It Follows – A review

Horror movies, like comedy, are subjective. I know this only too well because buoyant after seeing It Follows, I commented on how much I liked it online and was bombarded with a wave of negativity, which is fine. 

The film I had seen was clearly a different movie with the same cast and title. 

Some horror fans like their movies like underdone steak, while others, aka me, prefer them well done. Neither is right or wrong, it’s just that after years of seeing bloodbaths, torture porn and meta horrors poking fun at the genre with a knowing wink, I prefer to see that little used commodity in horror cinema these days, suspense.

The idea of a Ring-style curse plaguing teen victims is nothing new of course; it’s been passed down since caveman times, but that eternal issue of sex equals death, combined with a paranoia of being followed by a relentless spirit is an ever potent one.

  
With a cast of unknowns, there was no baggage to take me out of the moment. None of those bits where your brain goes into overdrive trying to think of that movie the bloke in the specs was last in. 

Roving shots of leafy American suburbs and rundown houses echoing the results of the 2008 credit crunch make this a John Carpenter film for the 21st century. 

Sam Raimi had of course done those eerie shots of a car being pursued by a relentless force in Evil Dead all those years ago, but it’s no less effective here. 

The soundtrack pulses with menace and it builds to a hit and miss finale which I’d expected would be slightly more spectacular. Let Me In had done a far more effective swimming pool showdown a few years ago.

Though the ending might leave some feeling a little disappointed, there is plenty to enjoy here.

Slightly arty, rather knowing and occasionally scary. It won’t suit everyone, clearly, but for me it was just the ticket after the horrors of work.