IF: It Follows
The scariest movie of 2015 so far works because it so nimbly defies our expectations. Setting the film aside from found-footage productions, director David Robert Mitchell conjures up a chilling, mesmerizing atmosphere, crafting several individual shots worthy of being framed in a way few horror directors have managed. His work behind the camera is haunting and so precise it’s reminiscent of the great John Carpenter. The often jarring score is also magnificent, creating a sense of something closing in on us and the characters both in how it jumps in when you least expect it. And Maika Monroe’s performance is equally masterful, turning what could have been a simple scream queen into someone deeply sympathetic and strikingly strong.
It Follows begs the audience members to come away with their own interpretations of what it all means – and what “It” all means – telling a simple but perfectly nightmarish story that can be understood on multiple levels. What’s so scary about it is its lack of answers – this is a movie that terrifies you more every time you think about it and attempt to find resolution. And that’s the mark of a great horror flick – it gets under your skin and stays there.
MD: What We Do in the Shadows
A found footage movie about vampires, in our roundup of best movies of the year (so far)? Yup. You better believe it. Birthed from the minds of Jemaine Clement (Flight Of The Conchords) and Taika Waititi, this mockumentary is everything that’s right about such a stale, decrepit subgenre thanks to joyful, playful satire.
What We Do In The Shadows doesn’t just address one era of vampires, but the whole generational evolution from Nosferatu through Twilight. You’ve got your lothario vampire, the cave-dwelling early vampire, a pretty-boy new wave vampire, and the reluctantly charming vampire who plays prim and proper. These personalities all clash in a very Christopher Guest-meets-MTV’s The Real World kind of way, just with more blood-sucking and werewolf fighting.
Most importantly, it’s undeniably hilarious. What We Do In The Shadows was easily the funniest movie I saw this year before Spy came along, and even then, the merits of this horror comedy are worth screaming from a mountaintop – or, better yet, a Transylvanian castle tower.