RELAND TUOMI
Editor-in-Chief
“It Follows” is probably one of the greatest horror movies since “The Conjuring.”
The story centers around Jay, a 19-year-old girl, her sister and friends. Jay starts dating Hugh, and after they have sex he ties her to a chair and explains something is following him. And now it’s following her.
Jay then sees a naked woman walking steadily toward her. Hugh explains that if It catches up to her, she will die, and if she dies, It will go back to him until he has sex with someone else or kills him.
He explains the only way to pass It on is by having sex with someone (talk about a bad STD).
Hugh also says it can change Its appearance, saying “It can be someone you know, or it can be a stranger in a crowd.”
The rest of the movie is Jay and her friends running away from It and thinking of a way to save her without giving It to someone else.
Directed and written by David Robert Mitchell (“The Myth of the American Sleepover,” “Virgin”), this movie hits some excellent high points.
The cinematography is beautifully muted, reminiscent of an overcast day, giving you a sense of coldness.
The music is outstandingly creepy and puts you on edge, in a good way. You won’t enjoy the music, however, if you don’t like synthesizers.
The synthesizers use unnatural sounds to create tension and give you an unsettled feeling. There are times, though, when the music is more peaceful, with angelic soothing tones but are still otherworldly that give you a place to breathe and relax between scary scenes.
The film challenges the traditional horror movie archetype of the slut getting killed first (see: “Scream” or any other teen horror movie).
Jay is a strong female character who weighs the pros and cons of passing It on, rather than immediately doing something for self-preservation.
She eventually decides to have sex with one of her friends who thinks he can take It on. However, It kills her friend and comes back to her.
Jay then knows that, rather than pass It on, she has to out-smart It, which she and the rest of her friends do at the climax of the movie.
There are a few points in the film that cause many viewers to dislike the movie all together. There isn’t an explanation on why It follows, how it started following in the first place or how Hugh knows so much about It. This ambiguity is frustrating and doesn’t give viewers a sense of closure.
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and highly recommend it to anyone wanting to see a suspenseful, scary horror movie.
