It Follows

Decuc500 · 04-06-2015 4:19pm

I can't agree with it being style over substance. I thought the film worked on a number of levels. There was more to appreciate than just the scares. A horror film with style and substance.

willmunny1990 · 05-06-2015 2:34am

Not a bad film by any means but I can't understand the rave reviews its getting, unsettling and suspenseful at times largely due to a sublime score but it fell short of any real scares for me, the only genuine fright I got was

the ball hitting the window

Better than the average horror flick they normally throw out but not deserving of the ridiculously high reviews its getting imo.

Basq · 05-06-2015 10:00am

Probably preferred the soundtrack to the actual movie to be honest..

.. but it was different - I'll give it that.

PressRun · 05-06-2015 8:25pm

I thought it was pretty good. Solid acting, especially from the lead actress. I liked how understated it was, especially since horror can sometimes feel a bit saturated in cheap scares and excessive gore. This felt refreshing. I went into it with very high expectations since everyone I spoke to was raving about it, so I did feel a little bit underwhelmed, but I think that was more to do with everything I'd heard before I watched it than anything to do with the film exactly. I enjoyed it while it was on, but I'm not sure I'd rush back to watch it again.

Tony EH · 08-06-2015 12:20pm

Saw this on the weekend and thought it was excellent.

As a horror fan since I was a child it's easy to see that the director has also grown up on the same diet that I have and it was quite refreshing to see his refusal to completely conform to the usual tropes of the genre as designed mainly by slasher films, such as "final girl" and all that tripe.

There's also an, almost, surreal, dreamy, atmosphere throughout the whole film that's unnerving. There's an empty, joylessness, to the teens lives. Whether that's there by intent or accident, I can't tell. But their existence is not one I envy or shared.

The lack of cheap jumps is welcome, as has been already mentioned and it helps the film over all, as does the grim views of Detroit. A city that's looks like death is slowly catching up with it, as much as it is with the main protagonist.

As for what the film is "about", the allusion to STD is obvious from the "pass it on" motif, but I came away from the film thinking it was a simple pondering on death, which eventually catches us all.

There aren't too many horror films that have been produced in the last 20 years that I would recommend, but 'It Follows' is certainly one of them.

jpm4 · 16-07-2015 2:28pm

Late to the party on this.....enjoyable enough despite being a bit underwhelming. The music and camera work were indeed the highlights.

Was reminded a lot of 2 films:

Ringu - a curse where you can only save yourself from death by passing it onto someone else.

Terminator 2 - An unstoppable, often unhurried force that can assume any human shape it wants, and it's purpose is only to kill one particular human.

Mizu_Ger · 27-07-2015 10:07am

Watched last night and thought it was very good for reasons that other have mentioned already (particularly the cinematography).

I didn't think it was as revolutionary as some have said because it borrows so much from other films: Halloween, Ringu, Nightmare on Elm Street etc. I found myself picking out these pointers all through the film. It reminded me of "Oblivion" in that sense.

yerwanthere123 · 28-07-2015 10:22pm

Saw It Follows a month ago and had to watch it again last night, excellent horror movie. It's perhaps one of the best horror movies I've seen since The Descent back in 2005. I love horror movies that favour consistent creepiness and threat rather than the cheap jump scares, and It Follows certainly ticks these boxes. It also helps that the cast are likeable too. So delighted to see it's got such positive feedback. Great film.

candy-gal1 · 29-07-2015 10:43am

Yeah I saw it in the cinema when it was out, it was good and creepy I cant deny it that, but still wouldnt hold up for me as a great horror imho!
Came across as more of a teen type drama with a few scares/conspiracy stuff etc thrown in, it definitly wasnt bad and maybe I should see it again, it just didnt scare me like I thought it would
Oh and on the whole STD thing in it, I thought of that when I saw the trailer I think, with the whole pass it on thing - thats when I thought there has to be something different to it and scary, but there wasnt really!

Much better than The Babadook though , which I found pointless and a tad funny inparts tbh, so thats good!

Tony EH · 29-07-2015 11:23am

I wanted the Babbadook to rip the face off of that kid.

candy-gal1 · 29-07-2015 11:41pm

Tony EH wrote: »

I wanted the Babbadook to rip the face off of that kid.

Lol my sentiments exactly there, went with my mate to see it and we both turned to each other during it a few times and said
"kid would you ever shut the hell up and fcuk out of the story!"

:rolleyes:

The other bad part of that movie was everytime something scary etc was about to happen or you thought so anyway, it didnt! right up to the end twas just like FFS!!

Thats just me though, I hate OTT gore in horrors aka Saw etc as tis not scary just stupid, but I do like my horrors to be on the spooky side, scary in a way that it might stay in your head a bit after watching and a good story!

Insideous scared the hell out of me, Woman In Black made me scream in the cinema which I never do at horrors and my faves are probably the Halloweens and Nightmare On Elm Streets, maybe I just need a 2nd viewing of It Follows possably!

Tony EH · 30-07-2015 2:34am

'The Babadook' is ok. It's a decent enough film, but not the revelation in horror that some were making it out to be. I suppose the child is meant to be grating and part of the mother's breakdown, but christ, he tested my patience something wild.

I haven't seen 'The Woman in Black', so I might give that a spin, but I simply cannot remember a single thing about 'insidious' at all. Which is not a good sign.

The last horror films that were in any way memorable for me were 'It Follows' and 'You're Next'. Even the remake of 'Evil Dead' had a lot to offer. But in general, the genre has been, generally, poorly served in recent years despite the glut of content out there.

yerwanthere123 · 31-08-2015 2:28pm

As critically acclaimed as It Follows has been, it seems to have divided a lot of horror fans. Go on the Facebook page for the movie and pretty much every post is inundated with negative comments about how terrible the movie is. Any thoughts as to why? Perhaps because it doesn't conform to a lot of people's expectations as to what a horror usually should be? I'm surprised it seems to be so divisive, I thought it was so well done.

TwoShedsJackson · 31-08-2015 3:09pm

I think it's just the sort of film that you will either really like or really dislike, wouldn't be easy to be middle of the road on it. Add in the 'it's an argument on the internet so I must go over the top' factor and that probably explains most of it.

Tony EH · 31-08-2015 4:30pm

TwoShedsJackson wrote: »

...Add in the 'it's an argument on the internet so I must go over the top' factor and that probably explains most of it.

That's it to me.

There's an echelon of "kewl" people that will go against the grain, because they believe there's an element of kudos attached to such a position.

Don't get me wrong, there will inevitably be people who will dislike any picture for various valid reasons. But, increasingly, the "it's crap" cognoscenti seem to be gaining volume about rather good films that strike a chord with people, while genuinely terrible films get no mention at all.

I think, by and large, genre fans liked 'It Follows', while acknowledging its shortcomings and the occasional horror film goer was left wondering what all the fuss was about.

Fysh · 31-08-2015 7:54pm

yerwanthere123 wrote: »

As critically acclaimed as It Follows has been, it seems to have divided a lot of horror fans. Go on the Facebook page for the movie and pretty much every post is inundated with negative comments about how terrible the movie is. Any thoughts as to why? Perhaps because it doesn't conform to a lot of people's expectations as to what a horror usually should be? I'm surprised it seems to be so divisive, I thought it was so well done.

I find a great deal of horror to be like that tbh. Horror in particular as a genre has a bunch of sub-genres which can be quite at odds with one another and there seems to be no love lost between fans of different factions.

For example, I'm not a big fan of horror films that do loud-noise jump scares. I know there are plenty of folks who enjoy them, but they don't do it for me. Similarly, horror films that have lots of gore and/or really inventive effects but really bad acting or scripts tend not to work for me.

I tend to prefer psychological horror, often but not always character-based films, because that's what works for me. I'm not averse to gore in the slightest, but I much prefer it to be used effectively - think Martyrs instead of the Saw sequels, for example. As it happens I also quite like 80s synth music. So for me, It Follows was great - because it combined a bunch of things that appealed to me and, to my mind at least, did so with aplomb and flair. But I can see how people with different tastes might find it frustrating or plodding or even just silly.

Unfortunately, as with all fandoms, there are some horror fans who will watch a film and like it (or not like it) for whatever reason, and then decide that anyone else who had a different reaction is wrong, somehow. And spend interminable hours arguing about it online. About the best thing you can do is try and spot those arguments early on and bail as soon as you see them brewing.

LuckyLloyd · 01-09-2015 2:39pm

It's a general issue with all forms of pop culture - music / tv / films / books. Some people feel compelled to push their opinion onto others. They aren't simply content to say 'I liked / disliked X or Y and / or felt the film was aiming to achieve points A / B / C'; converse amicably about same; and leave it there if people have counter views. The need to 'win'.

I have to confess that I was somewhat like that when I was younger, particularly in University. I think many people grow out of it to a certain extent.

22-09-2015 12:48pm

Wasn't as taken by this as most others were, visually it's one of the most vivid and vibrant shot horrors to come along in years, the use of the camera as a character is wonderfully implemented and coupled with the superb score by Disasterpeace marks It Follows as one of the more interesting genre films around.

The setup is simple, like all great horrors it feels like something ripped from a nightmare and has a underlying sense of dread that is palpable. The film is at it's best when slowly building tension and the repeated wide shots of the characters alone are well handled though there is a sense that the film is over directed. Repeated pans feel a little bland and unnecessary, especially when they come across as being there simply for the sake of showing off.

It Follows is one of those films which suffers due to unfair expectations it simply can't meet. It's a film that's all about atmosphere and does so very well but it's not quite the game changer many claim. The ending in particular feels like a missed opportunity with the entire swimming pool scene feeling as if it's been lifted from a very different film. The beach scenes suffer from a similar issue and feel at odds with the subtle nature of the rest of the film.

yerwanthere123 · 22-09-2015 8:46pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Wasn't as taken by this as most others were, visually it's one of the most vivid and vibrant shot horrors to come along in years, the use of the camera as a character is wonderfully implemented and coupled with the superb score by Disasterpeace marks It Follows as one of the more interesting genre films around.

The setup is simple, like all great horrors it feels like something ripped from a nightmare and has a underlying sense of dread that is palpable. The film is at it's best when slowly building tension and the repeated wide shots of the characters alone are well handled though there is a sense that the film is over directed. Repeated pans feel a little bland and unnecessary, especially when they come across as being there simply for the sake of showing off.

It Follows is one of those films which suffers due to unfair expectations it simply can't meet. It's a film that's all about atmosphere and does so very well but it's not quite the game changer many claim. The ending in particular feels like a missed opportunity with the entire swimming pool scene feeling as if it's been lifted from a very different film. The beach scenes suffer from a similar issue and feel at odds with the subtle nature of the rest of the film.

Agree with this. I thought it was a little silly when 'It' took the form of the little boy and screamed at Jay. Part of what had made 'It' so scary was how it slowly and silently approaches you, so this bit was obviously at odds with that.

Fysh · 22-09-2015 9:19pm

I do agree that the pool scene's tone seemed not to fit well with the rest of the film, but I quite liked the beach scene overall - particularly the bit where It is walking over to Jay and because nobody's looking in that direction you're not sure whether you're seeing a person or It, until it starts playing with Jay's hair, I thought that was really nicely done.

pixelburp · 03-11-2015 5:29pm

I'm actually somewhat glad I didn't see this in the cinema: figured I'd wait 'til Halloween, that it might be a suitable candidate to enjoy on the night; kinda glad I did as I'm such a wuss with horror films, watching It Follows in the cinema would have probably sent me crawling up the walls.

No doubt, it's a fantastically tense, creepy film that deserves much of the praise given, but I could never shake the feeling that I was watching a homage to those early John Carpenter productions, rather than something unique to David Robert Mitchell: now, to be fair, the nature of the supernatural threat meant Mitchell brilliantly framed his scenes so we were constantly scanning the background for something sinister walking towards us - in many ways that's the simple genius of the film - but I felt that choice resulted in something aesthetically too close to Halloween, with its own careful shots of suburbia that teased us to look for Michael Myers in the bushes. The synth soundtrack by Disasterpeace & the production design also gave the impression of a deliberate homage, with a single smartphone being the only obvious token of modernity in a film full of cathode-ray TVs and wood paneled station-wagons.

Mind you, it's not something many cinema-goers outside of those with an interest in Horror would pick up on, so I wouldn't hang It Follows on the basis of cribbing a little; imitation being the sincerest form of flattery n' all that. It's also refreshing to see that there are still horror films out there that understand the lingering terror is often the build-up and atmosphere, not necessarily the release & jump scare.

shazzerman · 03-11-2015 6:13pm

Fysh wrote: »

I do agree that the pool scene's tone seemed not to fit well with the rest of the film, but I quite liked the beach scene overall - particularly the bit where It is walking over to Jay and because nobody's looking in that direction you're not sure whether you're seeing a person or It, until it starts playing with Jay's hair, I thought that was really nicely done.

You are also not sure that the person walking towards them is not the friend who spends a lot of time reading on the clamshell thingy (can't remember her name); the director spends some time showing everyone else except her in the first few shots, then, just as the person in the background gets closer, the film cuts to the friend in the water on a lilo...it's not her. Gulp

yerwanthere123 · 31-12-2023 3:13pm

A sequel is in the works!

https://www.buzz.ie/movies/it-follows-sequel-horror-movie-31328746?int_source=amp_continue_reading&int_medium=amp&int_campaign=continue_reading_button#amp-readmore-target

Genuinely excited to see what they'll do with a sequel, It Follows is one of my all time favourites.

The Golden Miller · 06-01-2024 1:52am

It's good, but completely overrated

yerwanthere123 · 06-01-2024 5:10am

I'd personally say it's underrated. Got lots of critical acclaim but viewer feedback was much more mixed. Got nowhere close to the level of mainstream exposure it deserved.

pixelburp · 06-01-2024 12:25pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121577789#Comment_121577789

Agreed: I think in years it'll be seen as a modern classic. A real example of how to keep tension and discomfort bubbling away with few jump scares or cheap tactics. Just keep the viewer constantly on edge, scanning every single background actor.

But that's just it: this came out during an era when mainstream Horror was all about jump scares and haunted-house thrill rides. Weirdly, I think if it came out today it'd do better with audiences 'cos I feel like between Blumhouse and A24, audiences have swung back towards Mood Pieces whose horror is more subtly crafted.

Probably doesn't help the director didn't really move on to bigger and better - Under the Silver Lake dividing audiences so much it kinda became nonexistent. Must watch this again cos my own thoughts seem mixed, yet it has been a film that has lingered in my brain.

It Follows

Comments