Netflix Horror Movie Makes You Look Over Your Shoulder Everywhere You Go
One of the great ironies of 80’s horror films is that even though they seemed very transgressive (what with all the blood and nudity), the movies accidentally promoted very conservative values. As Randy helpfully reminds us in Scream, the people most likely to die in a horror film are those who drink, do drugs, and, most of all, engage in carnal relations. It Follows is a movie that transforms the subtext into text by linking sex and violence, and anybody who is prepared to constantly look over their shoulder can now stream this movie on Netflix.
A Different Type Of Monster
What is It Follows about, though? In short, the premise of the movie is that a violent, stalking monster is effectively a s*xually transmitted disease. It relentlessly follows and kills its victims, and the only way for someone being chased by this monstrous force to survive is to pass it on to someone else, forcing the monster to zero in on a new target.
The Cast Has Gone On To Big Things
The cast of It Follows is not filled with huge names, but each one of them delivers a stellar and typically understated performance. Maika Monroe (now known for Longlegs) plays our chief protagonist, someone whose recent lovemaking has made her the target of this film’s relentless, malevolent force. Keir Gilchrist and Olivia Luccardi play friends who may or may not be able to help her survive, and Jake Weary plays the scheming boyfriend who passes this creepy curse onto Monroe’s character in the first place.
Beyond its great cast, a big part of what makes It Follows so brilliant is how it transforms the “have s*x and die” formula of classic horror movies into some fresh and horrifying. The movie makes the most out of the ethical quandary at its core: nobody wants to die, but the only way to survive is to effectively sentence someone else to death. The characters also struggle with really practical questions, including how to capture or kill a monster that only the infected can even see.
Elevated Horror
Also, while I kind of hate terms like “elevated horror,” I do have to praise one thing that elevates this monster flick: everything is filmed to look and feel like a dream, the better with which to make us sympathize with the nightmare our heroes are stuck in.
One dreamlike quality is that it’s impossible to tell when this film takes place, with cars and technology from very different decades thrown into the same narrative. Filming on location in places like Detroit’s historic Redford Theater helps with the feeling of unreality, as if the audience is straddling past and present from beginning to end.
A Hit With Critics And Jaded Horror Fans
In terms of sheer box office return, It Follows was a megahit: it earned only $23.3 million worldwide, but against a budget of only $1.3 million, that’s insanely impressive. And “insanely impressed” certainly describes the critics: on Rotten Tomatoes, this film currently has a critical rating of 95 percent. Critics generally praised the film for finding that elusive sweet spot between being smart and innovative while still being completely scary.
Available On Netflix
REVIEW SCORE
I grew up with all those accidentally moralistic slasher films of the 80s, like the Friday the 13th series, and after enjoying decades of films where s*x leads to monstrous death, I loved this literalization of that metaphor on a very deep level. And if nothing else, It Follows is the kind of film you put on for fans of postmodern slashers like Scream who think there is nothing new filmmakers can do with the genre.
Right now, the sequel to It Follows is scheduled to start filming in 2025. Whether you want to get ready for the return of this creepy STD monster or experience the terror for the first time, you can stream this clever horror movie today on Netflix. When you’re done, you can maybe answer my biggest question: where can I cop that cool clamshell eReader we keep seeing throughout the film?
