Thoughts on It Follows

I watched It Follows on Netflix today, directed by David Robert Mitchell. I enjoyed it, but I think it was way too over-hyped. I did like the suspenseful atmosphere, the feeling of dread, the John Carpenter-esque synth score, the use of foreshadowing, the 1980s stylistic choices a la early 80's slasher movies, the slow burn, and the naturalistic performances of the cast, where they felt sympathetic and not like annoying teens that you are waiting for to die.

However, I felt like the movie was hyped up a lot as one of the best horror films ever, and while it was very good, I wasn't amazed or blown away by it. I was really liking the look, style, and pace of it, but I didn't find the plot particularly interesting, and I didn't like how each version of the demon in human form was made to look macabre just to stand out, as well as random times where the demon in female form had a breast out for no real reason other than seeing boobs. I preferred how in the demonic thriller Fallen, the devil would appear in human forms, and look like ordinary people, and blend it a lot more, and it seemed more terrifying to me than the demon looking like a zombie person, more readable as "scary."

The film deserved its accolades, and it is way better than a lot of other by-the-book horror movies that have come out because it takes its time building its horror, it doesn't rely too much on jump scares, the characters are likable, and it has this atmospheric, dreamlike quality where everything just feels a little off. Sometimes it reminded me of A Nightmare on Elm Street, with the 80's feel, teen characters being haunted by a supernatural monster, and being stalked throughout the mundane parts of their day. I just felt like with all the raves about it, that I was just slightly let down by the hype, and thought it was a very good movie stylistically, but that I wasn't into the whole story itself.