It Follows

Courtesy of Radius-TWC and Dimension Films, and Animal Kingdom, Northern Lights Films, and Two Flints

This is the newly christened "original" horror movie of this year, which has prompted critics to fall to their knees in complete worship of debuting director and writer, David Robert Mitchell. While there are some new concepts, themes, and kills, "It Follows" doesn't always live up to its remarkable concept.

 There's a lot to admire about this film. Much of it feels, looks, and sounds like an eighties' horror film. Between the synth score, the hazy, seductive look, and the lack of pure logic to accommodate visual choices, it’s a definite throwback.  Mitchell has even stated that some of the stylistic choices for the film (including the high heels in the opening scene) were more thematic than plot driven. This only buoys the film, which looks and feels inventive. The creature itself is so powerful and yet simple in its dreamlike logic that it makes the film paralyzing and horrifying to watch, and creepy to think about.

While the concept, and much of the execution, inspire, there are plot holes that prompt hundreds of questions. With the mythology and motivations set up for this demonic follower, we're unsure exactly what happens when certain scenarios are brought up. Since the creature only follows the person who it gets passed to via sex, does that mean it has to be heterosexual? Do you have to enjoy it? In the coming years, it's easy to see this becoming a point of humor for many.

The ending seems a little too neat, as well as confusing. The film's intention was to show the spookiness of a following specter, and in that way it accomplished its goal. Horror movies are based in what we fear most, and looking at "It Follows" the theme is sexual diseases and STIs. While that's an inventive, very current form of horror for the millennial generation, as well as Generation X, the ending seems to say that if you're a good girl who only commits to monogamy, these forms of horror won't touch you. Unintentional or not, this is a sexist, sex-shaming message to leave on.

To David Robert Mitchell's credit I think adding the sexual contact to the creature's origin was simply an inventive way to pass the beast along, and make it relatable for a teen audience, as well as tie in to the eighties' theme. I won't overhype this film, but I will say it's a breath of fresh air and worth seeing.