It takes a lot for an original horror movie to stand out from the pack when the genre has become saturated to the point of ubiquity, but David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows was an astonishingly unique supernatural psychological chiller, one that quickly gained a well-deserved reputation as a modern classic.
Re-imagining the standard ‘protagonist must rid themselves of a curse’ setup as a sexually-transmitted phenomenon, Maika Monroe’s Jay is tricked into becoming the next victim by her duplicitous boyfriend. Death is coming, and there’s nothing she can do to stop it, forcing her to figure out a way to solve the problem herself.
It Follows earned $23 million at the box office on a budget that was just a shade over $1 million, and the reviews were even more impressive. Rotten Tomatoes has it sitting on a 96% critical score, although users have somewhat bafflingly come to the conclusion that it’s only worth 66%.
Whatever side of the fence you fall on, It Follows is now streaming on Netflix so that you can make up your own mind. Halloween may have just passed, but horror stays in fashion all year long, so don’t be surprised if the acclaimed and atmospheric film manages to make a dent in the most-watched list over the coming days.