It Follows - Doug Reviews

Um...yeah, why do people like this?
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[@samaelmalkira9420]

What if when It finally catches up with her it hands her and condom and says: "Be careful next time" And then walks away

[@janesmith4167]

The director said that neither a condom or same sex would stop it from it being transferred.

[@janesmith4167]

+Adrijana Radosevic nope sorry, jst cuz u didn't see it on screen doesn't mean it did or didn't happen. like the Horror trope if someone dies on screen, they usually shiw up later. also they didn't say wether they used a condom or not. and just cuz the characters were hetero doesnt mean that it needs to be passed tru hetero sex only.... movies have different interpretations & jst cuz u feel some type of way about it doesn't mean it isnt revelant

[@janesmith4167]

+curly sue ***** I meant off Screen

[@dustinethridge7863]

That would be a great fake out. Make a horror movie with this unstoppable villain with all this scary mythology about it, spend years trying to escape it & go to extream measures to do so only to finally break down, give up, & let it catch you, hoping to finally die & be free of its relentless pursuit just to have it grab you stare deep into your eyes for an uncomfortably long time only to tell you that small children are not dishwasher safe & just walk away.

[@therebelgeneration2730]

That would have made the movie. From going to a 4/10 to a 7/10 if the demon just came out just to give her a condom or if it took a chart and started going over the reasons to not have sex at their age.

[@hollyroxy25]

I think in the scene at the lake with the guys on the boat, she actually did pass it on to them. That's why she looked even more frightened when it started coming back after her because they were obviously killed by it. Just like when she passes it on to that guy & it ended up killing him too.

[@Hakajin]

+Holly Roxy Maybe she used condoms.

[@nyaweh8156]

+blessed ganjah someone has issues. A. it's a movie. B. She was trying to give it to someone that she thought might pass it on quickly so yeah it was a pretty smart move.

[@blessedganjah9033]

Dani P yes you people who enjoy this trash have major issues! and C besides this did what besides making another female character in a movie look like nothing more than a cock sleeve for a predominately male audience. did it work, did she do anything with the guys, did they get killed by the slowest fucking killer ever to be put to film...the world may never know because this movie was so cut and pasted it couldnt even keep its time era together!.... besides just because your down for the gang bang doesnt mean any self respecting woman should be honey lmfao!!! You just saw that scene and thought yea...i would be down to do that! what a great idea lol! i bet you post on craigslist dont you?

[@hollyroxy25]

blessed ganjah neither one of us were saying "we're down for a gang bang", we were just analyzing & commenting on the movie. Calm down....

[@nyaweh8156]

blessed ganjah lol I bet you go on long tirades about people you don't know and make up fucked up scenarios in your head and post them on KZbin don't you? Also the director wanted the timeline to be blurred that's why it seemed very vintage with the only modern touch being the compact reader, not that you're capable of having rational thoughts and conversations without saying "cock sleeve"

[@StudioInkblot]

I think the rules are inconsistent because they don't know the rules. They're guessing.

[@mickeyjohnson5247]

Very, very good and valid point.....

[@k2000kidd1]

The genius of the film is the looming sense of dread and the fact IT could be hours away or standing right next to her " is far scarier than a ball hitting a window. Tall man was the creepiest shit I ever seen though.

[@keelanbarron928]

What "ball hitting a window"

[@keelanbarron928]

Hello?

[@arielfox69]

The people in the movie certainly don't have a looming sense of dread. They sit around a lot doing nothing but talking.

[@BlackavarWD]

@@arielfox69 You've obviously never experienced sustained dread. What do you *think* that looks like?

[@arielfox69]

@@BlackavarWD I had GAD, my whole life is filled with sustained dread lol

[@paradoxacres1063]

This _always_ happens when you oversell a movie to Doug. Doesn't matter if it's critics overhyping something or if it's simply good word of mouth, Doug never seems to like or enjoy an overhyped movie. Unless he saw it _before_ he heard people raving about it, that is.

[@nikkis.2066]

Paradox Acres So...Hippster? :p kidding.

[@paradoxacres1063]

Nick Santillo Nah. He's too old to be a hipster ;)

[@nikkis.2066]

Paradox Acres Heheh, what? no way! :p Love Doug either way and he has some interesting points. My personal opinion is that the movie flew over his head and he's trying to break it down too much :p.

[@paradoxacres1063]

Nick Santillo Yeah, I guess. I mean, he is an "overthinker" kinda guy. I love Doug's reviews, too. Can't wait for him to do a video on Age of Ultron. Hopefully it'll be a Sibling Rivalry review :)

[@TheJayman213]

Paradox Acres Age of Ultron was hyped even more and he liked it more than this.

[@bbbsnuggle]

This is going to be a long one. Hope someone reads it. First the short spoiler free version: Great movie. Fresh idea. Love the rules. Great music. Some stupid characters, but not that bad compared to other horror films. Few jump scares, like that. *spoiler warning* Don't read this or watch the video above (not at all) if you don't want spoilers. I really liked this movie, and I'll try to explain why, while also commenting on your video. 1. "The big reveal" No, I don't think there was one of those either. That being said, I would hate to know the small details before seeing it. Therefore I urge those I recommend the film to to know as little as possible. Take the first scene. I think it's very interesting, because you want to find out why the girl does not want help, while clearly scared as hell. I also really liked the scene where you learn that other "uninfected" can touch but not see the thing. That made me like the movie so much more, because then you don't have to go into the whole "is she insane?" thing. Very shortly after you learn that it can be damaged. That's one thing I always liked with Jason when I was a kid. To not be sure how much of a beating he could take. Maybe you can kill him with dynamite? Electricity? Lava? It's the same with T-1000... This is why I think your "spoiler free part" is utterly filled with spoilers. 2. "All the symbolism" I did not focus at all on that. I liked the movie for other reasons. 3. "The music" I loved the music. I can agree that those crescendos got a bit annoying, but not as bad as in Interstellar. 4. "Stupid/emotionally disconnected characters" I can agree to some extent, and this is my main issue with this movie. But maybe not for the same reasons. I hated the "sleep on top of car" thing, the "geez, mom why are you trying to break down my locked door in the middle of the night, here let me open it" thing and the "let's get stick my head really close to the pool just to check" part. But lots of other stuff get a pass from me because they are teenagers. For instance, I find it perfectly plausible that they would not confront the guy who gave her the curse appropriately. Teenagers can go either way in such a situation. Often the reactions to big issues get small and vice versa. 5. "The rules" I loved the rules. And I loved that you get them pretty early on so you can start to think what you would do in the same situation. First off, do you even pass it on? That's highly immoral. The kids do, because empathy and morals are not always fully developed with teens. But even the girl has some issues with it. That's what I got from the boat scene. That's why I think it's great that you don't really know if she banged the guys. Maybe she did and they died because they did not believe her. Or maybe she couldn't do it (maybe she even hates that kind of guys, but not enough to send them to a certain death). So what would you do? Become a nomad? Try to kill it? Contact some scientist or the police (you might not want to risk getting locked up in a mental institiution)? 6. "Background shots of people walking that leads to nothing" This is also awesome. I find it super creepy in a way that's the opposite of a jump scare (which I think are cheap and really makes for bad horror, most of the time). Thank you for reading!

[@ZeroStako]

***** Read it, without watching the movie. Fuck the police. Otherwise, had fun with your comment. I think it struck you, because no one overhyped it for you, telling you that it's "big" as in "genius symbolism" big. From what I'm seeing, people who expect it to have hidden meanings get disappointed, and everyone else who knows not to expect those, or just dont know to expect them (doesnt matter here) just ends up enjoying the flick. I'm certainly gonna enjoy it. When it comes to DVD. Because again not available in my country in the cinema. Ergo, me being on this comment section.

[@ardayldrm2656]

***** She could become claustrophobic so sleep on top of the car. he could be hangover so he could not grasp the realty fully. She could not stand up and got emotional becouse seeing his father.(maybe) She definitely sleep with at least one of them. This was forshadowed when Hugh/jeff tell her "it sould be easier for you becouse you are girl" she tell her friend "I bought some time" after the boat scene and there is long dramatic pause when the creature seen on top of the roof. The pool scene is stupid plan to electrify the creature which ı found amusing and possiblty of incest after the scene ended. and any one thought why no body took a plane and find a whore other side of the world?

[@haroldfinch9144]

***** The guy who gave her the curse was the best guy in the movie. He made sure she was as prepared as possible to face the creature and passed on some knowledge he had obtained. Later on when they track him down you may notice that he was still on alert while the moronic chick was playing with grass. The movie would have been better served if it had focused on his journey or at least had him helping out more. That being said you mentioned something I would like clarified: "For instance, I find it perfectly plausible that they would not confront the guy who gave her the curse appropriately."What did you mean by that?

[@bbbsnuggle]

+Harold Finch What I meant by that was that since they are teenagers it's not unrealistic to see them overreact or underreact to a situation. Doug pointed out that it would be more fitting if they were angrier at the guy who drugged her and left her almost naked and drove away. I argued that teenagers can forgive horrible things and seek revenge for minor things. They don't always act rational...

[@AngryNerdBird]

If I could afford it, I'd buy a 2 way ticket to Australia, pass it onto someone over there, then come back home. Have fun walking to Australia and back, fucker!

[@crimsonvampyre602]

I think the problem is that your were trying to analyze it while watching it. That's never a good idea. Never analyze a movie the first time watching it. Just watch and experience. You were clearly trying to look too deeply into some things, like focusing on house numbers? The movie is an homage to 80's slasher films. It felt like a John Carpenter movie. The setting was purposefully abstract, but the story wasn't. It harkened back to 80's ten slasher films, which always tried to set up rules. This movie did that too, but it definitely didn't set up too many. You still had no idea what It was or where It came from. I loved that. It wasn't necessarily an STD. It could be many things. I choose to believe it represents the inevitability of death and how it doesn't always come when we're ready. That's why the shot at the end was perfect. Them walking, holding hands with someone walking behind them. Was it It? Just a random person? It didn't matter anymore. They were just going to live their lives and not worry about it anymore. That's what her sister's except from Dostoevsky's The Idiot meant.

[@andyhoov]

John Harmon Bingo! I think you hit the nail on the head about the inevitability of death, I definitely got that vibe.

[@endplanets]

John Harmon I was laughing in the theaters when the sister started quoting the novel on her shell phone. It was so blatant and out of nowhere. HEY GUYS ITS A METAPHOR FOR DEATH! GET IT! IT REPRESENTS DEATH!

[@mhaze210]

John Harmon That's what I was thinking. I can see why Doug doesn't like the certain things he noticed, between stock characters, not always a payoff and all that..but once he started talking about house numbers, I knew it wasn't looking good haha.I honestly did notice some numbers and questioned for a second, but that's when I just sat there and just let everything play out before thinking too much. Once the first scene happened with the camera panning, and the soundtrack sounding gorgeous, and the cold raw setting to make the tone even darker...I just let it do it's thing, and I was greatly satisfied. Sure some of it either didn't make sense or didn't add up, but it didn't even make me hate it less, if anything I occasionally think about the things that didn't make sense, and wonder EVEN MORE how they happened, as if I see a scene that was never even there (especially the beach scene at the beginning). Reading too much into any film whether it's The Godfather or Transformers just doesn't make it any better but more dissatisfyiing. Transformers sucks regardless...but The Godfather is incredible and if you watch it the first time always waiting for a payoff, or trying to pick up on every single detail and try to add it up in your own head and analyze the entire movie before it ends...it just won't work. The thing is, I think Doug knows this too, but with all the positive reviews, and Malcolm even seeing it with him for his second time because he "wanted to take in everything for a second time" obviously raised Doug's expectations through the roof. That's why when I do rarely see a movie a second time in the theater just so I can bring a friend to show them and for me to re-experience it...I never rave about it before we see it, infact I sometimes don't even tell them I saw it already. I just say nothing and hope they have the same experience I do, or atleast so I hear their thoughts. One example...No Country for Old Men, I LOVED that film when it came out, and saw it about 4 times in theaters (never usually do that), I saw it with a group of friends saying "it's one of the best movies I've seen all year", saying all these good things about it without giving anything away at all. When we walked out, all of them but 1 pretty much hated it. One friend especially hated it, and still will sometimes think of it and say he hated it (but mostly for reasons that are pretty lame sadly, like how nothing really happens to the "villain", and how it just ends randomly. I tried to say "well I can't always let the very last scene of a movie effect how I felt about the rest of it" because even I didn't really like the very ending of No Country...but I didn't hate it either because the rest was SO damn good. The "villain" getting away just made me say "c'mon, in real life do bad people always die? is because they're bad they are automatically supposed to get killed or something?". Still I realized it was my fault for building up their expectations. This is a film that Doug probably should have seen alone in a big theater just to take it all in. the STD thing was spoiled to me before the movie too...then I saw it and not only realized its basically explained in the first 15 min...but also the synopsis basically says it too "after a strange sexual encounter, a young girl starts seeing nightmarish visions that begin to follow her". The synopsis literally made me believe that I was about to see a story where a girl gets raped, and it breaks her apart and it shows us the effects a rape incident can have on a person and how its a nightmare that constantly follows them. Then I see it and it's like "oh they just had sex, and BAM..its scary as fuck". Also..I will say, a lot of questions Doug had with this..were either explained or just weren't a nuceance on the story. Such as "why didn't she get angry at the guy when they found him and threaten to get police involved"...when she was talking to the police after the "incident" she was asked "Was it consensual?", she said "Yes" while looking down. She knew she agreed to it, just sadly didn't expect such a nightmare to follow. Though I DO still wish more came out of that scene besides just sitting down in the backyard discussing the situation. I was actually hoping he would maybe join them to try to attempt to stop it...or atleast have more of a conversation, OR yes, even bitch slap him at first because she can't help but feel angry. Either way, it didn't really ruin anything for me. Same with the boat scene...most likely she did pass it on to someone if not all of them on the boat, she was completely wet including her cast...though who knows maybe she couldn't allow herself to do it. Still, if she DID pass it on, clearly they were killed and it "started going down the line" to the last person infected. Same with the scene where the kid who is best friends with her, circles around prostitues on the corner. MAYBE he passed it on to buy him more time or maybe he just couldn't find it in him to do that to another person. Either way, if it's those guys on the boat that would actually have sex with a girl randomly like that, most likely they would let a ghost walk up to them to and accidently get killed...prostitues especially, if they saw a ghost walking up to them they would think it's a creepy customer. So it either bought them more time, in hopes it would stop following, though sadly being the cause of other people's deaths...OR they just couldn't pass it along to a stranger no matter how much it tortures them. Whatever happened, they were really quick to maybe 1 minute scenes that just left you wondering more, rather than just move onto the next setup. It makes you think "wait...did they get infected to? shit did more people die over this now?". The movie wasn't perfect, but then again, nothing about it makes it imperfect to me. It literally just seems fine how it is. Nothing to take too much from, but also something to leave you thinking with a chill down your spine. I know this is all a long reply but mainly I meant to say "I agree, analyzing a movie the first viewing can ruin a movie's experience" but then it made me think that much more about it, which is one of the many cool things about this movie.

[@dollparts4918]

I found this to be a pretty sloppy review for Doug.

[@dollparts4918]

Do love your work though usually :)

[@herron321]

Clearly its an artistic reinterpretation of Showgirls... duh

[@DarkLordFluffee]

herron321 everybody got demon AIDS n shit

[@lisambofoh]

My boyfriend said the movie should have been called "It Comes" instead.

[@mickeyjohnson5247]

Lol

[@simpsonman956]

Doug...omg. I love you, but you really vex me sometimes. Obviously, she *did* pass it on at the boat. The implication is clearly that she did pass it on, and the thing killed them too. They hold on her *wet cast* for a whole minute, how did you miss that? Plus, it doesn't get shot in the neck. The bullet grazes it's neck. That's not the same thing. Also, it clearly *can* be killed, or at least hurt, because otherwise, why wouldn't it just get into the pool? Lastly, that thing with seeing the monster in the background and "never seeing where that goes"? Come on, Doug. You know better than this. It's called Hitchcockian drama. The suspense isn't in the bomb exploding, but in waiting for it to explode. You're one smart cookie, Doug, and a fantastic human being, so I have no quarrels whatever with you not liking a movie (I love Howls Movie Castle, but your reasons for not liking it are perfectly valid). What I take issue with is when you get obvious facts from the movie wrong.

[@Takuexl1]

***** Except in a Hitchcock film the bomb either would or would not explode. It is more about the suspense than the payoff, yes, but the promise of the payoff is where the suspense comes from, one is dependent on the other, and so when there is no payoff, there is a sense of disappointment or betrayal. You are, in a sense, blue-balled by the movie. Hitchcock, to my knowledge, almost always has some form of payoff (the ending to North by Northwest felt really limp in my opinion), whether that payoff is a dramatic event or not. In the case of the bomb, there are two possibilities, will it or won't it explode? Because there are only two possibilities, either one may be considered a payoff because no matter what you know what happened. Here, as Doug tells it, the movie promised nothing specific, and followed it up with nothing. It promised an event, but neither an event not the diffusion of an event occurred.

[@ohmss069]

If you're looking for an event, you're looking at the movie the wrong way. Having herpes is not an event, life is not an event, it stays with you constantly whether or not you notice it. "It" never ends! "It" is always there in the movie, like any condition you may have or std you may catch. It can lay dormant, you may have a breakout, or you may be close to a breakout without realizing it. It's a bad idea to compare something like It Follows to David Lynch, because "it" isn't supposed to be abstract, just like hepatitis or HIV isn't abstract, it's a real thing that can leap out and scare you anytime anywhere. Point being "it" never goes away and the fear of seeing it again never ends, it's not based on whether Jay is afraid or not, whether she's crazy or not, it's there no matter how she feels. What you have to understand is that It Follows is not about an event in life, it's about life. We always have to get up with the possibility of something bad happening to us, whether we realizing it and go crazy over it, or ignore it is irrelevant.

[@wilbimcs]

Thank you ! It's a great movie.

[@EricCarter12]

Lol I respect Doug aswell and always welcome his opinion but I feel the same way too. Especially when he reviewed The Dark Knight Rises.

[@WordUnheard]

***** How did you make the words you put emphasis on darker than the rest? And I totally agree with your comment, although I left this movie feeling a little let down.

[@JesusChristSaves2024]

I'm waiting for the sequel. It Follows 2 : Jersey Shore.

[@walkeroftheland9983]

+caine marko aka it follows to electric boogalow

[@andresgonzalez887]

I thought the sequel was going to be called "It Waits"

[@jfdrac]

@@andresgonzalez887 I am picturing Tim Curry at a bus stop honing his nose

[@BlackavarWD]

@@andresgonzalez887 There is already a movie called It Waits. 😄

[@HermanFalckHow]

The funny thing about Rotten tomatoes is that it doesnt show which movies are the best, just which are most universally liked/disliked. It has 95% but I don't know anyone saying it is a masterpiece, but everyone pretty much like it.

[@electricmastro]

Herman Falck How You should probably use Metacritic.

[@tylersackett6302]

Yeah electricmasto is right. If u want a website to give u wat a movie is going to be, Metacritic is the best website to go to. Oh + electricmastro bro hoof!

[@HermanFalckHow]

Metacritic is pretty bad for movies... there are no golden standard for movies. for games its around 8.5 but movies it is impossible to know

[@SimpleBreakDude]

Herman Falck How It was a good movie but the music really made it way better in my opinion.

[@VicViper]

Herman Falck How Metacritic is also pretty bad for games, the game press is very much biased and incompetent at playing games (I'm sorry for you; Sonic Lost World and The Wonderful 101) and most of the users never score a game fairly, they either go for a 0 or a 10. Like I've seen people shitstorming Bloodborne with 0s because it isn't on PC, and obviously they haven't played the game.

[@CJCroen1393]

So you can defeat this monster by wearing a condom?

[@vyor2]

CJCroen1393 I personally vote for explosives. If it doesn't work then you know it just can't be killed by physical force, but if any amount of force can do it, the explosives would work.

[@Cambo420Rambo195]

CJCroen1393 The director said "It" will infect you even through a condom... or gayness.

[@Nexils]

Fuck you google google hater No, actually XD you can still have sex with the same gender to pass on the curse. You just have to not-have sex with the person who has the curse :p

[@JohnReviews]

I HATE those fake-out jump scares.

[@ohmss069]

?

[@JohnReviews]

Daniel Chapman I was acknowledging something Doug said in this bidea.

[@emodante1084]

I hate them too. At this point jump scares in general are just so overused they aren't scary anymore.

[@LordMalice6d9]

Michael Miller There is only one jump scare ever in a horror film that has truly shocked and sent me leaping out of my seat and it was from The Exorcist 3.

[@ohmss069]

LordMalice6d9 That movie was underrated. Like Dune.

[@GerryStuff]

I did hate it a lot when it broke its own rules. When it got in front of that one guy it catches up to, the thing destroys him. When it catches up with the protagonist, it just grabs at her hair? Ok? Did the entity develop some sort of sympathy for her or what?

[@IAmError0706]

Feel like such a badass watching the spoiler section without having seen the movie,

[@Fullbatteri]

It's a coming of age movie, with amazing music, great cinematography, and fairly good acting, that just happens to also include some horror in the mix. That's why this movie is amazing.

[@CNTFILMSSTUDIO]

+ApexCactus couldn't have said it ANY better!!

[@goodandsilent]

+ApexCactus But... there wasn't enough dialogue! And we never found out where the creature was from! It didn't even have a name! Waaaah...

[@alghoog5076]

Yeah i completely agree

[@scaredlobstero]

That's not really the problem of It Follows to me. A creature being mysterious and having unknown origins is exciting tbh , I can try to guess it myself instead of taking an often stupid explanation given by movies. The movie was just messy , the idea was very good, the mood was on point but what happens is delirious

[@DetectiveKemper]

It's funny how the things you found "distracting" were the very things that worked for me. The scene at the high school with It walking toward them while Jay and Greg were getting info about the boy who passed the thing to her gave me a sense that no matter what they do, It is always there, coming closer. It Follows is like a nightmare. The rules are bendable, scenes don't always "pay off." It has constant dread as a theme. No matter what you do, It is coming for you. I've watched it six times and I notice little things I hadn't seen before. I suggest you see it again.

[@1aundulxaldin]

The music made the movie for me, honestly.

[@mhaze210]

This was a beautifully shot film, with a haunting soundtrack to set the atmosphere perfectly. Never relies on gore (only a few effective quick moments), but this was absolutely brilliant. I could totally understand if it's not for everyone, some people may even hate it, but personally I really enjoyed it.

[@YuukitheMighty1]

I think in the boat scene what happens is that she passes it on to the boys, but she realizes that It is still after her since those boys were killed.

[@kinoomich]

+YuukitheMighty1 Yes

[@kinoomich]

+YuukitheMighty1 Only one boy

[@RMV1560]

Also that scene and is way too quick for her to of done it and then realized oh I just got those three killed. If she passed it on and they died I think we should've seen some sort of conclusion to that not just had to think and realize it.

[@link8440]

+Ryan Volkman Three really? Poor monster, imagine it franticly trying to stop her. '' Noooo stop nooo, goddamnit three! Really three, do you know how hard it is to cach someone when you're going at the speed of slow! Do you think I don't have shit to do, you think I chanse you dumb fucks 24/7. Prince of bel air comes on at 3... Fuck my life!

[@ObsoleteChannel]

I think she passed it. Later when they drive towards the swimming pool 'it' just stares at her from a rooftop. Rememeber earlier when Jeff the boy tells Jay that now 'it' just stares at him after she passed it on.

[@Krystamyth]

Nobody ever talks about how amazing the music was in this fucking movie... the sound effects. I mean audio gets skipped so often in these reviews. Are theaters just incapable of producing quality sound? The screeching tires after she's left in front of her house.... fucking awesome.

[@noteloyramirez]

OH MY GOD, YES, THE SOUNDTRACK WAS FUCKING PERFECT.

[@roberteli5235]

Krystal Myth Same. That car screech was brilliant.

[@omari6108]

I stick to Chris Stuckman, Jeremy Johns and Doug. The other two most certainly understand horror movie and indeed gave credit to the score. The score is amazingly integral to the movie. For those that can't really speak on it isn't really giving a good review.

[@CyrilViXP]

Watch it again, watch the colors and what them saying, hear the dialogs (even poems in the classroom are important). It's not about sex and diseases, it's about life and death itself, about the end of childhood and the beginning of responsible life. It's about the fear of the borderline between young and adult, just like the borderline of Detroit 8th mile road between the dangerous and safe. Whole movie is stuck somewhere in time, its reality is pretty irrational and surreal. You have to think, not just watch.

[@CyrilViXP]

DaNes200581 no, you have to read the researches about this movie and get it yourself. It's not coincidence - they use red for adults, blue for young people, pink for the transitional states (sex scenes) and white for death itself. They read T.S. Elliot "Prufrock" in the classroom which is totally represents the identical feelings of the character who it lost in time and space with his fears of isolation and frustration. Almost every form of the monster can be found in the movie and his appearance explained.

[@CyrilViXP]

DaNes200581 well... I'm almost 30 years old, so I don't think, that I'm a teen actually. The teen problems are always the same, because the awkward age is always the same and fears are always the same. It's the fundamentality of human psychics. This movie was overthinked during the production and it deserves, at least, not superficiality or bias.

[@CyrilViXP]

Shirty KezRat thanks for your support

[@shirtykezrat895]

Cyril ViXP You're welcome. I just can't stand people incapable of discussing something in a respectful and humble way. This guy's behavior is pathetic.

[@shirtykezrat895]

DaNes200581 The way you initially approached it, you kind of came across looking badly. At least from my perspective, which means probably from other peoples perspective, now that you made you're points you're making a lot more sense. I think what got to me was you're condescending way of talking down. It sounded absolutist, and discussing a movie should be open. There we go, that's really all i have to say at this point.

[@DigiRangerScott]

So Malcolm went to see it with you... and you DIDN'T have him in the video? That would've been awesome, but oh well

[@mothersbasement]

The movie is supposed to evoke the feeling of a bad dream, and in that sense the inconsistencies are very purposeful. In a nightmare as soon as you think "I could be in danger now" whatever is chasing you shows up, and whatever you believe will happen does. It Follows is very good at hitting that rhythm, but there's just enough logic that you think it all makes sense as it's happening. And maybe it does. Maybe It can shape change to a non-injured body, but shooting It in the head kills it before that can happen. Maybe the person behind them in the end is just a person after all. It's not really important. It ends on an ambiguous note because that's how dreams often end (same justification for inception), not because it wants to leave you pondering implications for weeks on end.

[@Yenastuundepaspris55]

>Um…yeah, why do people like this? -Why did you liked 'Unfriended' ? ~It's a mystery !~

[@captainspazma2002]

The scene where the big guy walks through and ducks under the door had to be up there with one of the most intense and freaky scenes I've ever seen in a movie

[@brennanolver674]

Hi Doug, I don't understand why everyone thinks this movie is about STD's. It's not. It seemed to me to be about the way in which violent sexual experiences follow you. From this viewpoint I find almost everything about the movie makes excellent sense. 2 cases in point: the manifestation of the phantom tends to be horrifyingly sexual and, much like the protagonist, many victims of sexual abuse try to move on by engaging in more dangerous sexual activity but it tends to be counter-productive, a quick distraction before the horror of the event follows you again. What I loved about the ending was that the protagonist finally comes to realise that, though she can't get rid of her experience of being manipulated into sex and drugged, by sharing the experience with someone who truly cares about her she can put a stop to the endless progression of the curse with each partner taking turns to carry the burden. I thought it was far more mature movie than "STD's are bad... use protection". Presumably a condom wouldn't have stopped this curse. It's a very clever and refreshingly non-judgemental spin on the sex = death formula of slasher movies, and the movie has a lot of fun playing with the conventions of the genre through a non-specific timeline and endless references to other horror films. Even the creature itself is an amalgam of 5 other famous horror movie monsters - the shape-shifting creature from The Thing, the everywhere and nowhere stalker of Halloween, the slow but relentless walk of the zombies in Night Of The Living Dead, the invisible attacker of Nightmare On Elm Street and the sexual grotesqueries of The Exorcist. Love your reviews, and I also love it when I disagree with you... such is the case here. Keep up the good work and thanks for the thoughtful review and for taking the time to read mine (if you actually did!)

[@Waggsification]

I don't understand why people have decided this film is a satire, it absolutely isn't. To me the reason it works is because of it's old fashioned simplicity. It's pointless to approach a film like this and read that deeply into it, it's deliberately been made to feel like an urban legend. The seemingly random design choices just add to this. The characters seem passive most of the time because they are doing the exact thing that teenagers never do in horror; they're acting their age. Can you honestly say that this sleep deprived, traumatized 18 year old girl should be more aggressive? She's never left the city and it's strongly implied that her family is still grieving the loss of her father, for goodness sake.

[@Dr1MaR]

11:00. Doug, really? She did pass it on those guys on the boat, the older naked pale guy on the roof was one of the guys she had sex with on that boat, isn't that obvious, come on. This movie is far from perfect but it's one of the best horror movies I have watched in the past 10 years. It's idea is simple and well carried on, it's a horror movie, it's purpose was to scare and make a watcher uncomfortable and the director did a great job on that. If you could not get into the atmosphere of the film and started questioning every scene of the movie, I am sorry to hear that. I had a great time watching it

[@malcolmthompson3999]

I disagree. she may have come off as too desperate and was rejected. don't forget, she was looking pretty jacked up at that point in the film

[@TheAtlasReview]

+Malcolm Thompson After that scene she says something along the lines of "I bought some time" so I think it means she did have sex with them. The scene at the beach and her interaction with her friends following it would be pretty pointless if nothing actually happened.

[@Darkpara1]

+Born4DrinkingBeer Its appearance is random. Unless you're saying someone fucked that old lady from the school scene.

[@TheAtlasReview]

Adrijana Radosevic Well I enjoyed it and you're entitled to your opinion. But I've seen lots of supposedly scary movies in the last 10 years and I would say that fewer than 5 have been good. Horror as a genre is pretty much barren. I am struggling to think of any I actually liked. It Follows, Babadook...errr. I think that might actually be it. Cabin in the Woods maybe, although that wasn't good because it was scary. Same goes for Trollhunter. I've heard good things about A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night but I haven't seen it yet. I'm sure there are some horror buffs that can mention more than that but I think horror has been shamefully neglected in the last couple of decades. As for your complaint about nothing happening: yeah, I guess I can see that. I felt that they set up tension well enough for most of the scenes, but it did get a bit "Notice my directing" at times. I loved the use of background and extras though, since there were times when it looked as though a person approaching is It. I like the ambiguity too, having no idea what It is, which I don't think any horror film in the last few years has done. It's always a demon or a maniac and that's that. This plays more on the fear of the unknown, I think.

[@TheAtlasReview]

Adrijana Radosevic Sory for this textwall. TLDR: I disagree. I couldn't get into Sinister at all, and Jeepers Creepers got too into fighting the monster that it ceased to be scary in my mind. If a monster is vulnerable, I just don't get scared by it. I admit this movie's ending is very weak in that regard. I stand by the ambiguity though, even if more should have happened. At no point in the whole film did I feel like any of the characters were safe, even though the body count is incredibly low. Granted there were no moments when I screamed in terror and cowered, but a horror movie has literally never made me do that. Not that I'm a big manly man, they just don't get that reaction from me. I jump at jumpscares, but that rarely feels like it was deserved. Going by jumpscares, the scariest movie I've ever seen was Jim Carey's Christmas Carol. I think what I liked most about It Follows was the atmosphere: the feeling of insecurity at all times, which never really amounted to dread but between the Carpenter-knockoff soundtrack and the relentlessness of the movie, I got drawn in. My problem with movies like Sinister, the Conjuring, Poltergeist (even the original), Drag Me To Hell, Paranormal Activity and other things like that is that they rationalise the supernatural. They explain what the demon is and why it is doing what it is doing. I like this because, although we know the rules of It, we never have the slightest inkling why it is doing this. I don't think there are any movies like that around. In The Thing, we know the alien wants to escape into the populace. In Nightmare on Elm Street, we know (eventually) Freddy wants revenge. Babadook is a tad more obscure, but we know it wants the son, which is getting very cliche nowadays. There's always a demon, it always wants the child's soul, there's always a paranormal expert on hand to help. Jeepers Creepers is a little better in this regard, but it is too much of a horror-comedy or horror-action for me to get into it. They can blast the monster to pieces and it comically hobbles around. The only films where they fight the monster but it remains scary are probably, in my opinion, Friday the 13th (which is too goofy to be reliably scary, but that's fine because its a slasher and thats what it should be) and the Thing. Jason is still somewhat creepy because he just can't be killed, and the Thing is still creepy because you don't know if they have killed the last one or if someone is still "infected". And the background thing, I don't remember that at all in Jeepers Creepers. Or any movie, for that matter. Are you sure? Could you send me a link to the scene you mean? Whenever films have a "is that the monster?" moment, its usually a fucking cat in the attic because we haven't seen that one enough times yet. I can't think of any instances where a film shows you something that could be the monster and then completely leaves it up to you to decide whether it was or not, except the Thing and It Follows. Looking back, Sinister had some pretty good ideas but when I was watching it everything seemed like I was watching "Horror MovieTM", there was nothing in it that stood out except for the idea behind Bughul, which I liked. Everything about it was by the book: new house, demon, spooky kids, spooky found footage, pointless twist about houses. Absurdly formulaic.

[@LazarheaD]

Monster goes only after people who have sex? I'm saved!

[@justinburgess5117]

Doug is one of my favorite people ever. Just in how intelligent he is when it comes to movies and truly reviewing them. Sure, his comedy routines are what most people know him for, but this is what really makes me keep coming back. Seeing someone that knows what the hell they're talking about on KZbin is refreshing. Doug, keep on being that screaming, grumpy, awesome, Christmas -loving nostalgia critic character. Because we all love that guy. But please don't ever lose your roots with these knowledgeable, truly great movie reviews. In the immortal words of Christopher Lloyd: "I was frozen today!" Cheers Doug!

[@Mediamonsta95]

Likes Unfriended but doesn't like this. Yeah, horror pleb.

[@cab1stborn]

yeah, he obviously has an acquired taste. this movie was the shit when I saw it with my friends.

[@gloriouspurpose_]

they're both mild

[@cab1stborn]

fenrirdies yes

[@cab1stborn]

Junda Mane unfreinded is underwhelming and deserves the failing grade it got on rotten tomatoes. The jump scares were stereotypical, the characters were dry, and it was produced with a predictable storyboard. watching this movie is like watching a dog turd burn with your 7 dollar movie ticket underneath it.

[@cab1stborn]

Junda Mane it follows is more liked than anything. It got a limited release at a small film festival, and eventually it got put into greener pastures. Unlike unfriended, this movie uses justified expectations to make you scared for our main character. Having no idea about what the creature is makes you have to use your imagination which makes it even scarier for some people. Unfreinded held my fucking hand the entire damn time i watched it. Its a stupid movie. I mean really, it requires zero thought to figure out. The plot is like something thought up by teenagers, because that's the only crowd it would scare. everyone in my theater was laughing at it, that is how atrocious it is.

[@bigboss917]

I would love to hear your thoughts on "The Babadook"! That's a fantastic modern horror film but the last 10-15 minutes left me scratching my head. Don't let that discourage you though! It still has amazing build up and atmosphere and it doesn't rely on jump scares! It's a great movie!

[@Gravitynaut]

Doug should review the Babadook! It's fantastic. But the Babadook, as well as it's ending, was a metaphor for something specific (and not "Left to interpretation"), so you should look it up, because it adds even more weight to an already great movie.

[@ManSeaweed]

The problem IS with you, Doug. There's no Sigmund Freud-type metaphors or symbolism. It's meant to replicate the type of terror in a nightmare. You know the rules, but they bend and break. There's no meaning, and there's no consistency except for one thing; fear. Jay can escape the monster, sure, but this monster is ruining her life. She can't sleep, she can't relax, she can't go to school. She's always on the lookout. And that's what the movie trains US, the audience, to do. Always on the lookout. The movie trains you to be ever watchful and to pay attention. The only goal of the movie is to create an experience that replicates the pure terror of a bizarre nightmare. THATS WHY THERES NO TIME PERIOD

[@Mr_Porter]

I'm still trying to fathom how in the FUCK this dumb ass movie got such good reviews. 9/10's and critics saying that it's one of the scariest films of this past decade. That is the only reason why I decided to check it out....what a huge waste of time.

[@parkerhagmaier8420]

Ok here is my humble opinion about the meaning or what you may have missed in the film. To me the whole story was about a loss of innocence and was almost a coming of age story. The most clear examples of this are at the end when they try and kill the STD (Sexually Transmitted Demon) and they go to the pool area where the one girl had her first kiss and another had her first beer. They go to where they first lost their innocence to kill this thing which you got to think was done for a reason. In that same place when they think they "kill it" the pool fills up with blood slowly which I took to mean the literal coming of age sign for women which is a period. This may be a stretch and once again this is all my opinion and could be completely wrong and just utter bullshit but the ending when the two are holding hands and it is following them I came to the assumption the he represented death is technically biologically speaking motivates our species to have sex and repopulate so I took It to represent death and our biological need to have sex and reproduce and the movie as a whole is a giant coming of age and a loss of childhood and innocence story but I could be completely off and full of shit but this is my dumb opinion.

[@andyhoov]

Retro reviews I think the use of water in the film adds to your coming of age theory. First of all, we frequently see the main character relaxing in her pool at home only to see the pool is drained near the end of the film (I don't remember but this might have been right after she passed it onto the guys in the boat, and if that's the case I think it strengthens the lost innocence theory). Also, both the main character and the girl from the beginning retreat to the beach when they are threatened by the STD. Finally, in the pool scene at the end, she quite literally has to get out of the pool in order to save her life.

[@parkerhagmaier8420]

andyhoov I totally agree with you I just wrote out my thoughts quickly and rereading it also very poorly but yes I also noticed the water theme and how it contributed to the loss of innocence shown throughout but I'm glad someone else shared and saw the same thing I did good to know i'm not completely crazy with my theories

[@andyhoov]

Retro reviews Or maybe we're both crazy!

[@endplanets]

Retro reviews The STDemon is weak to water. The movie never tells the characters but the STDemon takes more damage from bullets while in the pool and it was raining outside at that time. It also explains why the STDemon didn't want to go into the pool at first and sucks at swimming. It makes it ironic how the first victim and the protagonist were near the ocean/lake and didn't realize that it could save them.

[@parkerhagmaier8420]

endplanets see that's something I didn't pick up on but very well could be true i only saw it once but look forward to seeing it again on blue ray and will definitely look forward to that but if it is weak to water maybe it's not a demon and just a distant cousin to the aliens from signs

[@bad3ip2k10]

It seems your comprehension when watching movies is really shallow. It follows is a great tribute to horror films and what it really should be. Granted that it is indeed overhyped but the score, the cinematography, and the atmosphere is great. I bet you would love Unfriended and Anabelle!

[@crater044]

+Remle Anall He did like Unfriended because of the "unique" approach

[@BurtonGirl64]

I agree, I especially like how this film sort of alludes to other films such as the main character girl being similar to Catherine Deneuve's character in Repulsion. I do think this film did have too many rules too but it didn't distract me- I just appreciated it for the work of art that it is.

[@Slasher_Steve]

+Remle Anall I Completly agree man! I was just saying to a friend the other day how big of a "Love Letter" this movie is to 80's horror, halloween, ect. Its just a damn chilling movie that pays tribute to Classic Horror Films and I hope it grows more a cult following as a new classic in its own right! Oh and yea the Score... I LOVE IT too!! Best Horror movie soundtrack since John Carpenters Halloween XD

[@StudioInkblot]

Or he just doesn't like this one. I disagree with him, but his opinion doesn't make him dumb.

[@TheDragon97king]

it follows was pretty boring to be honest and the meaning behind the movie was shit.

[@Jacob123456]

Completely agree with Doug on this one 100%

[@cab1stborn]

In case you didn't notice, the monster is mostly people who have died. The main character had a family photo in her house, and the fatherly figure looks to be gone from the story. He's probably dead. He appears at the pool, and clearly doesn't look very much alive like the other characters it posed as. And you have to give these actors credit, seriously. They went to Detroit to film this movie. They even said in interviews it was the most boring placd they've filmed at. I'm not shaming Detroit, but give the actors some credit....

[@PaulA-yx7hf]

+Rocket Raccoon You said the monster was mostly people who had died and yet you only gave one example of someone who had died.

[@QueenFiria]

+Paul A Not to validate what the previous poster said, but in the beach scene mid-movie, "It" appears as the woman from the beginning of the film briefly. As the lead character (forgot her name) flee's the little beach cabin, the Being goes from being an ashen child, to the woman killed in the beginning of the movie. It also mimics loads of people that are still alive too. I thought it was a little clever that the Being doesn't initially appear as anyone the Lead character knows. But it observes her friends, and mimics them a few times. The big thing that got me was that the Guy said "it's slow, but it's not stupid." I don't know that I saw the creature outwit its prey hardly at all. It even seemed prone to make itself "vulnerable." Not that it could die, but set itself up to fail.

[@cab1stborn]

Paul A The father was not mentioned in the movie, yet he was in family photos. He appeared at the pool scene

[@Darkpara1]

+Rocket Raccoon They all deserve Oscars just for going to Detroit.

[@Darkpara1]

+Adam Zupancic It doesn't seem to make much sense, the way it chooses it's appearance. It seems to either be, a creepy old person, a dead person, or some kind of person connected to the person it's stalking. Surely it would be more conspicuous if it wanted to actually catch them.

[@MrKingYuji]

I really liked this movie because while it wasn't necessarily scary, it was very suspenseful and eerie (similar to the first paranormal activity). such as when her friends left the room, you don't know whose going to come back. Every person on the screen eventually became suspect

[@haroldfinch9144]

Brandon Layne Which is a concept they never really used

[@LordMalice6d9]

+Brandon Layne Yeah, it did have a lot of the paranoia element like in John Carpenter's "The Thing" where the alien creature can shapeshift and look like anyone, so it creates an incredible tension and atmosphere.

[@MrKingYuji]

LordMalice6d9 I never actually saw the thing. Is it worth a watch?

[@LordMalice6d9]

+Brandon Layne Yes, it is worth the watch, not many horror films can pull off the paranoia and claustrophobic atmosphere that John Carpenter's "The Thing" manages to accomplish, but it is also a very grotesque film.

[@MrKingYuji]

LordMalice6d9 well I know what my mandatory Halloween flick will be. Thanks.

[@japeth3213]

Elysium was decent, it was just over-hyped Chappie is flawed as fuck for sure, but it has seeds of good, ambitious ideas and the titular character is one of the beat realized characters in a long time

[@japeth3213]

***** True, but I prefer someone actually pouring his passion into his movie than no drive whatsoever (Michael Bay)

[@DeepEye1994]

JodoKastRules321 I just hope that director does a good job with his Alien movie project, it's meant to be a sequel to "Aliens" ignoring Alien 3 and Resurrection. The guy has the talent and I can see him even direct one of the new Planet of the Apes films or even a Star Wars spinoff movie.

[@kaver749]

I personally enjoyed It Follows very much. I felt like the movie was trying to criticize more than satirize the classic horror genre and by having the movie keep the serious edge on it, the director was attempting to declare how you can make a horror movie without relying on the killer as an icon.

[@jamesvinciguerra6305]

best horror film in over 20 years

[@dexterWES]

+James Vinciguerra no, it's not! So fucking boring

[@ThatMissQuin]

Just watched it. The flick reminded me a lot of Teeth. I enjoyed the music and it felt kind of like nightmare logic as the plot progressed.

[@jw870206]

THIS COMMENT CONTAINS SPOILERS! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! Yes, this film does have some horror cliches we currently experience in a lot of horror films, but it reminds me a lot of John Carpenter's work. The film builds tension, and I was legitimately scared of it because of the tension. Not seeing so many jump scares was a refreshing change of pace. Also, I can infer this entity is capable of being stopped if the cursed individual it is seeking finds true love, as corny as that sounds. I inferred that from how Jay and Paul seem to be. Paul is this smaller more reserved male character juxtaposed with two alpha-male type characters with Jeff and Greg, and he clearly has strong feelings for Jay, even when he knows she's been with guys like Jeff and Greg. In an act of love, I think, he took on the curse, and one could infer by doing that he may have stopped it. Greg seemed to do the same thing earlier in the film, but it was clear he didn't believe in it but played along to get some action. One could also infer the relationship between Jay and Paul at the end is comparable to Ben and Elaine's at the end of "The Graduate". They're both together at the end with worried looks on their faces. Paul's feelings for Jay are not reciprocated, and when we see the end of this film, there does seem to be something following them. I do like the timeless feel to this film. It could essentially be any time. Granted they do specify where the film is by mentioning 8-mile, but man the decaying areas of Detroit provide some powerful imagery that rings true these days. I think another interesting part of this film is the near nonexistence of parental figures. This is classic horror territory. Kids are dealing with mortality, and neither Mom nor Dad can help. We see it in "Halloween". We see it in "Nightmare on Elm Street", and in that case the parents do try to help but in vain. We see it in so many horror films where teens are the focus, and this one is no exception. And to add to it, the entity takes the form of Jay's father at the sequence by the pool, clearly as a means to further torment her. Plus all of these characters seem to have a sense of being lost. It is quite a frightening thing to be in this world and not knowing where you're going. You're right about its flaws, yes, but it certainly tries to transcend what horror has become as of late and sort of get back to the basics. Say what you want about the synth soundtrack. I certainly enjoyed it. It's yet another aspect of this film that made me think of '70s and '80s horror films like "Halloween" and "The Shining" and "Nightmare on Elm Street". I recommend it to anyone who has a soft spot for horror films from that era.

[@oceanlover1214]

Yes! Thank you for reviewing this! I was watching this movie and just criticizing it the entire way through. The music was obnoxious. I hated having no idea what time this took place. Some of the camera work gave me a headache and it was just a mess. It just left me with 'The hell was that? This is 95%?!'

[@Pinkstarclan]

I haven't seen it, but when my friends recommend it to me they say it's because of the monster. It's not something that already has a word like "oh it's a demon!" or "oh it's a vampire!" It's a whole new concept, even if it's not pulled off perfectly.

[@TheRcanmeananything]

Was Doug out in the lobby getting popcorn when they had the scene where after he drops her off at the house, they call the cops and take her to the hospital?

[@jamesderoc6717]

it was a good movie but these are some fair criticisms

[@joneau261]

My belief is that the ending was meant to allow the audience to answer the questions for themselves. The key is that the filmmakers job is to fill in enough blanks that the audience can insert their thoughts. Instead, the movie felt vague. The scene at the pool would have made more sense if there had been some explanation to what they were trying to do. My assumption was "electrocution", except it was already clear this creature can't be killed. Stopped possibly, but not killed. So maybe if they had explained their plan to enact on the creature, even as a dumb plan, I would have bought it. The same goes for the ending, which eventually felt disjointed. I understood what they were trying to do, I just didn't understand what it was trying to tell me. The best part of the film was the cinematography and camera work. One of the best looking and most creatively shot films of recent memory. It's the only reason I don't regret seeing this on the big screen

[@loki_l_1380]

I feel like in real life this would be terrifying but they didn't do a good job putting that onto the big screen. That one shot of the naked dude on top of the roof made me burst out laughing in the theater. In fact others laughed along with me. The way they took that so seriously like it was supposed to be terrifying generally pisses me off.

[@kv6639]

I think you need to bear a few things in mind: 1) Why set such a high bar for yourself in the first place? It sounds like you begrudgingly saw the film, and had insanely high expectations. That's a tough hurdle to jump for any film and then resulted in a barrage of nitpicking on your part to convince yourself it's a bad film. 2) Your review has tons of spoilers, yet you pretend it doesn't until about 20 minutes in (when you tell people to leave if they don't want it ruined). Way too many things given away already at that point. You need to go into a movie knowing nothing about it, yet excited to see it. 3) You are focusing on so many small details in the film, you are missing the big picture. Since when is a horror film (even a great one) supposed to make any kind of logical sense? In Halloween, they give some hocus pocus explanation about why Michael Myers is invincible. Did you take that literally, too? Horror movies are meant to scare - period. The method is irrelevant. I can completely enjoy Paranormal Activity without believing in ghosts or spirits. Have you heard of the suspension of disbelief? 4) The music is one of the best scores to any horror movie. Ever. It was at this point that I realized you can't possibly even believe what you are saying. It's like your worst enemy liked the film, and you had to find as many reasons possible to convince yourself it's bad. That's not a fair and balanced review! 5) This film is an homage to all the great horror films. It's a tip of the hat to Jason, Freddy, Mike Myers, etc. Maybe that's why you had items from different time period in the film -- because the film is supposed to be timeless. It's supposed to be simple, yet effective, just like all those films were. In sum, you should have had less pressure to hate the film upon your first viewing. I think your critique is just intellectual snobbery, and that you had made your mind up well before you sat in the theater seat. You were searching for the holy grail of explanations when the film never pretended to have one in the first place. It's no real wonder you didn't like it!

[@r.babylon2885]

So, I watched the movie twice and then watched the commentary. It Follows apparently has levels of depth... 1. STD's 2. Death 3. Adulthood/Childhood 4. homage to classic horror/suspense The guy in the commentary stated that the STD metaphor was the most obvious one, with death being the second layer, but that the adulthood thing is the real point. And they wanted to obscure the era that it was in because this is every era.

[@GingerWizzard1994]

I haven't seen the film, but damn does Doug speak his mind and opinion well. Kudos, man.

[@Alpha1BDaReaLiSeD]

it great check it out im a avid horror fan and its classic

[@dansur3]

Fun little fact: That beach scene? That was shot literally right across the street from where I was living at the time. It was at Lake Huron. My family was renting an apartment building there. The family who own the apartment allowed the filming crew to park their cars in their driveway.

[@annonymousmaniaciii]

Walking out of the theater for this movie, I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. I had no prior knowledge of the acclaim the film had received before watching it, so I had the opportunity to take the film as it was and, in that frame of reference, I felt it was a lukewarm homage that held a number of good ideas close to its chest but was just too inconsistent for me to appreciate it fully. Once I caught wind of the high praise the film had received, I attempted to rationalize away my misgivings and convince myself that I was simply having an off day. Now that I'm listening to Doug's review, I find myself slinking back towards my initial attitude. You're not alone, Doug. From what I've gathered, the film was going for an experience that existed between moments, the mingling between the characters and the meaningful silences spent in waiting for the next "event" to arrive. On top of the themes it threw around concerning sexual discovery and whatnot. Personal note: for this, I feel the most crucial scene was the one in which the drugging took place after the sex, the one with the flower.

[@lastoflancas]

Wow. You just put the words right out of my mouth and my mind. It's like you are my double. :D

[@annonymousmaniaciii]

lastoflancas :D

[@tylersackett6302]

So the monster is like Slender man.

[@unoiamacutie]

It was said that the 'rules' Hugh gives Jay when he pass IT along to her was purely from his observations and experiences only. Remember he said that it was "slow but also smart." So whatever this creature did when it was following Hugh, obviously seemed to adapt to Jay's tactics when she was avoiding it later on. Such as throwing the stuff in the pool and standing on the roof.

[@georgevelazquez3400]

It's John Carpenter's version of Terminator, with the soundtrack of The Entity

[@MsAbixxx]

I did like this film. I liked how everything has a purpose, I really did like the creepy imagery and the way the entity in the film worked. I saw a lot of people didn't like it because the film left a lot to interpretation. It did not explain everything, and I think that is something people need to accept. Not everything is going to be explained to you all the time. You have to some times make up your own conclusions. I just thought I'd point that out, since I found a lot of people saying it. Though I will agree that perhaps this entity does have too many rules. But the creepiness of the character was enough for me to not mind those that much. I think we learn about the weaknesses of the entity with the characters, we learn that it is a physical entity and that perhaps it has a weakness to water.

[@Krystamyth]

People are honestly just incapable of thinking deeply about films like these. Like the scene on the beach. She might have fucked those guys. Maybe she didn't. If she did, she just bought herself some time. She kills three people and is the only one who will ever know about it. She does it and she even maybe at some layer enjoys it. The severe amount of fucked that would feel like is incredible. This girl goes through so many layers of torment. She has the power to be the monster that chases her... or be it's victim. It's all too easy to be the monster... but they showed a scene where she very much could have been... and is it really that easy? Maybe that was enough reason for her not to have done it... but would you? Shit like this made this movie great for me. It's sad how the subtelty of this film was lost for many. Also, the audio... so good. Hell this is still superficial as hell, but most I talk to don't even get this far.

[@MsAbixxx]

Krystal Myth You bring up some very good points and I like your analysis of the boat scene. I felt very similarly about it, personally I felt she did sleep with them to buy time. At this point, after a lot of psychological torment, you would do just about anything to survive. And as you said, she is capable of being as much of a monster as the thing chasing her. I can understand if it's a casual audience who just want to be scared and that's it. They're not looking for anything deep. This is not the film for them. But I just think that not everything HAS to be explained. And that people shouldn't always see that as something negative.

[@Alpha1BDaReaLiSeD]

+MsAbixxx i thought she did too i love this movie i knew it was great when it was scarier the longer i thought about it. the uncertainty of when it would show up was a new horror dynamic i feel meaning its ground breaking as well

[@benofblades15]

The thing where she went into the water to swim out to the boys was done very well, We don't know if she passed it on and those guys had been killed, or she did't go through with it. And thats why we seem him on the roof.

[@RMV1560]

How does your initial comment resultant us understanding why the creature ends up on the roof I just don't see the connection

[@CyrilViXP]

She sees her grandfather on the roof. Young people are afraid to be old and responsive. That's the idea, I guess.

[@XAdiehSugarlessX]

When he started talking about the music, I died.

[@hipnhappenin]

Awesome. Didn't know you reviewed this! There's a whole slew of movies I had no idea you reviewed

[@Apathygrrl]

Thank you for mentioning Gremlins. I really want to pick apart the "rules" of this movie like they did in Gremlins 2. What if the person it's following decides to go overseas? Does it start swimming or walking along the bottom of the ocean to get to them? Does it stow away on a boat or plane or something? What happens if the chain of people it follows gets severed? For example, say that it passes from person A to person B to person C, but person B accidentally dies before it gets to kill person C. Normally after killing person C it would go after person B, but since person B is already dead does it automatically go after person A, or does it get confused trying to find person B? It wouldn't really have any way of knowing person B was already dead. Also, who would have been the first person to get it? I have this funny image in my head of it following some really old guy in a walker and they're going at pretty much the same pace...

[@Apathygrrl]

Ohh! What if the person it's following is an astronaut and they get a job up on the international space station for the next 18 months or so? Or become one of those people to go live in a mars colony?

[@bossfight1]

Petra Sphinx I would think that, if person B died before person C, the thing'd just shrug and say "Less work for me." But I wonder what would happen if it completely ran out of targets - like, every other target died, and its last one never had sex with someone else. Would it be like the Terminator (in films 2 and 3) if it failed to protect John Connor? Just obsolete? There's so much they could do with the monster, yet they didn't do anything with it.

[@darrelsam419]

bossfight1 I think that's one of my biggest questions after listening to this review (as I have never watched the movie) is what would It do if It ran out of victims? Like if It killed off all Its victims or Its victims died on their own? I suppose humanity has just been a bunch of selfish assholes and constantly pass It on to other people via sex? It survives on the selfishness and promiscuity of humanity? As for crossing the sea or going into space, I think it could hitch a ride on boats or spaceships (since it can't be seen by non-victims apparently).

[@KJsGotGame]

I think the problem here is that this film got overhyped. Since you were hearing how great it was, you were looking for something extremely innovative when, to be honest, it isn't really there. I think the most innovative thing in It Follows is something you actually complained about where a lot of times the tension will build with no payoff. Personally, I thought that was great. Like how that scene in the school showed how the characters can be in immediate danger and never even realize it. I loved that. I think It Follows was trying to be a very good traditional horror movie, not a fresh new take on the horror genre like Cabin in the Woods. So in that sense, I feel that It Follows achieved its goals even more than Cabin in the Woods *in my opinion*. Also, the scene with the guys on the boat implied that she went out there to have sex with at least one of them and pass it on. The fact that it comes back doesn't mean that she didn't have sex with them, it means that it already killed them and made its way back to her. This is similar to the end of the movie where they aren't sure if they've killed it or not so Jay passes it on to Paul and then it's implied that he passed it on to the prostitutes that you see him drive past, just in case it isn't actually dead. And at the end you see someone walking behind them and you're left to guess whether it was still following them or if that was just some random person walking down the street. It also sounds like you were looking in all the wrong places. Like you don't even mention in the review that it took on the form of her late father during the pool scene which it's possible that you might not have noticed. Knowing that's her father makes that a much more powerful scene. In fact, most of the people that it looks like are people that appear in other places during the film which makes it fun to try and figure out who it is each time that it makes an appearance.

[@maugos]

Fascinating. Doug liked Unfriended, but doesn't like It Follows. Meanwhile, Brad Jones is sort of the opposite. Wait, Doug, you don't understand why people try and keep a movie's premise secret from others? You do know it's polite not to spoil movies for others, right?

[@libertines24]

OKAY! YES! I think we mostly agree on horror films. I felt the same way about it Follows as you did. I left the movie wondering why people would even like it. I also saw Unfriended and saw a film aiming for something new. It follows looks back to the past but Unfriended I believe goes for something more.

[@ZeroStako]

libertines Fink Dude, Unfriended type videos go back to 2010. I mean, in terms of style. I've not watched Unfriended, because I've already seen two movies with killers on Skype or Facebook or whatever. Is this different in some way?

[@grkpektis]

This movie could've been terrifying but the forms it took were pretty stupid you always know which one it is. If it were people she knew and it snuck up on her and spoke like the people it's copying that would've been scary instead it's peeing itself for some reason WTF. Doctor Who did a similar story a lot better

[@loki_l_1380]

This movie was such a great idea and could of been terrifying, but it just ended up being really laughable. I liked about 2 scenes thats it. I swear to god I'm new to screenwriting but I fully believe I could have done a better job with such an incredible premise.

[@thephantomoftheparadise5666]

It's called The Thing.

[@cockriddler810]

Do you know what Doctor Who story it is similar too?

[@Cleapatra25]

You are entitled to your opinion but I just hate that people dislike a movie just because a lot of people praise it. The truth of the matter is that this movie was really refreshing for a horror movie. It kept your anxiety levels high and you really didn't know what to expect. It had character development and it didn't "victim blame" the main character for the situation. You claim that it didn't explain enough and the rules were just "silly" Well Hello....its a horror movie, of course the premise is silly but it was well executed and very artistic. For you to claim that symbolic scenes the director created weren't intentional is actually very insulting. I think that for a low budget film it was well shot. You just like to scream that everything is pretentious just to hate a film. Which is the reason I like Adam from YMS on KZbin. He praised and appreciated that it was a great horror movie regardless of flaws and unexplained origin.

[@r.babylon2885]

I'm very surprised that Doug missed this movie. I thought he'd be super excited and fawning over it.

[@haakonaleksandr]

I don't think those were inconstancies. It was a point being made that these teenagers just didn't know what to do. That's why they tried to electrocute it after seeing it get up after being shot, and why Paul shot the girl in the leg. That was a vibe given off by their characters in so many ways. They spent their time sitting around all day cuz they didn't know what the fuck to do.

[@dexterWES]

I agree with you Doug (as always)...

[@dexterWES]

+dexterWES I think the movie was well directed and I really liked the soundtrack, but I also think all your point were correct, I personally found it the most boring horror movie I've ever seen. It's just NOT scary. And even cheap (the pool scene is ridiculous).

[@crater044]

+dexterWES Gonna have to disagree with you there! Plus, I'm starting to really believe that Doug is just not the guy I want to go to for movie reviews and thoughts on movies.

[@MorticiaGravesyde]

+dexterWES "...the most boring horror movie I've ever seen." YES! Exactly that. Well...I mean - I might have to give some serious consideration amongst this, "The Blair Witch Project," and "The Village," but "It Follows" would be a serious contender.

[@user-zg4gx9zq9b]

Woah, hairline on Lebron James status.

[@09yulstube]

I really love this new sort of section of the channel; it's always cool to hear Doug's perspective on movies, and having a down to earth review of a horror movie is quite refreshing, no extreme backlash, no overhype, just the thoughts of a clever movie goer. Keep them coming! :D

[@eliasstaubli3262]

For me this movie is clearly built up like a dream, a nightmare. All the things that are confusing are very typical for dreams, to start with the more obvious stuff like the not defined time era and season. But also the distracting twists, strange reactions of the characters, the integration of distracting elements and the changing rules are things that I know from my own dreams. Another thing that this movie has in in common with a nightmare is the feeling that it leaves behind. You are confused, don't know what to do with it and you feel like you've been somewhere else. This worked very well with me and that's why I enjoyed the movie a lot. I can understand everyone who has his problems with that but I think the solution is a more unconscious way of following the story and not to overanalyse.

[@xLexC7x]

Cabin in the woods was a comedy?

[@harleydirk6586]

Yes

[@Usernamesdontmatter1]

xLexC7x No it was a straight and serious movie that had scenes that included a unicorn stabbing a guy in the stomach over and over.

[@xLexC7x]

darkfur3 What about before that? The only joke I remember was that one guy turned his thing into a coffee mug, haha? I just thought they botched the ending. You learn something new everyday. O:

[@w0joshcbrln0w]

xLexC7x It's not a straight comedy it is a satire of the horror genre.

[@endplanets]

xLexC7x It had its comedy moments. The guy gets killed by the Merman he was mocking, the guy gets stabbed by a unicorn, the mention of Sexy Witches, the operator guy yelling at Japanese children who fight evil with the power of love, the operator yelling at the tech head who wanted to follow protocol, etc. And of course, the entire premise of the movie.

[@racewiththefalcons1]

The whole movie is about kids growing up.

[@LordMalice6d9]

+racewiththefalcons1 So basically it is the usual "coming of age" story?

[@ZarPof]

I did enjoy the rule set on this movie. A creature that, through trial an error, has rules that were discovered and it must abide by. I like the way you could systematically predict the creature, the only thing was how do you use these rules in a new way to "win". Seeing their physical and moral struggle to either 1) take the same path as everyone else and pass it on or 2) take a risk and create a new defense based upon existing rules. If they are going to go with a logically based monster that follows rules then they should have given us all the rules. There are so many variations and different types of sexual actions that a creature based around them is going to be very confusing. Also what are it's powers beyond shape shifting and invisibility? Why has no one killed/caged it yet? After so much detail into all the other rules of "it" those questions are just jumped over and you are to assume it can't die or be trapped.

[@kapteeniratto]

Hi, guy from Finland here! I know this is coming very late but anyways I liked the film. Not perfect, I agree with Dog about the slasher-rulebook part but I did get invested to it, and here is what I got out of it: The movie is a metaphor to that phase when your shifting from late teenage years to being a young adult.The characters have lived an isolated and secure childhood and now for the first time, are facing the horrors of the real world, all by themselves. The thing that follows them, eventhought it is passed on by sex, was more about personal trauma in an overall sense not just sexual. They have crossed that point where there is no returning back, and now realizing how fragile their lifes are and that death can be just around the corner.

[@shallowcheese7509]

... I remember leaving the theater and just kinda walking back to the car in silence I didn't know what to think about it

[@frogman656]

I view the movie as a nightmare where the "rules" don't necessarily make any sense. Characters talk about It and what the entity can do, but these explanations seem more like urban legends than anything else. You never really get a sense of what this thing is other than it will keep following you until it kills you. To me this concept is very interesting and quite scary especially since it can appear as anyone in order to get close to you. Since it has the feel of a nightmare, to me at least, I didn't give too much thought to any rules or exposition about the thing itself. Once I did that I found the movie to be thoroughly enjoyable.

[@conniemailer9675]

Doug, with respect, I think that you've missed the point of this film. As others have described in the comments section, there are no inconsistencies regarding the 'monster rules'. Even if there were, that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing - it would just add to the overall emotional tone of alienation, despair and lack of rational recourse (exemplified by the complete absence of authority figures) that pervades the whole film. Cabin in the Woods is a pastiche. It's not worth comparing Cabin with It Follows as they are completely different kinds of films. I disagree with you regarding the element of parody in It Follows. I don't think there is any parody and It Follows, unlike Cabin, has little humour, self-consciousness or genre awareness. It's not self-referential at all. Its tools are psychological horror, characterisation and creating an atmosphere. There are also themes of hopelessness and lostness, lack of authority, the challenges of growing up etc... The 'monster' symbolism is left very open to interpretation, but personally I would say that the monster represents the embodiment of Time - time is inescapable, you can avoid it but you can never get away from it and it will eventually catch up with you. This fits in nicely with the themes of growing up, fear in the face of adult independence and responsibilities, fear of sexuality and intimacy.

[@honestred7600]

A good film doesn't rely on a plot twist alone to make it good. I knew what I was getting into with Cabin in the Woods and I still liked it. I'm not surprised at all by It Follows' twist, it was kind of implied in the trailer, but I'll still probably see it.

[@Takuexl1]

Well, seeing as I felt it was pretty easy to guess the spoiler from the trailers, I'm not sure I see why people are making a fuss out of it. I wish in cases like this people would just tell me rather than building it up. The tight-lipped Cabin in the Woods cult just about ruined the movie for me. I kept waiting for the shocking revelation, and it just never came. Every time something happened I found myself wondering, is this it? Is this the moment? That sequence near the end was amazing, yes, but it was amazing in how well it was done, not in it's shock value, so was it the other much less interesting thing that people were talking about? I still don't know.

[@bgnoise7984]

The girl who peed her pants was a former victim, the movie was symbolic of people who have dangerous STDs and yet still sleep with other people anyway. The various numbers and symbols were probably easter eggs. The cut-offs were on purpose, the film was trying to induce a sense of emotional fatigue because that's what the characters were feeling. The inconsistent rules were also on purpose, the antagonist likes to toy with it's victims. I'd be willing to bet that the rules get longer, and stranger, with each recitation. This might also be symbolic. All of these statements are opinions and educated guesses.

[@jimmynorton1001]

You're like the less Claypool of reviewers. Can't wait to explore your channel

[@dvkprod]

Honestly, I really enjoyed this movie, but from a casual viewer POV. I just wanted to see a good horror movie that doesn't rely on jumpscares, and that's exactly what I got, an enjoyable experience that kept me on edge and kept me guessing. Then again, I'm not looking deep into movies, I just eighter like em or I don't.

[@jessicahoward379]

Actually, as far as the boat scene goes, she does sleep with the older men (not young boys) to escape her grim fate. She assumes that she is safe but we later see one of the old men is standing on her roof, which is the monster. I'm guessing since she didn't explain the rules to the men they were followed and shortly after killed. I agree that some major elements of this film are lacking too much for me to really like it, but the one thing they do right is add an air of creepiness.

[@kevdawg55]

Just rewatching for a 2nd time. Fantastic film

[@pinkdolly]

I think the whole movie is supposed to be a dream... or a nightmare really. I know that's kind of a cop out but to me, the odd outfits and props from different times and overall strangeness really works. I think the monster and the other occurrences between characters in the film are a mix of things that a person in late teen-hood would be anxious and afraid of, and therefore have nightmares about

[@dignerds]

It follows was a great movie...

[@SleepyJayChris]

I liked the movie. I'm not saying it's a master piece, but I enjoyed it quite a bit over a bunch of other recent horror movies. One thing you criticized a lot that I didn't find important was the time period it occurred in. The one girl's compact e-reader type gadget in no way affected the story. The TV sets and shows had no effect either. They could have been watching something recent with LED TVs, but it doesn't change the events. If that drew you out, then you were focusing on the wrong aspects. Also, there weren't that many rules. 1) Pass it on. It follows who ever was most recently "marked." If the person you gave it to dies, then it's back to you and if you die before passing it, it goes to whoever was before you. 2) It is always chasing after your. (Doesn't have to be specifically walking. It's just slow. So crawling, climbing, and swimming however poorly makes sense. Otherwise this "monster" would be laughably thwarted.) 3) Only the people it is chasing see it. Which makes sense that you still see it after passing it because if it kills the person you gave it to, then its focus is you. So you're still a target, just lower on the list. Those are the rules. Not complicated and not many. I also noticed, it's a physical entity. Meaning, barriers can block it. It can't phase through walls or doors or teleport to your location. However, it's only visible to its targets. It can be hit, however, it obviously doesn't feel pain and it quite strong. Since it isn't immaterial or intangible, it makes sense that it can be affected by people who can't see it. You said that the way it kills isn't consistent, but after you see how it kills the neighbor boy(or what it does thereafter), it makes a lot of sense the way the female in the beginning dies. If you noticed, her upper body is barely touched or damaged. Her legs, on the other hand, have been shattered. Say for instance, like she was trying to keep her legs closed, but something forcibly and with intense strength, separated them. How it kills, I'm not certain, but it obviously has to do with something sexual. I figured this out immediately after recovering from the visual of that scene when it kills the neighbor. I'm surprised you missed that connection. I do agree that I didn't understand at the end why they were trying to kill it when earlier her attempt failed. I assume it's because they think they just didn't kill it hard enough earlier, so electrocuting it to death with multiple electronic devices and a large pool seems like a decent idea. After all, no one, including the guy who passed it to her, don't know much about this creature. The "build ups that lead to nothing" felt like reminders that even when they're trying to find information or discussing what to do, it is still pursuing her. Somewhere, it is coming straight for her unless she passes it on. The jumps scares weren't even that huge, but fit the tense atmosphere, in my opinion, because of the fact that always after she gets marked, it is coming after her in the distance. Honestly, I thought this movie was pretty simple. I just thought it was a tense horror film playing on the fear of your sexual choices having terrifying, life changing consequences.

[@GoodMorningButch]

I had exactly the same impression when I saw "Phoenix" earlier this month and didn't really like it, but it's got amazing reviews. I don't really understand what people saw in it that I didn't.

[@thomasvanboening4829]

Doug, I feel like you and I watched an entirely different movie. It Follows is a wonderful love letter to the horror genre. This is one of the best original horror movies to come out in a long time, and for once a horror movie comes out that isn't a remake or sequel or prequel. On top of it all, this movie has no preexisting source material, and in movies, that is very refreshing. Horror fans that shell out money every year for another Paranormal Activity movie or remake of another established horror franchise, are yearning and begging for something different, and I think this movie was one of those different takes on the same old shtick. I will agree that the false scares have become something that fans of the genre have become accustomed to. Horror is tough to pull off in cinema when timing is everything. But what this film does very well is give a very creepy, almost dreamlike atmosphere. This was done a lot in the classic horror films. The environment is where It could be anywhere or be anyone, and strike at any time it wants. The shape shifting monster reminds me of great films like The Thing, The Wolf Man, Stephen King's It, and Nightmare on Elm Street. What ever It is, the creature from It Follows is in good company. The same repetitive music is an homage to Halloween, which made you uncomfortable and cautious every time you heard it. The monsters slow walk was similar to any old zombie movie, or a stalking murderer like Jason Voorhees, which I always felt was creepier to think that something that slow could inevitably get you, no matter what. The sex between teens was done with more naivete as opposed to "stock characters" that just have sex to be offed a few minutes later for the sake of a body count. The characters actions had dire consequences, which is rare in movies of this nature. In today's culture, most of us have been there and know that sex is that milestone that most feel brings you out of innocence and into adulthood, and I think this movie handled that very effectively as its central subject matter surrounding the monster. I felt that the rules were inconsistent on purpose because we never truly find out what It is, and that still leaves the monster slightly veiled in mystery. Freddy Kruger had a lot of weird rules (Kruger could be 'killed' by a proper burial in Part 3, or being barfed on in part 5.... yeah that happened), but still was an effective monster. I want to see a sequel to this where they trace back the origin of the monster and find out exactly how to undo this curse, that idea alone would be amazing. It's not like we came to polar opposites on this movie, Doug. I am just surprised that a horror film that is liked by not just genre fans, but also liked by critics, was something you didn't quite enjoy. Seriously give it a second chance, and see if you come to the same conclusion.

[@douglewis7946]

You know what I liked about It Follows? The trailer. I think it may have been the first trailer I may have ever seen that doesn't have ONE loud noise spoopy jumpscare in it. That's what got me so interested in this movie.

[@asmr3284]

The Music is absolutely amazing it keeps the 80s vibe but makes it its own.

[@pencilquest]

I really liked it. The movie has a lot of depth to it, and I can't wait to re-watch it. A cool thing I noticed is that all of the people that "it" turns into are people who appear earlier in the film. It's cool to spot this type of stuff. Just because the monster has rules doesn't mean that the film can't have abstract aspects to it. There's plenty of part of the movie prior to the ending that are subject to interpretation that I felt that they did build up to that ending. Also I think you missed the point of the scene with the girl and the boys. It was subject to interpretation, did she pass it on? The next time she saw the monster she seemed surprised. Was she surprised because it killed the people, or just because he was watching he leave? When she sees the old lady, she says she didn't know her. If you look at the pictures, that's an old lady she knows. Why did she say she didn't know her? Not to worry her friends? She thought she was going insane? All kinds of things happen that lead to the ending being what it is.

[@kungfool3349]

Big thing you missed/ messed up was the first death from the opening. I dont quite see how you didnt get that. After viewing IT's method of murder , it shouldve become pretty clear how her leg was left in such a condition.

[@DetectiveKemper]

I just rewatched It Follows with a friend, who is a formal girlfriend, so I get the friend zone analogy, and I love this film. I understand the nightmare aspect the director was shooting for. Not everything makes sense, but the idea that death is always coming for you makes sense to me. Jay and friend zone boy at CC the end hold hands because they know death is inevitable and they'd rather face it together as they thing approaches them perfectly ends this film.