hanging around the windows and doors. Therefore, the major reason the two are together is most likely so they dont have to deal with the entity alone. A person, somewhat resembling Paul, Jay's friend and formerly unrequited lover, can be seen walking in the pair's direction down the sidewalk. And given that he isn't actually in the rest of the film, the odds are likely that he's either divorced from their mother or dead. Between the gorgeous cinematography, bewitching soundtrack, and fresh plot devices, this may just be my new favorite horror movie. After turning into Greg, the entity then transformsinto his mother, who's naked under an open robe. First, we see Hugh/Jeff's mom, in the abandoned building. Hugh drives Jay home and flees. Jay's still reeling from her own assault. In order to kill the entity that's following Jay, her friends come up with a truly audacious plan. To me, it's dream logic in the sense that they're in a nightmare, and when you're in a nightmare, there's no solving the nightmare. It Follows is part of a wave of films in the 2010s where horror films aren't just good horror films, but good films period. From the moment Jay's neighbor Greg began offering her help, it was clear he was attracted to her. Because subconsciously, your brain is picking up on these things but you dont know it. - Cousin Greg! Firing blindly into the pool, Paul manages to shoot the creature again in the head, and this time, it stays dead. It wasn't the best movie I've ever seen but I thought they did a good job and it's worth a watch. Then again, it's tough to argue with the facts. Scott Norman (Homeless Man Behind Tree)-/5. We imagine that would be a movie called Follow It, which would presumably tell the story of Jay working her way up the chain, trying to track down the originator of the curse. It Follows: Plot Summary College student Jay begins dating Hugh, a sweet but strange boy. He then drives them away from the area, dropping a shaken and exposed Jay off in front of her house before fleeing. [Spoilers for "It Follows"] Did anyone else who saw "It Follows" find it weird and confusing? Jeffs mom is TOTALLY rocking the 1980s Mom look, and not ironically. And did you catch when Greg asks his own mother whats happening, just after the attack, she says Those people are such a mess. Why? The murderous, seemingly unstoppable entity, simply called It, remains as mysterious as ever, and its origin is never revealed. [34][35] Mitchell stated: "I'm not personally that interested in where 'it' comes from. Yes, its frustrating when the film fails to answer vital questions, but often the answers are there if you just pay attention. It has some kind of insight into determined causality of events. When teens have sex, a monster kills them. He then drives them away from the area, dropping a shaken and exposed Jay off in front of her house before fleeing. If it catches Jay, it will kill her and pursue the previous person to have passed it on: Hugh, who is passing it to Jay as leverage. What's one way that you can temporarily gain freedom from this monster? Alone, Jay cautiously makes her way to the kitchen to see the damage for herself. The Follower is a punishment for that fabled, suburban image of sex, and that fear that, after sex, there's nothing left but death at your heels. Greg remains skeptical of the whole situation and eventually has sex with Jay. Regardless, it's going to mess you up pretty bad when your dad starts throwing TVs and trying to drown you, so either way, Jay's reaction totally tracks. Since the monster passes from one person to another when they hook up, this interpretation states that the theme of the film is simply "sex is bad, and it will kill you.". Hugh, whose real name is revealed to be Jeff, passes the curse from himself to Jay. The abruptness of its appearance delivers another potent scare, clocking in just two minutes after the previous encounter. The decor in Jays house is very old-looking, almost like youd expect to see at your grandparents. This time the woman is topless but also looks to have been brutally beaten, even to the point of missing teeth and she also urinates on the floor. (Greg's Date (Pretty Girl in Car))-/5. If it's about trauma, the trauma is still with them. It Follows (2014) - The arrival of a tall man Watch on Alone, Jay cautiously makes her way to the kitchen to see the damage for herself. But when it finally has you cornered, it takes on its final form. That night, someone smashes the kitchen window; Paul investigates but sees no one. It Follows is a 2014 American supernatural psychological horror film written and directed by David Robert Mitchell and stars Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto, Jake Weary, Olivia Luccardi and Lili Sepe. However, with It Follows, you have to get a little more creative if you want to know more. The monster is still with them, in one form or another, because even if the literal monster is no more, death is still coming for them, and until that happens, this experience will always follow them. As Jay struggles to stay afloat, her friends intervene. Annie drives a 2012 Nissan Versa, much of the fashion seems fairly modern, and Yara reads her Dostoyevsky on some sort of miniature computer or e-reader that looks like a seashell. On a beach, Jay sees three young men on a boat. In a way, it's a fair question. Based on how confidently he knocked out Jay with chloroform, it didn't seem like his first time. IT is not a ghost; IT can make noise and cant walk through walls. The set further disorients with decor from various eras- unconventional and made-up technology clashes with retro televisions that play '50s sci-fi features. When she comes around, Hugh tells her that by having sex, he has passed a curse on to her and that It will now follow her around. She then undresses and walks into the water, though it is unclear if she does anything with them. 'It Follows' Disorients With Atmosphere So It Can Set Up A Perfect Scare. Okay, fine, maybe late summer/early fall. With that in mind, let's talk about some other themes that It Follows has on its mind, beyond just sex. [4] The critical consensus states: "Smart, original and, above all, terrifying, It Follows is the rare modern horror film that works on multiple levels and leaves a lingering sting. In that time, Michael has written over 2000 articles for the site, first working solely as a news writer, then later as a senior writer and associate news editor. It Follows is about abuse. Though it is left unclear whether Paul passes on the curse, in the end, it is irrelevant because we see the entity following him and Jay in the films closing scene. So Yara's quote clearly demonstrates how both these works have mortality on their mind. The score was composed by Rich Vreeland, better known as Disasterpeace. Hence, the film ends with Jeff alive but, like everyone else who is cursed, living in constant fear of being attacked by It. Apart from the literal monster that starts chasing her, what makes Jay's date with Hugh so horrifying isn't the sex, it's the abuse. When Jay says she cannot see the girl, Hugh becomes unnerved and asks that they leave. However, it could actually be a subtle allusion to Jay's unresolved issues with her unnamed, deceased father Mr. In the aftermath of the traumatic event, Jay attempts to resume normalcy and attends class. Perhaps the coolest thing about It Followsis just how little lore there is and how the ending leaves you with so many ambiguities. In a few brief scenes throughout the film, we see photographs of younger versions of Jay and Kelly with the same man that It looks like in the end. Then Jay swims into the middle of the pool and waits. After a successful limited release beginning on March 13, 2015, the film had a wide release on March 27, 2015. Is she stupid? By passing it along and abusing someone else. Here's every form taken by the demonicEntity in It Follows. stunt coordinator Craig Gubert . "[26] Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Greg is gruesomely murdered by It, who accosts him in his room while taking the form of his mother. The title refers to the idea that people view Myshkin as "an idiot" because of his kindness, but the book argues that he's far wiser than the people around him. Inside the house, Jay sees a disheveled, urinating, half-naked woman walking toward her and runs upstairs to the others, who cannot see the entity. This next form appears in Jay's home, proving nowhere is safe for her. "[28] Michael Nordine of Vice named It Follows as "the best horror film in years",[29] and critic Mark Frauenfelder called it "the best horror film in over a decade". She approaches the pool and sees no body, but a mist of blood. Greg Hannigan. She keeps saying There he is! When her sister Kelly asks what it looks like, her response is: I dont wanna tell you. Upon revealing IT, we see a normal-looking man in his late 30s-early 40s. However, when the entity in the form of a middle-aged man arrives, it begins to fling appliances into the pool without getting in. Jay cowers in her room, and her loved ones arrive to protect her, either from herself or her unseen foe. The entity is a slow moving, unstoppable monster that is always walking towards you, and if it catches you, you die. At the beginning of the film, we meet Yara, hanging out on the couch with Paul and Kelly as they watch a movie (which Ill address in a moment.) Not a day older. The kitchen in Jays house is straight out of the 1970s, down to the ugly orange-and-avocado-colored appliances. Eventually, Paul is able to shoot it, and they run away. The Brady Bunch (1969) - S02E07 Family 3.1s Greg. Spoiler alert! If anyone noticed why the camera lingered for so long on Hugh/Jeff's mom when we finally met her, THAT IS WHY. Whatever I was going through at that time, my parents divorced when I was around that age, so I imagine it was something to do with that. [8], Mitchell started writing the film in 2011 while working on a separate film he intended to be his second feature film; however, Mitchell struggled with this would-be second feature and made It Follows as his next film instead. The only things seemingly known for certain about It Follows'entityis that its curse is passed on through sex, and when it eventually kills its latest target, it heads back to get the previous one and so on. [22][23] Peter Debruge of Variety gave an overall positive review, saying: "Starting off strong before losing its way in the end, this stylish, suspenseful chiller should significantly broaden Mitchell's audience without disappointing his early supporters in the slightest. "[27] Mike Pereira of Bloody Disgusting described the film as a "creepy, mesmerizing exercise in minimalist horror" and labeled it as "a classical horror masterpiece. A malicious psychic projection born from the collective unconscious of humanity? After Jay has slept with Greg, a ball is seen bouncing from the direction of Jay's house towards Greg's house. For example, the young woman in the beginning is running from IT in heels. Unfortunately, none of them have been able to grasp the essence of the story, but I think this one does. Theyre meant to alert him in case anything enters. Height. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. , a column dedicated to the most pulse-pounding moments in horror. Later, when we see things from Jay's perspective, the entity appears to be manifesting as a character we've never seen before: a middle-aged man with a beard. They try to calm Jay's nerves when there's a knock at the door. Evidence also points to this form being Jay's grandfather, who's seen in a family photo earlier in the movie. Hugh's claims are proven accurate when a naked woman appears and walks straight for Jay. The set further disorients with decor from various eras- unconventional and made-up technology clashes with retro televisions that play '50s sci-fi features. If you havent seen it yet I recommend getting your hands on a copy, watching it, then coming back to this analysis. But I do want to say that when I wrote this, I had some bigger set pieces, a few things that I sort of simplified, and some stuff that we chose to cut out because of the budget and time, so there's all kinds of fun things that could be done with this concept and story. The movie is written and helmed by David Robert Mitchell. She refuses help offered to her by a neighbor and quickly gets into her car and drives away. When a tall man enters the bedroom, Jay flees the house; her friends catch up to her at a nearby playground. ", Now for the biggest question of all, what is It? It Follows is currently the highest-rated film on Metacritic, though some critics have actually found it too scary. It Follows premiered at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2014. Jay responds, "I don't want to tell you." As Neil Gaiman once said, "If someone tells you what a story is about, they are probably right. As she bolts past another house, there are clearly pumpkins on the porch. Potentially late summer/early fall, sure, but hold on. It may be that Yara's soul has been displaced from her body, taking the form of "It." In a small scene later after Jay and Greg have sex, Greg approaches Jay's house, and Paul, Jay, and Yara are sitting out on the lawn. Heres why: In the final pool scene, the ending of the movie, Jay spots IT coming towards her. It looks like a vintage makeup compact but seems to act like a smartphone-combo-e-reader Yara even uses it later as a light source, the way you would a phone. There is also the possibility that Jay and Paul have sex repeatedly and are able to pass the curse between them, but once again, that only buys them time. For what it's worth, the star actress is already on board. For example, windows appearing in offices where there couldnt have been a window, Jack Torrance inexplicably reading an issue of Playgirl magazine before his job interview it goes on. But you could read things another way. Their quiet conversation gets interrupted by the sound of breaking glass. Jeff initially explains to Jay that It often appears as loved ones in order to catch its victims unaware. Her inciting consensual experience was savagely undone by Hugh's chloroforming and binding of her before she could even dress. [36] Quinn has expressed the idea of flipping the concept of the first film around, with Jay or another protagonist going down the chain to find the origin of "it."[37]. . If any of you missed that detail, it was revealed subtly, by a photograph beside her bed. The ball is covered by her hair up until the very moment he dies. The way he carelessly dumps her on the street only further the assault metaphor. Perhaps their dad was an abusive jerk, and that's why it's so painful to see him again. The protagonist, Prince Myshkin, is an extremely kind person trying to make his way in an unkind world. Well, the pan beyond Jays mother shows an older family photo. Categories. By relying on her support structure, Jay's friends help carry the burden of her curse, unlike Hugh, who tries to go it alone and ends up passing his trauma along to someone else. The Brady Bunch (1969) - S04E02 Family 2.1s Oh, oh, Greg, Greg, sweetheart. [citation needed] The film had a domestic gross of $14.7 million and an international gross of $8.6 million for a worldwide total of $23.3 million. No. Therefore, as long as Jay is alive, the entity will not come for him. Death isn't scary because it will catch you today or tomorrow. Paul reports a smashed window in the kitchen, then heads upstairs to wake Jay's sister. One common interpretation of It Follows is that it's primarily about sex. When she first exits the house it appears to be, based off her dress and the lush green grass/trees behind her, summer. Later, the two make love in the car, after which Hugh suddenly attacks Jay. The director has stated in various interviews that he intentionally mixed in a bunch of different bits of fashion and technology from different decades, to keep the film from becoming immediately dated and to give it a bit of a timeless and dreamlike feel. It will perpetually be walking towards Jay's location at all times, no matter where she is. Club said, "Despite all the fun-to-unpack ideas swirling around Mitchell's premise, this is first and foremost a showcase for his considerable talents as a widescreen visual stylist, which are most apparent in the movie's deftly choreographed, virtuoso 360 pans. "Why don't they drive to Mexico?" What's missing, however, is the discussion about the parents. All 30 Forms IT Takes in Stephen King's Original Novel, Every Form Chucky Has Taken In The Child's Play Series, Every Form Pinhead Has Taken In The Hellraiser Franchise, Freddy's Other Forms In The Nightmare On Elm Street Franchise, Every Form IT Takes in the 1990 Miniseries, 7 Ways James Bond 26 Has To Be Different From Daniel Craig's 007 Era, Avatar: The Way of Water Breaks Major International Box Office Record, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish Set Up Shrek 5 Entirely By Accident. It Follows - whichconnects back to the original Evil Dead in a subtle way - ends on an ambiguous note, as it's unclear if Jay managed to truly defeat the entity. And what does that tell us? Paul and Kelly arrive, confused as they insist no one else is in the house. It stars Maika Monroe as a young woman who is pursued by a supernatural entity after a sexual encounter and must have sex with another individual to avoid it. 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