It Follows (2014)

A young woman is followed by an unknown supernatural force after a sexual encounter.

Director:

David Robert Mitchell

Writer:

David Robert Mitchell

Stars:

Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Olivia Luccardi

25 wins & 42 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bailey Spry	...	Annie
Carollette Phillips	...	Woman with Groceries
Loren Bass	...	Annie's Father
Keir Gilchrist	...	Paul
Maika Monroe	...	Jay Height
Lili Sepe	...	Kelly Height
Charles Gertner	...	Neighbor Boy
Debbie Williams	...	Mrs. Height (as Deborah Williams)
Olivia Luccardi	...	Yara
Jake Weary	...	Hugh / Jeff
Daniel Zovatto	...	Greg Hannigan
Ruby Harris	...	Mrs. Redmond
Leisa Pulido	...	Mrs. Hannigan
D.J. Oliver	...	Police Officer (as DJ Oliver)
Linda Boston	...	Teacher (as Linda B. Boston-Gilbert)

Storyline

For nineteen-year-old Jay, Autumn should be about school, boys and week-ends out at the lake. But after a seemingly innocent sexual encounter, she finds herself plagued by strange visions and the inescapable sense that someone, something, is following her. Faced with this burden, Jay and her friends must find a way to escape the horrors, that seem to be only a few steps behind.

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Plot Keywords:

tied to a wheelchair | being followed | teenage girl | supernatural being | chloroform | 

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Taglines:

It doesn't think. It doesn't feel. It doesn't give up.

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing violent and sexual content including graphic nudity, and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Maika Monroe would go on to star alongside Bill Skarsgård in the film Villains (2019). Skarsgard portrayed Pennywise, better known as It, in It (2017) and It Chapter Two (2019).

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Goofs

When Hugh and Jay are at the movies playing Hugh's game, Hugh points out that he would want to be a child in the room, he says it would be nice to wear a diaper and Jay says "He's probably shitting his pants right now,". The shot of the child shows he 5-8 years old, clearly to old to wear diapers.

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Quotes

Yara: When I was a little girl my parents would not allow me to go south of 8th mile. And I did not even know what that meant until I got a little older. And I started realizing that. That was where the city started and the suburbs ended. And I used to think about how shitty and weird was that. I mean I had to ask permission to go to the state fair with my best friend and her parents only because it was a few blocks past the border.

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits at all, and the title does not appear on-screen until the end of the film.

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Alternate Versions

The volume level of the music was substantially louder in the theatrical version than in the 2015 Blu-Ray and DVD release.

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Connections

Referenced in Us (2019)

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Soundtracks

Exotating
Written by Franklin Randall Hare & Loren A. Robinson
Performed by Metal Sky Craz
Courtesy of Franklin Randall Hare

User Reviews

Weird and intense

Quickie Review:

Jay (Maika Monroe) is a high school girl who goes on a date that ends with a seemingly innocent sexual encounter. Soon after she finds herself being followed by a supernatural entity. She must find a way to escape this curse before it leads to her death. It Follows, is not the typical horror movie that depends on jump scares. Instead it uses a combination of atmosphere and soundtrack to deliver some really intense and chilling visuals. This is not a movie for everyone, with a fair share of weirdness that might put off certain viewers. On the other hand, the unique tone, sound design and visuals, caters to people who are aching for an original film in the horror genre.

Full Review:

One of my favorite genres of film is horror, but I'm not blind to the fact that this genre is filled with movies of poor quality. Just look at last year with horrible releases such as Annabelle and Ouija. Then again when there is a good horror movie like Babadook, it can induce a roller-coaster of emotional reactions. I had high expectations for It Follows and personally it surpassed it.

When it comes to these films I prefer to be frightened by the things I can't see, playing off of the psychological terror of the characters. That was very well done by Maika Monroe as the lead. Quite frequently horrors have the dumb blonde who sleeps around, a cheap cliché that easily fits this premise. However, Monroe's character was more than this typical cliché. She's just an average teenage girl who happens to be a victim of unfortunate circumstances. You see how conflicted she is on how to handle this curse, whether to pass it on, involve her friends, or simply give up. Another horror cliché that is turned on its head is the topic of sex. Most of the time sex scenes are just added in scary films to attract a certain type of audience, but in It Follows sex is an integral part of the story. There is something deeply terrifying about being haunted for a very personal act. A supernatural entity infringing upon your most private moments is disturbing to say the least. Suffice to say It Follows is a horrible date movie.

Jump scares in scary movies are like shaky cams in action films, I absolutely hate them. The reason why I hate jump scares so much is because it diffuses all the built up tension in a scene, forcing that build up to start all over again. Thankfully I can only remember one time when It Follows used that trick. Rest of the time it was the atmosphere and the soundtrack that sent chills down my spine. Even when there was nothing happening the 80's synth music kept up that level of intensity. I also really liked the cinematography of the movie. From the very first scene with a fixed rotating camera, you know you are in for a very distinctive cinematic look. That distinct look is also there with the setting of the movie. You don't really know in which era this movie takes place. The characters will be watching black and white cheap sci- fi's on a bulky CRT TV while at the same time using an e-book to read off poetry. It's these little things that bring almost a fantastical element to the story, making the supernatural aspect fit perfectly into this world.

With all that said the big question is, was it scary? I'd say yes, because I was noticing every person that passed by me on the street while I biked back home in the night at almost 1:30am. I'd only caution that you be aware of the different tone of the movie, because if you are not expecting that (like my friend didn't) it can be jarring at first. In the end even if you happen to not like the movie it'd be hard to deny the originality of the movie. I loved It Follows for being totally weird while still being interesting and intense.

Check out more on my movie review blog The Stub Collector: http://thestubcollector.wordpress.com/

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Page Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 March 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

It Follows

Filming Locations:

Michigan, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$160,089, 15 March 2015

Gross USA:

$14,674,076

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$21,729,511

Company Credits

Production Co:

Northern Lights Films, Animal Kingdom, Two Flints

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1