It Follows

It Follows

The last time a movie scared me I was eleven and snuck into my sister’s bed to use her as a human shield in case the Wolf Man attacked. Luckily nothing happened. This movie is not full throttle scary like the Exorcist, Poltergeist or Alien. It is a low budget art house movie. But it is very effective and clever. Instead of using big FX and expensive special effects it relies on imagination and a good story. The movie is a mash up between Alfred Hitchcock and Stephen King. It has the timing of Hitchcock and the creepiness of Stephen King. The actors are not well known (at least to me), but they do an effective job of scaring themselves and the audience.

There were genuine moments of fear. At one point the hair on the back of my neck went up and I am ashamed to admit I covered my eyes while peeking through my fingers (I think twice).  The “It” of It Follows is a specter that only can only be seen by the person possessed. The victim then tries to pass on the curse to some else to free themselves of the damnation. The tension comes when the victim sees a specter but no one else does. The movie creates an atmosphere of dread. The location is some depressed suburbia past its prime where lawns are tattered and rusty chain link fences need to be replaced. There is nothing evil about the neighborhood, but its banality intensifies the sense foreboding. Like the victim you do not know if the person approaching is real or not, making you a participant of the movie. The killings are not terribly gruesome but are inventive and wicked.

I realize this an art house movie and may not be available near you (especially in New Jersey). But when it comes up in Netflix it is worth viewing. A human shield is not required, popcorn is optional.