Horror films like Cabin in the Woods and Scream have succeeded by taking typical horror tropes and cleverly exploiting them while winking at the audience. It Follows uses several horror cliches to create a tense and frightening movie in a way that isn't 'meta' and never feels derivative.
Sex is used in this genre to identify who deserves to die. Somehow the killer can sense who the virgin is and saves them for last? Or perhaps it's the rush of blood to the genitals (and away from the brain) that makes fornicators easier prey. In It Follows, it's simple and it's horror trope #1: you have sex, and you're cursed. This curse gets passed along by partners, but unlike the herp, once you've handed the curse along to someone else you're off the hook... unless your partner gets killed, then the hot potato gets passed back to you! And what is the curse? It. It is the curse. Is It a ghost, is It a demon? We don't know what It is.Here's what we know: It can take the form of whomever It likes, It will relentlessly pursue you until It kills you, and oh yeah... It just kind of walks after you slowly. That is horror trope #2: the plodding killer that we know will eventually catch up to its prey. But unlike your typical slasher film, It Follows isn't filled with airhead teens tripping over conveniently placed hazards. Our protagonist, Jay (played expertly by Maika Monroe) escapes often. She gets on a bike, she gets in her car, or she just flat out runs. But here's the difference - Jay will never really escape. No matter how far she goes, It will find her. It might take a while to get to her on account of the walking, but It will get there.
One of the ways It Follows separates itself from the typical horror movie is that we learn quickly that day or night, Jay is not safe. In most films, the audience is given a respite from tension while the sun is up. From the moment Jay became the object of Its attention until the end of the movie I was uncomfortable, on the edge of my seat, knowing that It could show up at any moment.
Oh, and horror trope #3? Only Jay can see It, to everyone else It is invisible. So as we sit and wait for It to terrorize Jay, any character who comes walking along could possibly be It. The only way we'll know things are safe is if any of Jay's friends can see that character too. As the viewer, I spent the entire film anxious and constantly scanning the backgrounds of scenes looking for It. Once I spotted someone who might be It, I found myself desperately needing to know if anyone else could see them besides Jay and me. This is the huge success of writer/director David Robert Mitchell's film - I experienced the movie in exactly the same way Jay did. I was nervous, jumpy, and questioning if what I was seeing was real.
Is It Follows scary?
Hell yes, it's scary. I've been looking over my shoulder ever since the movie ended, and I haven't even had sex with anyone. I mean since the movie ended. Not like... ever.
Is It Follows good?
It's terrific. Run, don't walk (see what I did there?) and go see this movie.
