It Follows (2014)

written and directed by David Robert Mitchell

It Follows was all the rage last year among horror film aficionados, comparing this tale of young men and women being stalked by a supernatural force to classic films such as Halloween (1978) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). I fail to see what the hoopla is all about. Sure, director David Robert Mitchell scores points for atmosphere and pacing, with a minimalistic approach that heightens the tension. There’s also little to no gore, relying on suspense to carry the plot forward. But the meat of the story – a demonic form is passed on through intercourse – is too vague and haphazard to really resonate. Sometimes it looks like someone you don’t know, sometimes it looks like someone you do. Sometimes it appears rather quickly, sometimes it takes a long time to find its prey. Sometimes it stops chasing you after you’ve given it to someone else, sometimes it stays with you. Oh, and it also bleeds if you shoot it. Really?

Perhaps It Follows is meant to be a metaphor for unprotected sex and STD’s? I don’t know. But like Randy says in Scream (1996), “There are certain rules that one must abide by in order to successfully survive a horror movie.” It Follows should’ve followed the advice.

Rating: **

Carlos I. Cuevas