@themovies/ It Follows

Director David Robert Mitchell brings to the screen a nightmare scenario that delves into the essence of primal fear

BY EMIL TIEDEMANN

YOU can run, but you can't hide!

That seems to be the general premise of director-writer David Robert Mitchell's It Follows, a stylish indie horror film that was essentially inspired by a recurring dream from his own youth.

There is already talk about a sequel to
David Robert Mitchell's horror film 'It Follows'!

"I had it when I was very young, the nightmare," Mitchell said about how he conceived the idea for It Follows. "I had it several times and I still remember images from it. I didn't use those images for the film, but the basic idea and the feeling I used."

Maika Monroe (The Guest) plays a young girl who, after having sex with her boyfriend (Jake Weary) for the first time, is pursued by some sort of supernatural entity that he has passed on to her. This 'it' is relentless in its hunt, shifting its own identity at any given time in order to get as close to its 'host' as possible before...well, you know.

There are no masked crazies or demonic zombies in Mitchell's film - only his second feature - but instead he relies on a seemingly foreign concept to induce fear. We've all had that feeling of being watched or followed, a sense that'll only be heightened after this movie. That's the whole point, I guess.

The film's visual aesthetic and compositions are admittedly influenced by the works of horror legends George A. Romero and John Carpenter, and Mitchell tacks on an eerie and unconventional score by Rich Vreeland to perfect the mood.

'It Follows' was produced for just $2 million and premiered at Cannes in May 2014.

It Follows has garnered acclaim from around the world, and some critics interpret the movie as a parable on sexually-transmitted diseases that taps into "primal anxieties" people have concerning intimacy. It could almost serve as an unintentional and terrifying PSA for abstinence!

However you analyze the film's plotline, there's no denying that there are no other recent American horror films out there like this. That's unfortunate, as Hollywood studios continue to squeeze out teen shit like the upcoming Unfriended and last year's Quija.

There seems to be a dozen of those quick-buck slasher films for every one horror thriller that actually could stand the test of time, and one that perhaps tests our own limitations of being scared simply for the purpose of entertainment.

It Follows is currently playing at Scotiabank Theatre in West Edmonton Mall, South Edmonton Common, and City Centre. Click HERE for local showtimes.

4 stars out of 5

Check out the official trailer!
 

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