Now a days it's difficult to find a horror movie that truly makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. It's even more rare to find a horror movie that garners the praise of major critics. The 2014 film It Follows does just that. This film is a brilliant vision of both dream and nightmare which never lets you fully grasp onto which you are in.
The film follows a young girl Jay (Maika Monroe) who lives a carefree easy teen life. Swimming, watching TV, or going out with friends. She meets a nice young man named Hugh (Jake Weary) and the two go out on a dates and eventually do all the things two young people do at those crazy hormone driven times in their lives. After the act is over the film takes a hard left and the real story begins. Jay wakes up in an abandoned parking structure tied to a wheelchair. She is being spoken to by Hugh and is being explained an odd set of rules on how to survive it. The rules are very simple. You can pass it sexually to anyone. If it gets you it will come back to whoever had it before you. Never get trapped by it. All the while he is explaining these rules we see something on the street walking towards the garage. It is hard to see what it is but as if you were as we know it is something unwelcome. For the rest of the film the audience is treated to a terrifying game of cat and mouse between Jay her friends and an unrelenting force bent on destroying her for the choices she has made.
This film is such a dream for any fan of the horror genre. It not only provides you with intense thrills but also does it on a shoestring budget. Although a much different tone the film reminds you of classics like Evil Dead, Night of the Living Dead, and Halloween. Not that the themes or genres are the same as It Follows. It is in the passion of the filmmakers and actors to raise up the genre and make their mark. Films such as It Follows and these previously mentioned take painstaking time to get details right and not pandering to the audience by treating them like typical horror fans. I am a huge fan of mythology and a decent backstory can add some nice layers to a film. However with certain films you don't need to explain everything. Some things are better left not explained.
The idea of it being made on a very limited budget actually works for this film. Instead of being forced to cheap out on the creature of the film we as an audience are left to make our own monster in our minds which is vastly more terrifying then any effect could possibly produce.
The director David Robert Mitchell has only made one other film from this and it is safe to say he has a very bright future ahead of him. His talent shows the promise of being the modern day Craven or Carpenter. His use of suspense and camera work and sound makes the intensity of the film paced perfectly. He also places you in a world that feels old with technology that seems futuristic a device that never quite has you sure what's going on.
The movie has a deeper meaning behind it as all great horror movies do. You could interpret it a few different ways but I think sitting down and watching it for yourself will give you the best idea of what they're trying to say.
See you all tomorrow when we sit down and I discuss a movie with a terrifying premise. VHS technology...BUMP BUMP BUUUUMMMM!!!! For High Weirdness I'm Ben Kolton Reminding you "It's Only a Movie". "It's Only a Movie"
No comments:
Post a Comment