After having sex, a young woman is followed by an unknown supernatural force. That's pretty much it. The only way to avoid premature death is to have sex with another person, the 'curse' (if you will) is then passed on to the person you're bumping uglies with. Should they meet an unfortunate end, the curse then passes back to you and so on. Basically, you're screwed in more ways than one. Mitchell offers no explanation as to why this happens - the films kicks in halfway through another deadly encounter - but the rest of the movie is spent with Jay (The Guest's breakout star, Maika Monroe) and her friends, as they attempt to outrun the deadliest STD ever to grace our TV screens.
Mitchell doesn't rest on his laurels, not once, and what follows is both incredibly creepy and consistently surprising. A lot of suspense is drawn from the idea that only the victims can see their foe, even the ones that live to tell the tale. Which means Jay's friends are in the dark at all times, offering up some ingenious scares along the way. With a sublime, fully-pumped Carpenter-esque score, and a small town that gives the deserted streets of Haddonfield a run for its money, Mitchell has crafted an eerie and suspenseful thriller that feels fresh by today's standards. The young cast is, for once, a pleasure to be around and Monroe proves that The Guest was no fluke.
The slow, deliberate style might bemuse some factions, as might the lack of true resolution, but in a world besieged by horror clones, It Follows is an original, refreshing and quietly creepy horror movie soon to be cheapened by inferior knock-offs. Enjoy it while you can.
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