"It Follows" Review

"It Follows" had a limited release in theaters late last year then had a wide release in select theaters in late March. If it's playing near you I recommend that you bust it over to a theater now.
From just a vain point of view, even though one of its opening scenes seemed to happen on a beach (which, in hindsight, was probably Lake Eerie or Lake Saint Clair) I knew that this movie was filmed in Michigan and is probably set in the early '90s -- when its director David Robert Mitchell and I were Michigander teenagers. There were a lot of vintage cars and televisions, and none of the young actors ever stared at phones like fish-eyed morons. There were so many moments when Mitchell seemed to be saying "this was us." I was amazed that the actors he used weren't locals. There were so many conversations that reminded me of the way we talked to each other and the things that we discussed that I literally got somewhat emotional because I'm nothing if not a mawkish sentimentalist bitch. He undoubtedly assigned the actors to study the local Michigan youth.

I'm a moderate fan of horror, and I hate cheap scare tactics. None of it is in this movie. There are just genuine, creepy scares with fleshed-out characters who are played by extremely talented, unknown actors. In fact, I almost didn't buy a ticket for the film because I didn't recognize anyone who is in it, which is the sort of behavior that I so often rail against. Hypocritical bitch. Some of the talent in this film will undoubtedly graduate to star status, so you might as well familiarize yourself with them now.

I don't want to ruin its surprises by getting too explicit, but I will state that my only problem with this movie is how the curse is transmitted from person to person. As I stated, I'm a sentimentalist, but that movie theme is playing a bit too much on the "psycho hates young people who fuck" '80s thing even for me.

It's a solid 4 of 5 star movie, though. SEE IT NOW. Let's support low budget movies and the filmmakers who support Michigan's desperate economy!