Happy Halloween - Day 15 - It Follows

I'm cutting it fine this evening but just in time for this Sunday's seriously spooky post I'm changing it up and sharing a film with you. I just had the absolute pleasure of seeing the film The Endless, a brilliant horror movie however not quite what I want to share with you today.

Tonight I want to share with you the complete terror that is David Mitchell's It Follows. I don't like scary films. I don't enjoy that sensation and I really REALLY hate films with supernatural themes, however somehow I made an exception for what will probably be the most frightening thing I will ever watch. It is also however one of the best films I have ever seen.

It Follows has the thoroughly bizarre premise of a girl wakes up after sleeping with a guy to be told he has sexually transmitted a walking monster to her. He tells her "it isn't fast but it isn't stupid". If it gets to you, you're dead. If you sleep with someone, you pass it on. If it kills the person you last slept with, it comes back to you. It slowly walks step by step and takes the form of everyone from huge frightening men to people you know. Only you can see it but others can see the effect it has. The plot line sounds so ridiculous that Mitchell himself said when pitching it he had to just stick to story boards to try an come away from the fact it is a film about a sexually transmitted demon.

Bare with me here though, It Follows does the clever thing of existing outside of time but manages to reference those hazy suburban based American horror stories of the 80s and 90s, whilst throwing in the odd gadget that makes no sense but somehow makes it all the more unnerving. Seriously what is it about the American suburbs that gives such a perfect spooky backdrop? I feel like there's something about teenagers and all those emotions buzzing around with no where to over flow into that mimic that stillness of a summer with nothing to do.

The soundtrack is a complete masterpiece. An 80s synth based foreboding dream that I would have had on repeat if it didn't put me so on edge. You can actually listen to the whole thing on YouTube.

I honestly cannot wait to see what Mitchell does next and I could not recommend this as your honestly terrifying off beat Halloween movie enough. Although maybe keep the lights on for this one.. watch the trailer here.