It Follows
Staring Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist
Directed by David Robert Mitchell
Taking a page from creeping dread classics, provided by filmmakers like John Carpenter and David Cronenberg, director David Robert Mitchell gives the horror genre a riveting jolt with the slow-burn thriller It Follows. After a strange sexual encounter, Jay (Monroe) is soon haunted by bizarre encounters from stalking strangers in the form of nightmarish visions.
Mitchell, who also wrote the movie’s simple but effective screenplay, conjures Hitchcockian paranoia mixed cunningly with a cautionary tale of teenage sexuality. The film remarkably restores faith in a category of films that too often rely on found footage formats or graphic torture porn to elicit visceral thrills from audiences.
It Follows’ ultimate strengths lie in the confidence of its direction and a gripping central performance from 21-year-old Maika Monroe, who proved a scene-stealer in last year’s cult favourite The Guest.
The flick refreshingly avoids predictable jump scares and cheap thrills, opting instead for wide shots and daylight to illustrate the advancing tension. Rich Vreeland’s synth-based, ‘80s-inspired score and some minimal but potent special effects all add to the nerve-jangling atmosphere.
At times, however, the story’s meandering pace slows the narrative down as the suspense becomes choppy. Mitchell’s methodical approach may also be a little too minimalist for some and the film’s climax doesn’t quite pack the punch that is needed following such a strong build-up.
Minor criticisms aside, It Follows represents a thrilling throwback and marks the start of a promising career for a budding filmmaker more concerned with storytelling than with sensationalism.
