It Follows (2014) 3 Rated-ARRR 8 yr. ago It was a really good movie. The moment of relief gets punctuated by a music sting and the startling appearance of a tall man from the darkened room just behind Yara. Sometimes, it seems like its only motivation is to get closer to you. Director of photography Mike Gioulakis said: "We're both big fans of the still photographer Gregory Crewdson and David had him in his look book from day one. Later, when explaining Jays attack to Gregs mom, shes seen pouring liquor into her coffee. Upon sleeping together, Hugh incapacitates Jay, takes her to an abandoned lot, and explains the rules of the deadly curse he's just inflicted upon her. Screaming, Jay fumbles her way upstairs and locks herself in her room. It was supposed to be somewhat subtle, a thing that you might not notice the first time you watch it, but apparently Yara's "shell phone" stood out quite a bit to viewers because they keep asking the director where they can get one. Unfortunately, none of them have been able to grasp the essence of the story, but I think this one does. It can look like a stranger or someone she knows, only she can see it, and if it ever catches her, she will die. The ball is covered by her hair up until the very moment he dies. "[8], The film was shot in late 2013 in Detroit, Michigan. [20] On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 95% approval rating and a rating average score of 8.10/10, based on 270 reviews. A common criticism of It Follows is that the monster isn't particularly threatening, relative to other horror movie baddies. However, Greg underestimates It Follows ' scary curse, and following his death scene, the curse goes right back to Jay. Bizarrely, Jay sees him standing atop the roof, and not actively pursuing her, which is out of character. Did Hugh give the curse to anyone before Jay? To prove his point, he shows her a naked woman that has mysteriously appeared in the distance and keeps walking towards them relentlessly. Jay responds, "I don't want to tell you." She refuses help offered to her by a neighbor and quickly gets into her car and drives away. It was released theatrically in France on February 4, 2015 and in the United Kingdom on February 27. But did they? Hugh says it's always walking towards its next victim, but at one point, the monster is just standing still on Jay's roof. Even more impressive is the way Mitchell layers in visual complexity that offers multiple reads upon repeat viewings. Youre trying to figure out what the time period is and there simply isnt one. Contents 1 Description 2 Biography 3 Personality 4 Gallery 5 Navigation Description From Greg's death, we know that the Follower finds you, and then brutally rapes and murders you. I don't, however, believe that The Follower's form when it killed Greg was simply out of convenience. [21] On Rotten Tomatoes' aggregation, it was ranked as the sixth most-praised film of the year, and the ninth most-praised horror film of the 2010s. They make you glance back over your shoulder as you walk down the street. It's easy to overlook who this is during a normal It Follows viewing, but it's Jay's neighbor, the one who was leering at her while she relaxed in the pool. [12][13] It was released on February 2, 2015, via Editions Milan Music with a digital booklet. Greg Strasz . Related: Freddy's Other Forms In The Nightmare On Elm Street Franchise. The Brady Bunch (1969) - S04E02 Family 2.1s Oh, oh, Greg, Greg, sweetheart. It tells the story of Jay (Maika Monroe), a college student who starts dating a kind yet mysterious boy named Hugh (Jake Weary). The score was composed by Rich Vreeland, better known as Disasterpeace. As Jay tries to get out of the pool, it pulls her underwater by the ankle. Paul and Kelly immediately drop their guard, and the ominous score stops for a fleeting instant. Seeing as how Jay and Paul are seen walking down the street holding hands in the films closing scene, it looks like the two end up together. It's the precise type of scene that would otherwise allow the viewer a moment to soothe their rapid pulse. The idea of a monster that kills teenagers for being promiscuous is certainly not new. The gist of the passage is basically, "And the most terrible agony may not be in the wound themselves but in knowing for certain that your soul will leave your body, and you will no longer be a person, and that this is certain. Yes, obviously you still see vintage or old cars around nowadays, but its pretty rare for them to be in perfect condition especially when owned by a 21-year-old. Whatever the reason the It Follows monster chooses a particular form to take, the result always has one thing in common; being terrifying. "It wasn't a fun kind of scare. , and this critical double-scare scene demonstrates how not much else gets under our skin quite like visceral reminders of our fleeting mortality. However, it could actually be a subtle allusion to Jay's unresolved issues with her unnamed, deceased father Mr. WHY?). That night, someone smashes the kitchen window; Paul investigates but sees no one. The plot of the film revolves around a teenage girl named Jay who is pursued by a supernatural entity after her sexual encounter. I don't, however, believe that The Follower's form when it killed Greg was simply out of convenience. However, this cant all be attributed to romance, and some very sinister factors have pushed them together. Height's fate isn't explained in It Follows but he's clearly not in the picture anymore. Next:Every Form IT Takes in the 1990 Miniseries. Inspired by a nightmare director David Robert Mitchell had wherein he was being chased by a slow but unstoppable force It Follows captures the terror of inescapable doom. This is first hinted at when the group discovers empty soda cans hanging on the windows of Hughs abandoned house. Greg doesn't realize it's not his mom, opens the door, andgets murdered in what's easily It Follows' most disturbing death scene. The moment of relief gets punctuated by a music sting and the startling appearance of a tall man from the darkened room just behind Yara. Did you notice that we never see Jays mothers face in full focus? Lastly, we have Jay's final Follower, who appears as her father. 'It Follows' is a 2014 psychological supernatural horror film that centers on a mysterious entity that relentlessly follows its victims. Then again, certain aspects of the film are undeniably modern. Therefore, It is invisible but has a physical form. It Follows (2014) - The arrival of a tall man Watch on Alone, Jay cautiously makes her way to the kitchen to see the damage for herself. It Follows (2014) 1.9s Oh, and Greg's mom, Parks and Recreation (2009) - S02E07 Greg Pikitis 1s I'm Greg's mom. There are 2010-era modern cars but there are vintage cars as well in perfect condition. 0. Jay, Paul, Kelly, and Yara then come up with a plan to try and stop the entity and head to the community pool. Club said, "Despite all the fun-to-unpack ideas swirling around Mitchell's premise, this is first and foremost a showcase for his considerable talents as a widescreen visual stylist, which are most apparent in the movie's deftly choreographed, virtuoso 360 pans. Why does this prove he killed himself? Jay's still reeling from her own assault. The Follower is a punishment for that fabled, suburban image of sex, and that fear that, after sex, there's nothing left but death at your heels. [17] That same day, the film also received a limited release in Canada by Mongrel Media. Jeff initially explains to Jay that It often appears as loved ones in order to catch its victims unaware. At the end of the film, as Yara is recovering in the hospital from her gunshot wound, she reads aloud to her friends a quote from a book, but she doesn't identify it at the time. It works to set the mood for the film's biggest scare, a terrifying scene that delivers not one but two potent scares without a second to spare for the audience to catch their breath. After Jay has slept with Greg, a ball is seen bouncing from the direction of Jay's house towards Greg's house. If it catches Jay, it will kill her and pursue the previous person to have passed it on: Hugh, who is passing it to Jay as leverage. But then, at the theater for their date, Hugh/Jeff, Jay, and EVERY SINGLE OTHER PERSON IN LINE is wearing heavy winter coats. Of course,it keeps pursuing her relentlessly, making It Followsfeel like The Terminator in that respect. If it's about death, then death will still get our heroes eventually. At the beginning of the film, we meet Yara, hanging out on the couch with Paul and Kelly as they watch a movie (which Ill address in a moment.) Its her dad thats why she doesnt want to tell her little sister. This next form taken by the entity in It Follows is another that's extremely naked. It's the disheveled woman's visual that makes this scare so powerful, as Mitchell employs conventional tactics to induce goosebumps between the ominous music stings and slowed down focus on the intended victim. If Greg did, it was probably on accident. Here's every form taken by the demonicEntity in It Follows. Perhaps the most striking of the entity's disguises in It Follows, the tall man - not to be confused with The Tall Man villain from Phantasm - is a towering figure that terrifies Jay by appearing behind her friend Yara as she walks into Jay's bedroom. For most of the film, Jay is directly targeted by It until Greg, skeptical of the danger, has sex with her. Well, the pan beyond Jays mother shows an older family photo. We then see her sitting outside her car in a clearing, talking to her parents on the phone. That wouldn't have any immediate significance to Jay but could be one last taunt directed at its previous target. 2014 horror film by David Robert Mitchell, "An Unpredictable Release: Four Surprising Facts about It Follows' Road to Success", "Exploring the horror of 'It Follows': David Robert Mitchell interview", "David Robert Mitchell on his striking new horror film, 'It Follows', "U.K. Why is everyone wearing a coat? The dissonance between seasons and the way characters are dressed is just another way to make you feel off for some reason you cant necessarily put your finger on. They plan on luring the entity into the pool and then electrocuting it. One other aspect of the creature that seems apparent is a sadistic side, given its tendency to take forms sure to emotionally upset its prey. She's doomed to keep one eye out for Death, who will consistently come for her in the form of friends and strangers alike unless she passes it on to another sexual partner. Even if you try to solve it.". After years of waiting, this is the ending of It Follows, finally explained. Potentially late summer/early fall, sure, but hold on. That ends when It Follows' residentstalkerwalks up behind Jay on the beach, disguised as her friend Yara. The movie is written and helmed by David Robert Mitchell. "[25] Tim Robey of The Daily Telegraph gave the film five out of five stars and said, "With its marvellously suggestive title and thought-provoking exploration of sex, this indie chiller is a contemporary horror fan's dream come true. Cord phones abound! Jay leaves in abject terror.Up until this point, the entity only appeared from a safe distance. By relying on her support structure, Jay's friends help carry the burden of her curse, unlike Hugh, who tries to go it alone and ends up passing his trauma along to someone else. Evidence also points to this form being Jay's grandfather, who's seen in a family photo earlier in the movie. !~~Logo/\"The Numbers\"~~\"U Make Me Feel\" by MK2https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSET1PSw8Ic~~Introduction Section~~\"Darkest Child var A\" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoxAMGNr6wU~~\"The Kills\"~~\"Slow Shock\" by Silent Partnerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKfWVymq5BQ But perhaps it's because he inadvertently passed the curse along to someone else first. The next morning, she is found brutally murdered, with her leg twisted and snapped at an unnatural angle. Categories. To me, it's dream logic in the sense that they're in a nightmare, and when you're in a nightmare there's no solving the nightmare. So what's this quote from? Jay's friends ward it off by breaking a chair over its body and Jay shoots it several times until it falls over, but it recovers unharmed and attacks Jay again, this time taking the form of a boy who lives next door to Jay. Maika Monroe told ComicBook.com in January 2021 that she "would do anything" to work with director David Robert Mitchell again. It's funny, everybody keeps asking me if they can get one of those. [22][23] Peter Debruge of Variety gave an overall positive review, saying: "Starting off strong before losing its way in the end, this stylish, suspenseful chiller should significantly broaden Mitchell's audience without disappointing his early supporters in the slightest. For what it's worth, the star actress is already on board. Mr. She approaches the pool and sees no body, but a mist of blood. Of course, that's much debate about whether the entity is even a demon. The camera slows down, and all music fades, save for the drumming beat, as Jay walks into the kitchen. After their plan to electrocute their tormentor fails, Jay has sex with Paul, and the film ends with her seemingly shielded by him (for the time being). However, she continues to cross the street, then loops back around to her house. In a way, the It of It Follows ends up being the scariest monster in horror film history, because from a certain point of view, it's real, and one day, it really will get you. The worst thing is that it is certain.". But after a seemingly-innocent sexual encounter, she is plagued by strange visions and the inescapable sense that someone, or something, is following her. Because subconsciously, your brain is picking up on these things but you dont know it. A ghost? The concept of home invasion is inherently petrifying because it removes the one place meant to offer security and comfort, but the entity's appearance heightens that natural fear thanks to the form it chooses; a victim of sexual assault. We are never given this information right-out but Gregs mothers comment plus Jays mothers day drinking seems to point to his. We probably don't need to guess what she wanted from the guys on board. Staring out of the classroom window, she spies an older woman in a hospital gown crossing the grounds, seemingly unseen by those around her.Highly disturbed, Jay's friends agree to spend the night to keep her company. Afterwards, Jaime "Jay" Height goes on a date with her new boyfriend, Hugh, to the movies. Observe: Thats not just what appears to be a 1970s era car. The set further disorients with decor from various eras- unconventional and made-up technology clashes with retro televisions that play '50s sci-fi features. It received acclaim from critics; praise was directed at the films originality and Monroes performance. Paul reports a smashed window in the kitchen, then heads upstairs to wake Jay's sister. Annie drives a 2012 Nissan Versa, much of the fashion seems fairly modern, and Yara reads her Dostoyevsky on some sort of miniature computer or e-reader that looks like a seashell. Unsubscribe at any time. Bizarrely, Jay sees him standing atop the roof, and not actively pursuing her, which is out of character. Instead, Mitchell uses it to sneak in another unexpected scare. I think thats exactly what David Robert Mitchell did in It Follows. It didn't rape Greg to death. At school, Jay sees an old woman in a hospital gown walking towards her, invisible to others. The only things seemingly known for certain about It Follows'entityis that its curse is passed on through sex, and when it eventually kills its latest target, it heads back to get the previous one and so on. Even from a far-off distance, the wide angles elicit an exposed vulnerability that builds dread. The woman edges closer as she urinates. Based on how confidently he knocked out Jay with chloroform, it didn't seem like his first time. However, with It Follows, you have to get a little more creative if you want to know more. ", Now for the biggest question of all, what is It? It's never stated who he is, but it seems like a pretty safe assumption that this man is Jay and Kelly's father. His identity is also confirmed by a family photo. Height. Here are the most notable ones: Thats just a few of the weird time discrepancies I noticed, but lets touch on that last one. This includes furniture, decor, and wallpaper. Not a day older. If it's about trauma, the trauma is still with them. Michael Kennedy is an avid movie and TV fan that's been working for Screen Rant in various capacities since 2014. It's not only a movie about fear, or death, but also about shame. The protagonist, Prince Myshkin, is an extremely kind person trying to make his way in an unkind world. All 30 Forms IT Takes in Stephen King's Original Novel, Every Form Chucky Has Taken In The Child's Play Series, Every Form Pinhead Has Taken In The Hellraiser Franchise, Freddy's Other Forms In The Nightmare On Elm Street Franchise, Every Form IT Takes in the 1990 Miniseries, 7 Ways James Bond 26 Has To Be Different From Daniel Craig's 007 Era, Avatar: The Way of Water Breaks Major International Box Office Record, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish Set Up Shrek 5 Entirely By Accident. She was well-dressed, perhaps ready to go out, when IT finally got close enough for her to realize it was a threat and she just bolted, ill-equipped footwear be damned. After a night of terror Jay, her sister, her neighbor Greg, and their friends all head off to the beach to put some distance between themselves - which if someone had enough resources, could be an easy way to defeat It Follows' curse - and the slow-moving entity. Then, in the final scene of the film, we see the two of them walking down the road together. She then spends three days not being chased but scared, nonetheless, of the entity killing Greg, which eventually happens. That IT has a physical body. Its well-known that during filming of The Shining (1980), director Stanley Kubrick employed a lot of techniques to keep the viewer feeling off-balance or eerie without knowing why. Or to think of it another way, when it catches you, you die. [10] Mitchell used wide-angle lenses when filming to give the film an expansive look,[10] and cited the works of George Romero and John Carpenter as influences on the film's compositions and visual aesthetic. "[28] Michael Nordine of Vice named It Follows as "the best horror film in years",[29] and critic Mark Frauenfelder called it "the best horror film in over a decade". Featured as forms of the entity are Ingrid Mortimer, Alexyss Spradlin, Mike Lanier, and Don Hails. Greg later remarks that he hasn't seen the creature yet, long after Jay expected. Eventually, Paul is able to shoot it, and they run away. Perhaps the coolest thing about It Followsis just how little lore there is and how the ending leaves you with so many ambiguities. It's about a girl who, through absolutely no fault of her own,. Scott Norman (Homeless Man Behind Tree)-/5. One of the more curious forms the entity takes comes after the beach hut, as it becomes a teenage girl and chases after Jay,who responds by hopping into Greg's car. In the aftermath of the traumatic event, Jay attempts to resume normalcy and attends class. [6] It grossed $23.3 million worldwide against a $1.3 million budget. Yes, its frustrating when the film fails to answer vital questions, but often the answers are there if you just pay attention. Right after the two have sex for the first time, Hugh disappears from her life. Sure, Jeff couldve told Jay IT makes noise! It's likely that Annie, the girl killed at the beginning of the film, was a former lover of his that he sacrificed to the creature. Every Single Jamie Lee Curtis Horror Movie, Heres Why You Missed The Scariest Part Of It Follows. When Jay says she cannot see the girl, Hugh becomes unnerved and asks that they leave. Today, we're here to explore all the confusing moments and unanswered questions of this indie horror classic's intentionally ambiguous final act, in addition to analyzing some of It Follows' deeper themes. It bears many similarities to one, but part of the reason It Follows works so well is that so little information is given about how the creature at its center functions. The Old Maid cards Paul, Kelly, and Yara play with on the porch look like theyre from the 1940s-1950s. The only evidence we have of Paul transmitting the curse comes in the closing minutes of the film, when he slowly drives past a pair of sex workers, showing that Paul is at least considering the possibility, whether or not he actually follows through. For example, the young woman in the beginning is running from IT in heels. ", In terms of sequel concepts, Tom Quinn co-president of one of the film's distributors said he'd want to "flip the title" in a sequel. Based on her delivery, Jay seems deeply shaken by whatever she's looking at. Death, Jay learns, will creep inexorably toward her as either a friend or a stranger. We imagine that would be a movie called Follow It, which would presumably tell the story of Jay working her way up the chain, trying to track down the originator of the curse. Yara stands relaxed and sleepily in the doorway of Jay's bedroom, inquiring about the commotion. It's tough to pick up on during your first viewing, but once you become aware of it, it adds a great degree of thematic depth to the film. The Naked Climber This next form taken by the entity in It Follows is another that's extremely naked. Perhaps it's no coincidence that, whatever appearance the entity adopts, they're always in some state of undress, and they're also often covered in bruises, looking very much like a victim of sexual abuse. IT cant walk through walls! but isnt it more interesting to learn this the same way Jay does by pure investigation? Paul and Kelly arrive, confused as they insist no one else is in the house. They try to calm Jay's nerves when there's a knock at the door. Therefore, Jay refusing to tell her sister Kelly who the entity resembles is a subtle hint that the man that It looks like is someone the girls know. The concept of home invasion is inherently petrifying because it removes the one place meant to offer security and comfort, but the entity's appearance heightens that natural fear thanks to the form it chooses; a victim of sexual assault. Greg drives Jay, Kelly, Yara, and Paul to his family's lake house and teaches Jay to shoot a revolver. Later, Jay and Paul walk down the street holding hands, as a figure walks behind them. The next day, the police cannot find the naked woman or Hugh, who was living under a false identity. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. But is that all? To me, it's dream logic in the sense that they're in a nightmare, and when you're in a nightmare, there's no solving the nightmare. These are meant to act as an alarm whenever the entity attempts to enter. What's more shameful than having sex with your mom or dad? This hints that Jay and Kellys father, who remains unseen throughout the film, likely died (or disappeared) many years ago, which is why the entity takes on the appearance of what he looked like when the girls were still children. Jay, unable to sleep, heads downstairs to watch TV with Paul. Therefore, Paul is most likely the person that the entity is following at the end, and if he dies, then Jay is next on the list of victims. Other horror movies make an impression. . This scene marks the first time the eponymous "it" invades Jay's home and personal space. And I'm convinced somebody is going to make them and get incredibly rich from doing it. A demon, perhaps, but it doesn't take a film student at Tisch to see that The Follower (as I'll call it) is a metaphor for something. When she first exits the house it appears to be, based off her dress and the lush green grass/trees behind her, summer. Put these elements together and youve got all the makings for a film thats not just scary but extremely unsettling. Maybe he left? SPOILERS AHEAD. [3], It Follows received critical acclaim. Related: Every Form Chucky Has Taken In The Child's Play Series. The camera slows down, and all music fades, save for the drumming beat, as Jay walks into the kitchen. In fact, we barely see it at all, until the end when its blurry and not the focal point of the shot. After a successful limited release beginning on March 13, 2015, the film had a wide release on March 27, 2015. It will perpetually be walking towards Jay's location at all times, no matter where she is. She runs into the house and finds the entity in the form of Greg's half-naked mother knocking on his door. He comes to regret that a few days later when the entity breaks into his house, first taking his own form for itself. Ruby Harris also portrays the entity while it is in the form of Greg's mother and Ele Bardha portrays it in the form of Jay's father. So Yara's quote clearly demonstrates how both these works have mortality on their mind. No. Lead characters wear bathing suits in one scene and chilly fall coats in the next. Next, we saw Greg's mom, who breaks his neck and then rapes him. Without this foreknowledge, it wouldn't have the ability to know when to appear in what form. This represents the idea that sometimes, people who are abused process their trauma in the most unhealthy way possible by becoming abusers themselves. In a few brief scenes throughout the film, we see photographs of younger versions of Jay and Kelly with the same man that It looks like in the end. Hugh explains that he has passed an entity on to her through intercourse. Sure, we've just spent a long time explaining as much about this film as we could, but there are some questions that are better left unanswered. Read this review to discover some frightening missing pieces. In the aftermath of the traumatic event, Jay attempts to resume normalcy and attends class. Is the monster the IT the scariest part of the movie? You can't kill it, you can't reason with it, and you can run for a little while, but you can't run from it forever. Even more impressive is the way Mitchell layers in visual complexity that offers multiple reads upon repeat viewings. Ele Bardha . A long-term member of the Screen Rant family, Michael looks forward to continuing on creating new content for the site for many more years to come. [7] Critics have interpreted the film as a parable about HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmitted infections[31] and the social perceptions thereof; the sexual revolution;[32] "primal anxieties" about intimacy;[33] and post-Great Recession economic anxiety. It Follows is part of a wave of films in the 2010s where horror films arent just good horror films, but good films period. The police can find no trace of the naked woman or Hugh, as they discover it was a fake identity. A FL native, Michael is passionate about pop culture, and earned an AS degree in film production in 2012. Therefore, their relationship is not romance but more of a survival technique. Similarly, It Follows is a film that extols the virtues of kindness. Firing blindly into the pool, Paul manages to shoot the creature again in the head, and this time, it stays dead. "[24], David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter said, "Creepy, suspenseful and sustained, this skillfully made lo-fi horror movie plays knowingly with genre tropes and yet never winks at the audience, giving it a refreshing face-value earnestness that makes it all the more gripping. [citation needed] The film had a domestic gross of $14.7 million and an international gross of $8.6 million for a worldwide total of $23.3 million. There are many examples of the different forms it takes on, and you can interpret the purpose of each one however you want. Spoiler alert! If any of you missed that detail, it was revealed subtly, by a photograph beside her bed. She turns and is faced with a disheveled woman her age, her clothes torn and missing teeth. When not writing, Michael enjoys going to concerts, taking in live professional wrestling, and debating pop culture. All of this, combined with carefully choreographed terror that can come from anywhere in the wide-open spaces, induces agoraphobic dread.It works to set the mood for the film's biggest scare, a terrifying scene that delivers not one but two potent scares without a second to spare for the audience to catch their breath. Greg later remarks that he hasn't seen the creature yet, long after Jay expected it to appear. (Which I want. We simply don't know what this thing can do and can't do, as the film is unconcerned with dumping exposition to inoculate itself against this form of "plot hole"-centric film criticism, opting instead to keep the monster unknowable and mysterious, for good and for ill.
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