It Follows Review

For films that often feature deranged killers and plentiful gore, horror films have often found themselves with a weird moral code.  A lot has been written about how horror films from the 70s and 80s relied heavily on the machete fodder engaging in premarital sex (among other things) before finding themselves as the killer’s latest victim.  As a result, it can be argued these films view the kills as punishment for their behavior, especially considering the final girl was frequently either virginal or completely non-sexual.  This notion has been deconstructed over the years like in Scream.  It Follows, the latest from The Myth of the American Sleepover writer/director David Robert Mitchell, continues that trend of looking closer at these clichés and upending them and is a great sign of what can be.

It Follows focuses on Jay (Maika Monroe, a discovery to me), a college aged girl who is ambushed by a guy she is dating shortly after having sex.  The guy informs her that he has passed something on to her: a mysterious, shape shifting entity only those affected by it can see.  No matter how hard its victims try, they can never get out from this being’s reach.  The entity will catch up eventually.  The only way to get out of it is to have sex with another person, and even then if that person dies, the entity goes back to its previous prey.  Where it came from and why it does this isn’t relevant.

The entity can be seen as an analogy for sexually transmitted disease, especially since that how Jay literally gets it.  However, the connection that resonated more is the one of trauma, and the difficulties of being a woman in modern society.  Jay’s reaction is that of a trauma survivor, and not being able to escape it works for mental afflictions as much as physical.  The fact that the entity can assume any form and is always following Jay ties directly to the fear women have of being stalked.  Despite it being made before any of these happened, it’s hard not to think about this film without being reminded of feminist issues from the past year with the YesAllWomen & HeforShe hashtags, the catcalling video and the scumbags who stole the private pictures of celebrities last summer.

With all the sexist elements being deconstructed, there is still affection towards old fashioned scary movies (even one of the promotional posters looks like its straight out of the early 80s.)  It helps that like Mitchell’s previous film, there isn’t a clear distinction when the film is supposed to take place, aside that it’s likely the not too distant past.  The score by Disasterpeace, like another great recent horror film You’re Next, is a definite throwback to vintage John Carpenter.  Also, the cinematography by Mike Gioulakis makes great use of long takes and depth of field, a rare feat even in contemporary non-horror movies.  Any extra in the background could be the entity, building the dread and making it genuinely scary without relying on things jumping out at the audience.

There’s always been a strong bond between sexuality and horror.  Like any part of the human experience, there is a dark side that taps into many of our fears, but maybe certain fields have been mined for as much as they’re worth.  It Follows is a welcome, long overdue deviation from the usual formula.  The more sexist tropes are replaced with progressive ones.  Jay is the target of the horror, but it never feels like she is being punished for being sexual.  That this is part of a horror movie shows a major shift in horror, and films like this one can only help the genre.

Grade: A-

Stray Observations:

·         His previous film, The Myth of the American Sleepover, is a vastly different film.  It’s a charming coming of age sleeper.  If you need to cool down after this one, I recommend checking it out.

·         Judging by the horror movie trailers that showed before this film, it looks like Hollywood is still cranking out the same trailer for horror movies as it has been for the last 10 years.

SPOILERS!

·         As for the ambiguous ending, I prefer to believe the entity was killed in the finale at the pool and the extra in the way background in the end was no one in particular.  I prefer to be an optimist and going with the idea of the film about trauma, I see it as a way for Jay to move on from the experience.

·       Still, it probably wouldn’t have hurt to throw the other plugged in devices into the pool.  In horror, you always double tap (which could support the interpretation that the entity was following them at the end).

·        For this kind of movie, it has a surprisingly small body count: 2 (3 if you count the entity)

What I've Been Reading: January-March 2015

The Disaster Artist by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell

This bizarre, hilarious behind the scenes look of the making of The Room, a film that is arguably the 21^st century’s answer to Ed Wood’s filmography, is one that needs to be read to be believed.  The book switches between two stories: the friendship formed between aspiring actor Sestero and Tommy Wiseau, a man with all the ambition of a great artist but none of the talent, and the troubled production of The Room, a film Wiseau believed was a masterpiece but has since become a cult favorite among “so bad it’s good” movie fans.  Perhaps seeing the film first would be the best way to enjoy this book, as Wiseau’s eccentricities (refusing to say what country he’s from, confirm his age or divulge the source of his bottomless income) may be too hard to believe without additional context.  While there are a lot of laughs at Wiseau’s odd behavior and cluelessness about how art works, Sestero and Bissell do as good a job as they can at making this guy sympathetic.  The one thing I would’ve liked to have seen is anything that happened after the film’s initial release and the rise of its cult status.

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

Another in the series of books I’m reading while waiting for Game of Thrones season five, this one filled the time rather well.  It certainly gives Martin’s Westeros a run for its money in brutality.  In the city of Camorr (based on medieval Venice, a refreshing change of pace from all the ones based on medieval England), a team of orphans are brought up by a deceptive “priest” who raised them to be master thieves.  The second story involves the title character, an adult now running the group known as The Gentlemen Bastards, as they set up elaborate cons and amass a small fortune.  Things get messy when a mysterious player known as the Gray King makes his move on the underground controlling Barsavi family and eventually on the Bastards themselves.  I was impressed by Scott Lynch’s short story in the Rogues anthology, and this one was another fun read.  Using the heist genre in a fantasy world helps the world building immensely (since to paraphrase Christopher Nolan, in heist films exposition counts as entertainment), but at the heart Lamora and his Bastards were a compelling crew to read about, and I look forward to checking out the rest in the series.

Fire and Rain by David Browne

Basically four mini rock bios in one, Fire and Rain focuses on the year 1970 through what happened to four acts, all of whom put out a major album that year: The Beatles (Let It Be), Simon & Garfunkel (Bridge Over Troubled Water), Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (Déjà vu) and James Taylor (Sweet Baby James).  Within the year two of these acts broke up, one went on hiatus and the final one signaled a new era in popular music.  Their classic albums serve as the launching pad for Browne to talk about what else was happening in 1970 and how that era that defined the ‘60s was coming to an end.  Fans of any of these acts—and I have to imagine anyone reading this likes at least one of them—will find a lot of insight and maybe will be able to enjoy their work in a new, richer context.

Star Wars by Jason Aaron & John Cassaday

For certain readers, 2015 may be boiled down killing time until The Force Awakens’ release.  Obviously we still have a long way to go, so those antsy to return to the galaxy far, far away would serve themselves right to check out this new comic series, the first under Marvel’s banner since Dark Horse lost the rights.  The main title is basically episode 4.5, with the Rebels on a mission that as you can expect, goes awry.  Written by Jason Aaron (Southern Bastards), the Star Wars relaunch is off to a very entertaining start and John Cassaday’s art represents the characters and the world well.  Although Cassaday will be leaving the series after issue six, it seems like Marvel’s going to do what it takes to make sure this series doesn’t miss a step.  They certainly would want to keep this going strong.

The Martian by Andy Weir

If Gravity starred a non-evil version of Walter White, it might look a little something like this exciting debut novel.  Following a massive storm that causes his crewmates to evacuate, astronaut Mark Watley is left alone on Mars.  How he tries to survive the seemingly endless obstacles in his way and figure a way off that rock drive this story.  There is a lot of math and science to take in, but Weir ties it to the high stakes help make it relatable to non-hard sci-fi devotees.  I wonder how this problem solving will look when the film, due later this year, comes out.  If it’s anything like the book, they certainly will have a great popcorn movie on their hands.