It Follows

Directed by David Robert Mitchell (2014) ***

The state of horror films … it could be better. Whereas the ongoing superhero trend can at least boast witty exchanges and state of the art special effects, most horror films stay disappointingly true to musty tropes and clichés. The trailers shown before It Follows were all of a kind: Insidious Chapter 3, Unfriended and a remake of Poltergeist may as well have been advertised as Insidious Unfriendly Poltergeist IV, as they all used the same “scary” synthesizer sounds and editing rhythms, including the “surprise” jump shot after the speedily shown credits. Seeing the talented actor Sam Rockwell in the trailer for Poltergeist was, alone, enough to darken the spirit.

David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows at least tries for something a little different, though its inspirations are clear and many. The premise is absurd in theory but made creepy in practice: a slow-moving, shape-shifting zombie is out to kill whoever is currently “it”. The zombie can look like anyone, from a small boy to a decrepit old woman. The only way to transfer this threat is to sleep with a person the zombie will then next go after. If the person who’s “it” is killed by the zombie, the zombie then goes after the previous person and so on down the line.

The elaborate premise, accepted but never explained, is juvenile enough. It Follows uses some tactics, though, which offset the absurdity of the plot. Firstly, it features a Scooby Doo-like gang of teenagers you care about. Like the teens of ’50s films like The Blob (1958), It Follows takes place in a world sparsely populated with adults, with romantic conflicts as a strong undercurrent to the proceedings. The actors are largely unknown, but fine for the roles: their unfamiliarity works in the film’s favor.

It Follows also draws from the classics. In addition to John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978), It Follows‘ lineage of “adultery equals death” goes at least as far back to Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960). From the opening scene of George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968) is taken the concept of the distant, shambling zombie threat moving inexorably closer. In addition, much of the setting and cinematography recalls David Lynch’s Blue Velvet (1986); the world as a mystery to teens, the elliptical shots of trees, the pop cultural references which seem to place the film in a vague mixture of decades. The sound design also recalls Alan Splet’s in Lynch’s Eraserhead (1977). Disasterpeace’s synthesizer score doesn’t do It Follows any favors, though. Angelo Badalamenti, we could use you here.

Just as those who disdain superhero movies no doubt wish they could watch one which doesn’t feature a fight scene, it’s always a hope that a horror movie won’t feature protagonists doing dumb things, putting themselves in danger. There is a bit of that here, with a character putting her head in places she shouldn’t, deliberately walking past a dark hallway and a couple not turning down the sound of their TV after hearing a crashed window in the kitchen. Haven’t these people seen any horror movies?

It Follows stars a strong Maika Monroe as the lead, Jake Weary, Keir Gilchrist, Olivia Luccardi and Lili Sepe as friends. The ending is enigmatic, leaving room for sequels. This is one mystery which may, though, work better unexplained.

—Michael R. Neno, 2015 April 15