My Midnight Madness experience
continued with David Robert Mitchell's new film It Follows.
After having sex, Jay (Maika Monroe)
begins being haunted by a malevolent spirit. Fortunately, she can
save herself by passing it onto someone else the same way she
received it.
When I was kid, whenever I heard my own
heartbeat – usually when I was in bed with a pillow over my face –
I would imagine those thundering beats were the footsteps of “Death”
on his way to claim me. I would never know how far away he was, but
sooner or later he'd catch up to me and I'd be done for. I was reminded of
this childhood memory while watching It Follows.
Horror is a genre that, for sometime
now, has not fostered originality, but somehow, thankfully, Mitchell
managed to bring this one into the world. We only get one or
two horror films like It Follows a year, if we're lucky, and what I find
truly remarkable is that you can explain the premise in a few words –
“it's about a haunted STD” – and not only marvel at the idea
itself, but also how no one had thought of something so simplistic before.
Maika Monroe as Jay in It Follows. |
Beyond the premise, the mechanics of
which was well thought out and not overexplained – a choice of
which does not become somewhat problematic until very late in the
film – there are a lot of things that make this piece stand out.
The cinematography was excellent and really showcased the more dark
and drizzly landscapes of both urban and suburban Detroit. There was
also a timeless quality to the film. Apart from an E-reader carried
around by one of the supporting characters there was really no
indication as to what decade it was supposed to take place in,
especially since all other media absorbed by the characters – on
television and at the cinema – was of the vintage variety.
Monroe is very strong as the embattled
protagonist, Jay. Much like Amber Heard's turn in All The Boys Love Mandy Lane eight years ago at Midnight Madness, Monroe is a real
breakout here, with not one but two films (Adam Wingard's The Guest
being the other) in 2014's Midnight line-up. However, as good as
Monroe was, the real star of It Follows was the soundtrack provided by
California-based musician Disasterpiece. He had worked primarily on
video game scores, most notably the indie darling Fez, until Mitchell
reached out to him. The result was tremendous, adding so much
substance that its inclusion elevated the film from being solely a
weird cautionary fable to full-on horror flick.
Director David Robert Mitchell & star Maika Monroe. |
Though the third act is not quite as
strong, revelling more in visuals rather than logic to drive the
story, the delicious premise and spectacular score are more than
enough to glaze over those shortcomings. For all those jaded horror
fans out there that think modern horror is nothing but recycled
garbage, I urge you to give It Follows a whirl.
*Q&A photo courtesy of Robert Mitchell.
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