14.9.23
2023 could have been a better year for horror films, with Talk to Me being the best of a mediocre selection. But we did have some good news: a sequel was announced for one of my favourites from the genre in the last 30 years or so.
Almost 10 years later, It Follows remains one of the scariest films I’ve ever seen. Subjectively, I love its 80s, dreamlike synth soundtrack and style. Every time I rewatch it, I’m also impressed by the mise-en-scene surrounding the alcoholic mother and absent father, which adds layers of intrigue I think many moviegoers fail to notice. Additional layers of subtext regarding promiscuity, sexual assault and even the AIDS pandemic, continue to resonate years later. The film also touches on the anxiety of escaping one’s childhood and the dark past within it, only to realise the baggage finds a way of catching up with you. Always.
In terms of technical aspects, I would also argue It Follows has aged incredibly well. The cinematography and innovative camerawork still deliver tension and regular frights with every viewing. We have seen some decent independent horror films in the last decade or so, but none have matched the brilliance of its core premise and how it serves as a metaphor for so many of our own personal demons. Whether it’s guilt, anxiety or regret, the film taps into the paranoia of being followed by an unseen, persistent force. This is compounded by forcing the audience to focus on the middle of the screen, allowing tension to build with every scene. It’s a simple but genius device which I have never seen utilised that well in any other horror film, although I do recognise its original, terrifying use in the door slam scene in 1974’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Years later, It Follows still has a huge impact and gets under my skin like no other horror film. The sequel promises to build on the original’s strengths while exploring fresh territory, and I hope it retains the dreamy world without a clear sense of time. On this rewatch, I reflected on my own experience of mid-adulthood in all its dimensions, in ways both substantial and insubstantial. It comes close to perfection within the horror genre while leaving some mystery about its dark but wistful atmosphere.