Hallow-vent Calendar - Day One: It Follows
Welcome to our Hallow-vent Calendar; a horror-film-filled daily countdown to our favourite spooky celebration, Hallowe'en. For Day One, David Ames creeps up on It Follows...
Horror can become a stale genre and anyone who enjoys this genre can attest to that statement. There is usually only so much a movie can do to break through the cliché that accompanies horror films. Writer/Director David Robert Mitchell’s 2014 breakout It Follows is a film that defies the cliché and in a very straightforward, simplistic fashion, gives us something wholly new and interesting to watch. The film captures a very nostalgic, almost 80’s feeling while maintaining a timeless quality.
Jay is seduced into having sex with a guy she meets. After this, it is revealed that something has been following him and now, he has passed it to her. It will follow her, nonstop, always walking, taking on the shape of whatever it pleases, to reach its victim. She can pass on the curse in the same way but that begs the question of whether she wants to be responsible for the suffering and possible death of someone else.
The film is both beautifully shot and acted and has received rave reviews from nearly every media outlet. While it did amazing in theaters, the low budget helped to keep this film somewhat under the radar. It is incredibly unnerving, working much more as a psychological horror movie than a classic horror film. Its social commentary about the dangers of sex and sexually transmitted diseases (one common interpretation of the film) is also a lovely addition to the work, creating not only a great scary movie but also a socially conscious one. It is hard to place a finger on what this film reminds me of but if I had to, I would say it is very much like The Ring combined with The House of the Devil: Creepy, classic, nostalgic, and above all else, wonderfully executed.
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