IT FOLLOWS (2014)

 IT FOLLOWS (2014) – 10/03/2021

 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3235888/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

 

               It Follows landed on my radar when a TV show character called it his new favorite movie.  I then found it on sale at Best Buy for, like, four bucks.  So, I thought for $4.00 I could at least give it a shot.  I have now watched It Follows at least twice, and I can say with all sincerity that I just don’t get it.

              

               The basic premise of It Follows is that if you have sex with someone who has “it”, the “it” will then follow you S L O W L Y until it catches and kills you.  Like, VERY SLOWLY.  The “it” is amorphous and shows up as any random individual.  The movie explains that “it” can show up as someone you love, but that only happens once to a secondary character.  Otherwise, the “it” is just some random person, usually nude or only semi-dressed.  There is never an explanation of who or what the “it” is, and the only indication of what “it” does are the two bodies left mangled. 

 

               I don’t really know what I’m supposed to be afraid of in It Follows.  I get that the “it” is supposed to be dangerous, but I don’t know how dangerous.  There aren’t really any major actors in It Follows, so I’m only mildly interested in what happens to any of them.  Whatever “it” is also only seems to affect young people, although their exact age is undetermined.  Is It Follows supposed to be an allegory for the dangers of premarital or promiscuous sex?  I guess I didn’t have the type of upbringing that causes me to fear sex.  Is “it” a metaphor for sexually transmitted diseases or pregnancy?  If so, aren’t these people using protection?  It would seem like the way to get rid of “it” would be to pass it on, which means having MORE sex instead of less.  Is it supposed to warn of the dangers of sex addiction?  Sex addicts, by definition, are usually dangerous to themselves or other people, so I’m not sure that really applies.  Even when “it” is first passed to Jay, she tells the police it was consensual.  Maybe I just don’t do well with subtlety.

 

 

Scores:

Suspense:  8/10 – we never really know what “it” is or when “it” is coming.

Gore:  7/10 – some characters meet a moderately gruesome fate.

Scares:  4/10 – the one scene where “it” gets too close is exciting, but otherwise you see it coming.

Humor:  1/10 – Keir Gilchrist has a history of playing gay characters, so it was kinda humorous watching him “play straight”.

Bonus Points: 0 – I don’t know how to award bonus points for this movie.  I almost fell asleep watching it.

 

Total:  20/40 – Just sleep with someone else and tell them to do the same.  Maybe “it” will never come back.

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