Jeff initially explains to Jay that It often appears as loved ones in order to catch its victims unaware. In fact, modern technology is mostly absent throughout the film except for this thing. Back home, Paul, willing to take the risk, offers Jay the opportunity to pass it on to him, but she refuses. It Follows, and this critical double-scare scene demonstrates how not much else gets under our skin quite like visceral reminders of our fleeting mortality. Maybe sometimes it disappears for months, and other times it shows up everywhere you go, appearing suddenly and without warning. Yara stands relaxed and sleepily in the doorway of Jay's bedroom, inquiring about the commotion. We are never given this information right-out but Gregs mothers comment plus Jays mothers day drinking seems to point to his. It received acclaim from critics; praise was directed at the films originality and Monroes performance. Before going on her date with Hugh/Jeff, Jay is seen swimming in her backyard pool. ", In terms of sequel concepts, Tom Quinn co-president of one of the film's distributors said he'd want to "flip the title" in a sequel. Hes been dead for years, which is why the girls seem more complacent and put-together theyve learned to cope but their grieving mother is still despondent, self-medicating with alcohol. One of the more curious forms the entity takes comes after the beach hut, as it becomes a teenage girl and chases after Jay,who responds by hopping into Greg's car. Yara stands relaxed and sleepily in the doorway of Jay's bedroom, inquiring about the commotion. Upon realizing that the entity has a physical body and is not just a. Whatever I was going through at that time, my parents divorced when I was around that age, so I imagine it was something to do with that. Jay's friends ward it off by breaking a chair over its body and Jay shoots it several times until it falls over, but it recovers unharmed and attacks Jay again, this time taking the form of a boy who lives next door to Jay. The woman edges closer as she urinates. In the climactic scene at the pool where the group tries to electrocute It, the entity appears as a middle-aged man. Annie drives a 2012 Nissan Versa, much of the fashion seems fairly modern, and Yara reads her Dostoyevsky on some sort of miniature computer or e-reader that looks like a seashell. It's precisely because Jay doesn't see her that Hugh knows he's in serious trouble. Seeing as how Jay and Paul are seen walking down the street holding hands in the films closing scene, it looks like the two end up together. You can't kill it, you can't reason with it, and you can run for a little while, but you can't run from it forever. No way, I dont think so. Jay gets ready for her date with Hugh, and the two go to the cinema. Some even start to collide with her, disorienting her and drawing blood. At the beginning of the film, a young woman runs out of her house wearing a pair of heels, short-shorts, and a tank top. It Follows premiered at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2014. Subtle shifts in seasons and time subconsciously unsettle as viewers cannot place when and where the narrative takes place. Yeah, ok. And death, perhaps. It Follows is a 2014 American supernatural psychological horror film written and directed by David Robert Mitchell. He suddenly panics and implores her to leave the theater with him, saying that he feels sick. It's Yara, half-asleep and perplexed by the uproar. It was given a limited release in the United States on March 13[15] and a wide release on March 27[16] in 1,200 theaters. For example, the young woman in the beginning is running from IT in heels. Read More: Is It Follows Based on a True Story? stunt safety Dan Lemieux . Then, in the final scene of the film, we see the two of them walking down the road together. When "It" finally arrives, things don't go exactly as our heroes planned. By passing it along and abusing someone else. We just made it up. The Entity, or It, is the name given to the otherwise unnamed main antagonist in the 2014 horror film, It Follows. And then, once death has you, you're forced to meet your maker. Jay's still reeling from her own assault. However, Jay spends the rest of the movie attempting to outrun and outsmart the entity. [Crewdson's] photographs have the same kind of surreal suburban imagery that we wanted for It Follows."[11]. "[24], David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter said, "Creepy, suspenseful and sustained, this skillfully made lo-fi horror movie plays knowingly with genre tropes and yet never winks at the audience, giving it a refreshing face-value earnestness that makes it all the more gripping. Therefore, their relationship is not romance but more of a survival technique. It then falls into the water, but as Jay tries to swim out of the pool, the creature grabs her and holds her underwater. Even more impressive is the way Mitchell layers in visual complexity that offers multiple reads upon repeat viewings. The Old Maid cards Paul, Kelly, and Yara play with on the porch look like theyre from the 1940s-1950s. However, with It Follows, you have to get a little more creative if you want to know more. Director David Robert Mitchell Writer David Robert Mitchell Stars Maika Monroe Keir Gilchrist Olivia Luccardi A ghost? If the entity from It Follows starts chasing you, it's probably not going to catch you today. Not a single cordless phone in sight. Greg doesn't realize it's not his mom, opens the door, andgets murdered in what's easily It Follows' most disturbing death scene. Greg has sex with Jay in the hospital, as he does not believe the entity exists. So what's this old cliche doing here? Firing at an invisible target, Paul accidentally wounds Yara, but shoots the entity in the head. It will perpetually be walking towards Jay's location at all times, no matter where she is. There is also the possibility that Jay and Paul have sex repeatedly and are able to pass the curse between them, but once again, that only buys them time. The kitchen in Jays house is straight out of the 1970s, down to the ugly orange-and-avocado-colored appliances. Maika Monroe told ComicBook.com in January 2021 that she "would do anything" to work with director David Robert Mitchell again. After "Yara" arrives and proceeds to attack Jay, she and her gang run for refuge inside a hut. "[27] Mike Pereira of Bloody Disgusting described the film as a "creepy, mesmerizing exercise in minimalist horror" and labeled it as "a classical horror masterpiece. The Brady Bunch (1969) - S02E07 Family 3.1s Greg. Jay leaves in abject terror.Up until this point, the entity only appeared from a safe distance. Look at the Polaroids around her mirror. "Whether it's an 'It Follows' sequel or something else, I think he's so insanely talented.". This is first hinted at when the group discovers empty soda cans hanging on the windows of Hughs abandoned house. Jeffs mom is TOTALLY rocking the 1980s Mom look, and not ironically. There's also decent evidence that Jay herself passed the curse along. "[25] Tim Robey of The Daily Telegraph gave the film five out of five stars and said, "With its marvellously suggestive title and thought-provoking exploration of sex, this indie chiller is a contemporary horror fan's dream come true. Height. Paul shoots it again in the head and it sinks to the bottom, allowing Jay to escape. Shortly after he gets the curse, there's a scene when Greg is hanging out and flirting with a group of girls. Is it a demon? The plot of the film revolves around a teenage girl named Jay who is pursued by a supernatural entity after her sexual encounter. This is why even if Paul sleeps with a prostitute and passes the curse on (as is hinted), the entity could always just kill the prostitute, then Paul, and eventually come back to try and murder Jay. Despite not having any hard evidence of this creature's existence, Jay's friends decide to believe her story and band together to come up with a plan to kill this monster once and for all. We imagine that would be a movie called Follow It, which would presumably tell the story of Jay working her way up the chain, trying to track down the originator of the curse. Regardless, it's going to mess you up pretty bad when your dad starts throwing TVs and trying to drown you, so either way, Jay's reaction totally tracks. Staring out of the classroom window, she spies an older woman in a hospital gown crossing the grounds, seemingly unseen by those around her.Highly disturbed, Jay's friends agree to spend the night to keep her company. "[6] On review aggregator website Metacritic, the film has an average rating of 83 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Related: Every Form Chucky Has Taken In The Child's Play Series. Greg later remarks that he hasn't seen the creature yet, long after Jay expected it to appear. The following week, the film dropped two spots to #10 with a weekend gross of $346,005 (229,927) from 240 screens. In terms of whether or not the creature is truly dead, the film doesn't say. The decor in Jays house is very old-looking, almost like youd expect to see at your grandparents. And in the universe of It Follows, you are LITERALLY forced to meet your maker in the most terrifying way possible. A collection of It Follows nude scenes, categorized by nudity type, the film or tv show it appears in and the different types of nudity. Even if you try to solve it. All 30 Forms IT Takes in Stephen King's Original Novel, Every Form Chucky Has Taken In The Child's Play Series, Every Form Pinhead Has Taken In The Hellraiser Franchise, Freddy's Other Forms In The Nightmare On Elm Street Franchise, Every Form IT Takes in the 1990 Miniseries, 7 Ways James Bond 26 Has To Be Different From Daniel Craig's 007 Era, Avatar: The Way of Water Breaks Major International Box Office Record, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish Set Up Shrek 5 Entirely By Accident. ", Now for the biggest question of all, what is It? Greg Strasz . At school, Jay sees an old woman in a hospital gown walking towards her, invisible to others. Also from the Detroit area and It made the movie that much creepier. Days later, Jay sees the entity in the form of Greg walking towards Greg's house, smashing a window at Greg's house and entering. Ruby Harris also portrays the entity while it is in the form of Greg's mother and Ele Bardha portrays it in the form of Jay's father. 'It Follows' is a 2014 psychological supernatural horror film that centers on a mysterious entity that relentlessly follows its victims. (Greg's Date (Pretty Girl in Car))-/5. In this edition: It Follows uses wide angles and a disorienting setting to unsettle before delivering a one-two punch scare for the ages. It's likely that Annie, the girl killed at the beginning of the film, was a former lover of his that he sacrificed to the creature. Like a person hiding an STD from their romantic partner, Hugh lies to Jay about the potential repercussions of sleeping with him, and afterwards, he abandons her. Greg later remarks that he hasn't seen the creature yet, long after Jay expected. [14] The digital version of the album went on sale March 10. Following The Babadook (2014), The Conjuring (2013), and Insidious (2010), It Follows is the next big thing when it comes to horror. Why is everyone wearing a coat? The dissonance between seasons and the way characters are dressed is just another way to make you feel off for some reason you cant necessarily put your finger on. This time the woman is topless but also looks to have been brutally beaten, even to the point of missing teeth and she also urinates on the floor. Of course,it keeps pursuing her relentlessly, making It Followsfeel like The Terminator in that respect. They rob you of your sleep. Instead of entering the pool, it throws the devices at her. But not only this: it's the shame that follows you for the rest of your life, that shame reminding you that death is always around the corner, closer, closer. Lastly, we have Jay's final Follower, who appears as her father. If any of you missed that detail, it was revealed subtly, by a photograph beside her bed. Similarly, It Follows is a film that extols the virtues of kindness. This next form taken by the entity in It Follows is another that's extremely naked. It's tough to pick up on during your first viewing, but once you become aware of it, it adds a great degree of thematic depth to the film. Most viewers seem to agree this girl is Annie, the girl who's brutally killed by the entity in It Follows' opening, and likely the last person Hugh passed the curse to before Jay. Ele Bardha . Jay, unable to sleep, heads downstairs to watch TV with Paul. [20] On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 95% approval rating and a rating average score of 8.10/10, based on 270 reviews. While explaining the death curse rules, Hugh points out a naked woman approaching in the distance, at a slow but steady clip. It Follows is a 2014 psychological supernatural horror film that centers on a mysterious entity that relentlessly follows its victims. After a night of terror Jay, her sister, her neighbor Greg, and their friends all head off to the beach to put some distance between themselves - which if someone had enough resources, could be an easy way to defeat It Follows' curse - and the slow-moving entity. the whole internet asks, collectively. If Greg did, it was probably on accident. Screaming, Jay fumbles her way upstairs and locks herself in her room. The protagonist, Prince Myshkin, is an extremely kind person trying to make his way in an unkind world. But did they? The entity didn't just enter her home to claim her, but it exploited her trauma, too. At the beginning of the film, we meet Yara, hanging out on the couch with Paul and Kelly as they watch a movie (which Ill address in a moment.) It Follows is a 2014 American supernatural psychological horror film written and directed by David Robert Mitchell and stars Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto, Jake Weary, Olivia Luccardi and Lili Sepe. She was well-dressed, perhaps ready to go out, when IT finally got close enough for her to realize it was a threat and she just bolted, ill-equipped footwear be damned. Then Jay swims into the middle of the pool and waits. Are you ready to get under the skin of It Follows and see what its trying to tell us? But I do want to say that when I wrote this, I had some bigger set pieces, a few things that I sort of simplified, and some stuff that we chose to cut out because of the budget and time, so there's all kinds of fun things that could be done with this concept and story. And it works. The music crescendos with a pulsing beat, signaling that a scare looms near. It's more often presented with a knowing wink in the context of a satiric horror comedies like Scream or The Cabin in the Woods. Its all on purpose, though. However, three days later, he ends up dead. While playing a game of spotting strangers, Hugh notices a woman in a yellow dress that Jay cannot see. Potentially late summer/early fall, sure, but hold on. They seem normal enough. We know that the entity sometimes impersonates the loved ones of its victims, so who is It impersonating here? They try to calm Jay's nerves when there's a knock at the door. However, Jay spends the rest of the movie attempting to outrun and outsmart the entity. It sounds cool on paper, but in terms of whether or not we'd actually like to see Follow It, to be honest, we're a little uncertain. The way he carelessly dumps her on the street only further the assault metaphor. Hugh explains that he has passed an entity on to her through intercourse. Greg Hannigan. On a beach, Jay sees three young men on a boat. For 19-year-old Jay, autumn should be about school, boys, and weekends out at the lake. Sorry to break it to you, but there's definitively, purposefully no answer to these questions. The abruptness of its appearance delivers another potent scare, clocking in just two minutes after the previous encounter.That it comes from a completely different and unlikely spot in Jay's house sends the clear message that Death can come from anywhere at any time. But is that all? Viewers continue to debate the answer. Subtle shifts in seasons and time subconsciously unsettle as viewers cannot place when and where the narrative takes place. The film never lays down definitive rules for how the creature works, so if you want to poke holes, it's defenseless. Maika Monroe stars as Jay Height, a carefree teen whose life is upended thanks to a bizarre sexual encounter with her new boyfriend Hugh (Jake Weary). This includes furniture, decor, and wallpaper. It's simply unfortunate that Greg was cornered when The Follower was in the guise of his mother. She's not shown close or long enough to make a positive identification, but the best guess based on characters seen in the film is Hugh's mom. The film then closes with the two walking hand in hand down the street, with the faint outline of an unknown person walking relentlessly behind them at a modest pace. Death, Jay learns, will creep inexorably toward her as either a friend or a stranger. If they tell you what that is all a story is about, they are very definitely wrong." Evidence also points to this form being Jay's grandfather, who's seen in a family photo earlier in the movie. What's missing, however, is the discussion about the parents. Jay responds, "I don't want to tell you." Here's every form taken by the demonicEntity in It Follows. [18], It Follows earned $163,453 in its opening weekend from four theaters at an average of $40,863 per theater, making it the best limited opening for a film released in the United States and Canada in 2015. A young woman named Annie flees from her house in fear, but there is no visible threat. We know that the entity is not a ghost and has a physical form. Sure, Jeff couldve told Jay IT makes noise! Speaking of decor, the photos on the wall are mostly black and white portraits. Therefore, It is invisible but has a physical form. Paul reports a smashed window in the kitchen, then heads upstairs to wake Jay's sister. Rather than walking into the pool so that Jay's friends can electrocute it, It starts picking up the various devices and hurling them at Jay. The abruptness of its appearance delivers another potent scare, clocking in just two minutes after the previous encounter. In the films many tense moments, a lot of clues are sprinkled into the background that help make sense of the ominous ending. It Follows is about abuse. In the distance, a figure slowly approaches from behind. The entity arrives in the form of Yara and attacks Jay on the lakefront. Let's run down the evidence for each one. Here's a guide toIt Follows entity's every form it takes in the movie. Most recently, Michael helped launch Screen Rant's new horror section, and is now the lead staff writer when it comes to all things frightening. - Cousin Greg! It bears many similarities to one, but part of the reason It Follows works so well is that so little information is given about how the creature at its center functions. , a column dedicated to the most pulse-pounding moments in horror. However, Greg underestimates It Follows ' scary curse, and following his death scene, the curse goes right back to Jay. After their plan to electrocute their tormentor fails, Jay has sex with Paul, and the film ends with her seemingly shielded by him (for the time being). It didn't rape Greg to death. The film masterfully follows a less is more format that leaves a lot unsaid but tells the audience just enough to make for a truly unsettling experience. There are a few different theories at play here allow me to explain. Perhaps their dad was an abusive jerk, and that's why it's so painful to see him again. Given that It Follows was both a critical and commercial success, should we be expecting an endless array of sequels and spinoffs, in the vein of A Nightmare on Elm Street? Even from a far-off distance, the wide angles elicit an exposed vulnerability that builds dread. Her inciting consensual experience was savagely undone by Hugh's chloroforming and binding of her before she could even dress. It Follows (2014) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Theyre meant to alert him in case anything enters. When not writing, Michael enjoys going to concerts, taking in live professional wrestling, and debating pop culture. It stars Maika Monroe as a young woman who is pursued by a supernatural entity after a sexual encounter and must have sex with another individual to avoid it. Now that's scary. And what does that tell us? 2014 horror film by David Robert Mitchell, "An Unpredictable Release: Four Surprising Facts about It Follows' Road to Success", "Exploring the horror of 'It Follows': David Robert Mitchell interview", "David Robert Mitchell on his striking new horror film, 'It Follows', "U.K. The fact that so many viewers come away with the idea that this is clearly the message of the film means that, on some level, "sex is bad, and it will kill you" is one potential reading of the movie that we're forced to admit is a valid one. By relying on her support structure, Jay's friends help carry the burden of her curse, unlike Hugh, who tries to go it alone and ends up passing his trauma along to someone else. . At dawn, it is revealed that she has been brutally murdered. Summaries. The concept of home invasion is inherently petrifying because it removes the one place meant to offer security and comfort, but the entity's appearance heightens that natural fear thanks to the form it chooses; a victim of sexual assault. Based on how confidently he knocked out Jay with chloroform, it didn't seem like his first time. In a couple of the photographs, you'll see that same bearded man. Its her dad thats why she doesnt want to tell her little sister. Hence, the film ends with Jeff alive but, like everyone else who is cursed, living in constant fear of being attacked by It. Again, the tall man doesn't look like any other character seen in the movie, so outside of being scary, the significance of this form to Jay is unclear. The set further disorients with decor from various eras- unconventional and made-up technology clashes with retro televisions that play '50s sci-fi features. Scott Norman (Homeless Man Behind Tree)-/5. As Jay struggles to stay afloat, her friends intervene. In his defense, there's clearly much more on this film's mind, thematically speaking, than just sex. Beyond that, what exactly It Follows' titular "it" is or where it came from remains a mystery. When Jay gets cursed after a sexual encounter, she finds herself being stalked and tries to grapple with the sinister entity that keeps changing its appearance and showing up unexpectedly. The movie was a great commercial and critical hit.