Have Cheetah,Will View #74 – “It Follows” (2014)

It’s 2:51 pm
sunny

While on one of my media hunting trips to the local library,I spotted a copy of “It Follows”. I had heard bits and pieces about this film mostly because it had been filmed in Detroit. I heard it was also a horror film that was supposedly different then most of the catpoo that passes for horror these days.
It was only because of this plus the fact that “It Follows” was only a buck (hello,Dollar Tree Theater!!) that I picked it up. My copy was a library used and it had a couple of scratches on it,so I wasn’t even sure it would even play and I would most likely have to return it. I put it on my pile of movies to watch and moved on.
It wasn’t until I came across a new blogger named Cerys in the UK who wrote about her view of “It Follows” that I finally decided to take a peek for myself. But I have to be careful about asking the cheetah to watch horror,our track record has been “spotty” at best. But when I mentioned we were watching “It Follows” of course you damn well know he was all about that!! After all,cheetahs are often the “It” when they are following zebras and gazelles.

The movie starts with a young woman running out of her house. It is night time and it appears that she just got home and was undressing,she is running in high heels. A neighbor is concerned enough to see if she needs any help,the woman runs back into house,her father is asking her what is going on with her.
She says nothing but grabs her car keys and drives away in a hurry. Later she is at a beach and is leaving a message to her dad,saying sorry for her behavior.
The morning comes and the woman is dead and she has died violently.

The scene takes us into a home where 19 year old Jay is swimming in a small pool,she is attractive as the young boys are sneaking looks at her swimming. Soon we meet her younger sister Kelly and her friends Paul and Yara. They are all pretty normal suburban kids who get along with each other.
Jay and Kelly talk about Jay’s boyfriend Hugh and what is going on with them. They both are attracted to each other but Jay is holding off on having sex. Hugh seems like a very polite and caring boyfriend,everyone thinks Jay and he make a cute couple,even Paul,who has had a crush on Jay for a long time.
Jay and Hugh have sex in the back of Hugh’s car and as she opens the door to get some air…Hugh suddenly attacks her,pinning her down  and knocking her out with chloroform .

Morning comes and Jay slowly wakes up,tied to a chair with Hugh pacing behind her. He sees that she is awake and urgently apologizes to her,he then begins to explain what is happening. Before he met Jay,he had a one night stand with a woman and ever since that night,he has been stalked by some form of entity. It always is following him and only an affected person can see it. It can be anybody to anyone it is chasing. It can only walk but it never stops coming. The only protection you have is to have sex with another unaffected person. But if that person dies,then you become the main target once again.
Hugh tells Jay all this and then pushes her forward so she can she for herself….when we see the first woman walking about some railroad tracks,she becomes scared. Hugh then frees her and they drive away.

Back at Jay’s house,her friends are pissed and outraged,they ask Jay if they want the cops called. She declines,Hugh didn’t hurt or rape her but she is still shaken.
She tells her friends and sister what Hugh had told her and they are of course not buying it. Jay isn’t quite so ready to dismiss it.
We follow Jay as she is attending college,she is listening to a lecture and looking outside the window. A old woman in PJ’s is walking across the campus,straight towards Jay. She gets up and runs. As she drives away,the old lady is still walking in her direction.
After more close calls,they decide to they need to talk to Hugh but when the address he has given Jay turns out to a empty burned out house in Detroit,the race is is on to find him and figure out a way to stop what is following them……

So is “It Follows” any good? We thought so,we thought it was a very interesting and original take on your basic slasher movie cliches. Writer and director David Robert Mitchell definitely knows his way around a horror film.
The heart of “It Follows” is easily the music,it drives the film with ferocity and relentless energy. The score was created by a young talent who calls him Disasterpeace. He got started making music for video games when director Mitchell,who played one of the games Disasterpeace had scored,contacted him to work on “It Follows”. It was the best “casting” of the movie.
Don’t get me wrong,the young cast assembled here wasn’t bad. Maika Monroe as Jay played a great girl in peril. Keir Gilchrist as Paul,who has loved Jay since his first kiss with her,shows he is willing to do the unthinkable in order to save her life. Daniel Zovatto has a bright future as well,he has went on to do the monster hit “Don’t Breathe”,also set in Detroit. Olivia Luccardi as Yara is slightly underdeveloped as a character and her actions and demeanor are a little wobbly,she seems to have walked into “It Follows” from another soundstage,she seems totally lost. And of course Jake Weary has Hugh,the man who set this the whole ball of wax into motion,is strong as well. Hugh doesn’t want to hurt Jay but he just doesn’t know what to do,as we all can understand his position.
The cinematography by Mike Gioulakis is both beautiful and raw. I was impressed that Mitchell wasn’t afraid to film the sheer ugliness that much of Detroit is under. The burned,destroyed homes,the blight covered buildings. The inclusion of the story of 8 Mile was a bit unexpected as well,it added depth to the story.
All in all,”It Follows” was a strong horror film with some fresh ideas. Mitchell is a writer and a director to keep a eye on,his next film,”Under the Silver Lake” will be released in 2018 and will be a film to keep a eye on.

“It Follows” is rated “R” and has a run time of 95 minutes. Special features include poster art,trailer,a small interview with Disasterpeace and a critic’s commentary.

The cheetah and I both give “It Follows” a thumbs/paws up. And my thanks to Cerys for encouraging me to to review the film.

How about you? What did you think of “It Follows”? (besides Eric Hyde,we know what you thought!! *LOL*) Share your insight by dropping a comment below,we would love to hear from you.