this movie is. As one watches the film, this passive atmospheric effect adds immense terror to the experience and truly amplifies the abandoned and helpless nightmarish feel. Keeping the focus on young people and outlining that with the consciously eerie absence of adult figures in the town throughout the film is the cherry on top for heightening the susceptibility of youth and the vulnerability of us all in this world of childhood/adolescent nightmares.
“In fact, the resemblance to late 70s/early 80s young female leads is only one aspect of that era of horror that is at the forefront. Fans of the genre often yearn for a throwback to the heyday of Hollywood horror that produced films that are still the must-sees of each Halloween season; however, with the improvement of technologies, crystal clear colors, innovative advancements in camerawork, it is clear that modern horror often lacks the credible atmosphere that was produced by the limited production values of its predecessors. IT FOLLOWS is the remedy to that missing void. The style, pacing, darkened hues, deliberate camera pans, etc. are all pieces that make this feel like a 1980s classic that you never knew existed. It never rushes, and the shots are very reminiscent of early John Carpenter films. The time period in which it is set even has a very 1980s feel, although it is quite clear that it also has unique anachronisms that place the actual timeframe outside of that decade. Time is yet another ambiguity that fuels the uneasy mood of the film. What can be certain is that the Detroit area is the locale. Other than that, it’s difficult to pinpoint some of the other elements, much like the incorporeal feel of a haunting dream.
“Added to the 80s camera shots and directorial stylings is the fact the music and sound completely seals the deal. Unapologetically, the musical score ignores the evolution of modern horror music and offers the nostalgic trademark beats, bangs, and shrieks uniquely affiliated with the golden days of horror. At the same time, it is safe to say IT FOLLOWS is not pretending to be a 1980s horror flick. It simply supplies all the necessary creep factors that made those films work and then innovates the storyline with a progressive modern take. In short, horror aficionados need not fall back on the phrase, ‘They don’t make ‘em like that anymore.’ They do actually. Or, at least David Robert Mitchell has.
“Finally, as stated earlier, the alarming effect of IT FOLLOWS is its defiance of committing to the idea of ‘How are they going to get out of this one?’ The bold feature of this film is that It cannot be stopped. (Again, think of incurable STDs as the appropriate tie-in; the cultural relevance of that notion is not rocket science, yet no one has attempted that idea like this in horror before. Therefore, the brilliance is in the simple, grounded metaphorical significance of it all while still making a movie that leaves shivers down your spine even if you don’t pay attention to the intelligence behind the comparisons.) The perpetual loop of the stalking menace in the film is one in which the characters and viewers will never escape. In an era that is trending with post- apocalyptic survival storylines, it is a breath of fresh air to find a movie that offers no relief to audience members who are just waiting for that one moment when the characters figure out how to stop the conflict. And just like the title implies for the characters, that same notion applies to filmgoers exiting the theater. The premise (It) follows you home psychologically well after the credits have stopped rolling.”
Jason says: “IT FOLLOWS is genuinely weird in a few places, and there are moments when I think writer/director David Robert Mitchell had a great idea for a horror movie without any idea of how he would finish it. This thing is pure distilled ‘stalker who won’t stop and whom nobody will believe exists’ without much worry about mythology, and that’s okay – it lets Mitchell really get at the emotion of never feeling safe again, and the ending he comes up with is, in its own way, kind of fantastic.
“The premise is simple – as soon as Jamie ‘Jay’ Height (Maika Monroe) has sex with her boyfriend Hugh (Jake Weary), his curse – a strange pursuer that only he could see – is passed on to her. It can take any form, but it is always coming, its intentions are not good, and it never stops. Soon Jay isn’t sleeping, and is otherwise acting weirder than her sister Kelly (Lili Sepe), their friends Yara (Olivia Luccardi) and Paul (Keir Gilchrist), or neighbor Greg (Daniel Zovatto) can ever recall.
“What is ‘It’? Mitchell doesn’t say, and in some ways that’s terrific. His heroes are teenagers who don’t know anything, and the setting – basically 1980s Michigan, although cars and some electronics are present-day models – doesn’t give them instant access to information. It is a set-up that minimizes the importance of mythology while leaving plenty of room for the characters to try and figure stuff out. It is an impressively clever way of concentrating the story and with it the audience’s attention in specific areas: Not just how good they are at figuring out puzzles, but how committed they are to doing the right thing. There’s an easy out if Jay is willing to just think of her own safety, but the movie has been built to make that seem unlikely.
“For that to work, Maika Monroe has to really grab the audience as Jay, and she does. She’s kind of transfixing in the part – Jay is described by another character as ‘annoyingly pretty’, and that certainly helps the audience to go for her, but she doesn’t just carry confidence around. She’s scared and good but not foolish, with Monroe holding the movie fast even while Jay wobbles a lot. The group of supportive friends around her is interesting because in some ways they’re as much her plainer (by movie standards) sister’s friends as hers, and that’s a neat dynamic: It reinforces Jay’s isolated unattainability in some ways but doesn’t force her to be icy or arrogant.
“They work as a solid unit – Lili Sepe’s Kelly works as a sort of hub while also being a character who could pop out of this movie and be fully formed, with Olivia Luccardi a great deal of fun as her best friend. Daniel Zovatto and Jake Weary find different shades of the character who sees this situation as a way to get with Jay. There’s certainly an angle on how that’s a what Keir Gilchrist is doing with Paul – it’s just as overt as Zovatto’s Greg but maybe even a little creepier because we see him a lot and Gilchrist is good enough that we can see him both aggressively trying to take advantage of the opportunity and also possibly deceiving himself as to his motives, and he becomes interesting for it: He’s just as led around by his attraction as the other guys, but Gilchrist’s portrayal of a hormone-addled kid trying to do right for occasionally selfish reasons makes him interestingly real.
“And while Mitchell’s doing a lot of things that may seem to call back to previous film THE MYTH OF THE AMERICAN SLEEPOVER, he’s also making a nifty horror movie. There are a number of thrilling set-pieces that aren’t necessarily eye-popping in an obvious way, but the relentlessness of ‘It’ is never in question. It’s also kind of fantastic that the characters here are all pretty smart; they may occasionally screw up out of nerves or being out of their depth, but it is very rare indeed for the viewer to groan at a turn of events. It’s also got a great low-fi look that feels more like a small town indie teen movie than a commercial bit of horror, and a unique soundtrack by Rick Vreeland (aka Disasterpeace).
“But most of all, it’s got a heart that’s many times larger than one might expect from a horror movie, and that can kind of sneak up. It’s easy to look at how things start and write it off as just being another slasher where the girl who has sex is going to be the one targeted for death – it happens more literally here than in most, where it’s usually just subtext. But in doing so, Mitchell’s movie is far more sympathetic than judgmental – a bad sexual experience or relationship can mess person up, but it doesn’t necessarily damn them. As much as stories like this will often have someone called crazy, ‘It’ really does feeL like mental illness in a way – it’s always there and incomprehensible to those without it. But the movie is hopeful – Jay has friends and they do what they can. Ultimately, it’s a movie about sharing weight even when you can’t necessarily see a friend’s problem yourself.
“That, my friends, is a pretty great thing to put at the center of a thriller that’s already full of inventive, exciting material. It may not please the crowd that goes to horror movies with a sort of nihilism, grading them on the bloodiness of the kills and cheering reversals that happen for no reason (although they’ll get their jumps and blood), but it’s a fine movie that earns its scares because it can convince the audience to give a damn. 4.75 cats
“Seen 24 September 2014 in Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar #5 (Fantastic Fest, DCP)”