The
monster in "It Follows" is not a zombie. We never learn what it is
exactly, but we are clued into the simple rules that it abides by. Our
chief protagonist is Jay (Maika Monroe), a college student who attracts
the attention of the monster after sleeping with Hugh (Jake Weary). He
explains that she can only be free of it's attentions if she sleeps with
someone else and passes along the curse like a supernatural STD. If
she doesn't, the monster will stalk and kill her, then resume stalking
Hugh. Jay doesn't believe him, even when he shows her the monster, who
first appears in the form a naked woman, but can change its appearance
to look like anyone. However, she eventually has to acknowledge that
she is being followed, and enlists the help of her sister Kelly (Lili
Sepe), neighbor Greg (Daniel Zovatto), and friends Paul (Keir Gilchrist)
and Yara (Olivia Luccardi).
I love horror movies
that use the simplest elements to evoke dread. Here, the unease of
being watched and being followed are slowly built up, and built up, to
the point of absolute panic and terror. The scenes of violence we see
aren't nearly as chilling as the ones that simply show people walking -
forcing the audience to guess whether they're looking at the approaching
monster or just another passerby. Viewers are often invited to search
empty frames for hints of movement, to scan crowds for suspicious
figures. There are a few scenes that employ gruesome special effects
and slasher-style action, but the majority of the film conjures up
terrific tension from our heroes simply being followed or anticipating
being followed. And I haven't seen a horror film in a long time that
fundamentally understands the value of not showing something onscreen.
The
primary actors aren't all that memorable, but it makes all the
difference in the world that they're working off a good script and not
playing your typical horror movie characters. They get us to care about
them. They're not stupid or ignorant. They talk to each other when
they have problems, and they behave exactly like you'd expect a group of
young adult friends who have known each other for years to behave. I
fully expected this movie to feature multiple instances of sexual
assaults and sexual coercion, but it's not, because Jay and her friends
simply aren't the kind of people who would do that. There is instead a
love story that unfolds as the movie goes on, but it's a restrained one,
complicated and constrained by the horror.
Many
have pointed out that "It Follows" can be treated as a metaphor for
sexual morality. Hugh fails to disclose the danger that he's putting
Jay in before sleeping with her. Jay's choice in partners is influenced
by her desire to stay safe. Everyone's first instinct is to run away
from the invisible monster, which often appears in the forms of naked or
partially unclothed people. The movie is far too busy orchestrating
its excellent thrills and chills to address any of this explicitly, but
the ideas are there, and provide excellent food for thought. Even
better, there are many different conclusions you can draw from how the
film plays out.
I don't count myself as much of a
horror fan because I'm put off by the genre's more typical excesses.
Most mainstream horror ends up disgusting me instead of properly
terrifying me. I like horror films like "It Follows" though. And it
did get to me. After my viewing, I found myself second-guessing
whether I was alone or not, and whether someone might be watching me or
not. The hypervigilance the movie demanded took a while to fade. But
the memory of it won't go so quickly.
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