The moody tone is set with the opening sequence (all shot in one glorious wide- screen take by cinematographer to watch for Michael Gioulakis) in which a terrified teenage girl running from something unknown in her house in the Michigan suburbs takes her parents vehicle and drives off towards to the coast in a panicked frenzy. What’s she driving from and more importantly why is she scared beyond all wits end? The girl’s body is then shown on the shores of the beach the following morning torn apart by....well...who knows. This mounting sense of dread grabs attention and seeps into the initial scenes of the film’s 19 year old heroine, Jay, a sweet slim blonde (played with great emotional immediacy by newcomer Maika Monroe) as she goes on a movie date with Hugh (Jake Weary), a somewhat rugged looking suitor who’s nice enough to her but not at all what he seems.
After some post-movie loving in Hugh’s car he drugs Jay and ties her to a wheelchair in a vacant factory where he explains that she will soon be followed by a supernatural spirit that only she and those possessed with it like her can see. Based on Hugh’s vague explanation, said spirit is like a parasite that takes on human form with an intent to kill anything else similar to it within the confines of another human. Now that Hugh has passed his spirit to Jay he advises her to go have sex with someone else (hence the passing it on) so that she too can be rid of this life taking curse.
Not soon after Hugh’s exposition Jay begins to see the spirit come at her in various forms including older women and men, sometimes naked and always menacing with an intent to kill. Jay’s sister (Lili Sepe), platonic geek friend (Keir Gilchrist) and the cute and scruffy mysterious boy next door (Daniel Zovotto) all come to her aid to keep her safe from these endlessly protruding spirits. They also take a trip attempting to find the source of the spirit Jay harbors (if there is such a source).
Director David Robert Mitchell takes a simple but subversively clever concept and allows for the film’s atmosphere (darkly lit tracking shots of vacant Detroit city streets, high school hallways, a swimming pool) to be as much of a threat to Jay as any spirit that shockingly pops up from them in an attempt to snatch her life away. Mitchell is not so subtly channeling early John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing) with his eery retro style which does feel appropriate for this film’s tone (although the 80s era synth- laden score by Rich Vreeland was a bit too distracting at times).
What grounds the proceedings from start to finish though is the persuasive lead performance of Monroe as Jay. She taps into the wary (and awkward) nature of a girl transitioning into womanhood and reacts to the moments of impending doom with considerable urgency. The supporting actors are decent enough, but Monroe gets major props for making what could have easily been just another thankless victim role and turning it into something truly engaging and even credible.
It should also be said that “It Follows” has a slow burn feel to it....the first half takes its time introducing us to the main characters and Jay’s plight which did try my attention a bit. However, when the shocking moments come after 20 minutes into the film they feel organic, well earned and have a great impact. It’s never explained what exactly the spirit parasite is or where it originated but the lack of knowing does help the viewer relate to Jay’s state of worry (and since some of the spirit bodies after her are both naked and look battered it alludes to them having been rape victims before possession which adds another layer to the uneasy enough context). And knowing that “It” may never completely go away is what lends this film a shrewd melancholy touch that will follow you long after it’s ended. Now that makes for a scary movie indeed.
