What's The Latest Film You Have Seen?

**Exo** · 04-03-2015, 08:22 PM

It Follows

*Insert STD joke that everybody seems to be making here*

There. Now that THAT’S over with…

I feel the need in every horror review I write to point out that modern horror movies are hard to do correctly. First off, studios have trouble greenlighting a lot of horror films because the great ones almost HAVE to be rated R and rated R films hurt box office sales. If your film does get on its feet, then it’s got to be pretty unique or else it’s going to come off redundant and stale. As of late, there has been an almost “rebirth” of 80’s style horror/thriller films that take simple premises and make them unique with style, atmosphere, and callbacks to horror classics of the 70s and 80s. Films like Drive, House of the Devil, The Guest, Cabin in the Woods, and The Innkeepers have done unique things with either tired tropes or dated plot devices. Cabin in the Woods did this perfectly and then spun us onto our head with the 3rd act. House of the Devil fully embodied an 80’s slasher flick. The Innkeepers took a typical ghost story and through atmosphere and brilliant camera work, made it unique and special. That being said, I’ll always respect and applaud films that try to do something different, or try to spice up something familiar. It Follows is a film that I respect, am intrigued by, but am left wishing it gave me a little bit more.

The film has a relatively easy premise. Whoever has “it” is followed by people, seemingly random people, and if they are caught, they die. They have to sleep with somebody and then “it” gets passed along to that person and the chain continues. If that person dies, “it” goes back down the chain of teenager sex until nobody is left. The followers only walk, and can’t be seen by anybody else. Off the bat, that’s a creepy premise. We all have been walking home late at night and notice that somebody is walking behind us. Even if that person is harmless, the sense of unease is there. So an entire film based on random people coming for you dead eyed at all hours of the night scares the **** out of me. I was disappointed though, not so much with the film, but rather by own self. You see, I wasn’t scared, not once, throughout the whole film. Save for one scene, I was watching this film no differently than I would watch a Pixar film. I guess the suspense just didn’t grab me or some outside forces from the day just numbed me to being scared but I just honestly wasn’t tense at all. I did however appreciate how one could find this suspenseful. They certainly did a good job keeping the camera flowing at the right places and still at others. There were many 360 pan shots that revealed some horrible thing or a stagnant show with something coming closer in the distance. I liked that. The film is well made. I just didn’t really get it.

Like I alluded to earlier, the film definitely paid tribute to classic films and directors. The score, which was amazing by the way, is straight from Carpenter himself. The night shots and horror scenes look like they were shot by Wes Craven. Hell, I was even reminded of The Shining a couple times when a scene would concludeand I was left scratching my head as to what the hell I just saw.

I think that’s what is eating at me with this film. It’s not as if I didn’t like it. I liked it plenty. I just didn’t get it enough to really love it. It’s a film that could definitely change my opinion of it over time, but I’m just not there yet. It’s flawed. The 3rd act was kind of a let down. There wasn’t a satisfactory end. Ambiguous is fine, but I needed a little bit more from it before it ended, which it abruptly did. There seems to be a lot of underlying themes that have NOTHING TO DO WITH ****ING STDS that I just can’t seem to grasp. Is the film about relationships? We have Jay, a girl, played by Maika Monroe, running away from “it” while her friend Paul, played by Keir Gilchrist, is only trying to get closer to her. I enjoyed this dynamic. Is the film about the youth of adolescents? Are these kids literally running away from death which is slowly inching its way towards them? Like I said, “it” walks very slow. Whatever the main theme is, it’s not obvious, which both excites me and frustrates me. I like challenging films. I also like to figure things out. I haven’t figured this one out yet.

You should see the film. Why? Maybe you’ll understand it more than I did. If you’re a horror fan and have been waiting for a unique film that hasn’t been done before, then go see it. It’s a stylish film that does something completely different. Michael Meyers may have started the slow walk killer thing, but this film takes it to another level. I’ll always pay to see films like this. I love ambition. I just may not always get it. I need to watch this again.

3.5/5

The Batlord · 04-03-2015, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Exo_

It Follows

*Insert STD joke that everybody seems to be making here*

Confused. Where is the STD joke? Is it from a trailer or something? Cause I haven't watched actual TV in weeks or months.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Exo_

I feel the need in every horror review I write to point out that modern horror movies are hard to do correctly. First off, studios have trouble greenlighting a lot of horror films because the great ones almost HAVE to be rated R and rated R films hurt box office sales. If your film does get on its feet, then it’s got to be pretty unique or else it’s going to come off redundant and stale.

Honestly, I think my biggest gripe with modern horror movies is just the general atmosphere. I'm not a film buff, so originality isn't something I'm as concerned with as some other nerds on this site I won't name, but there's just something about the atmosphere of seventies and eighties horror movies -- even the trashiest slashers -- that gives off a creepy vibe that modern production techniques just kill.

That old, fuzzy, kind of lo-fi camera look from way back when just made everything look slightly surreal and claustrophobic, but these days a lot of horror movies seem to want to make everything look grey and white and cold and sterile, I guess to make the atmosphere inhuman or something. Just reminds me I'm watching a movie that's been edited.

More than anything else, it's what ruined the remake of The Omen for me. The entire movie felt like a hospital or something, and it just made it so, so boring to look at. I don't think it's as bad as it was in the early '00s, but I still miss the way the first Halloween looked.

**Exo** · 04-04-2015, 08:28 AM

Check out the other films I mentioned if you haven't seen any of them. They've got exactly what you described, especially House of the Devil.

As for the STD joke, the film's protagonist gets a ghost that follows her and tries to kill her after sleeping with somebody and she has to pass it along to somebody else to get rid of it for a while. There are some STD jokes that can be made there. I didn't want to go there because I'm funny.

~~John Wilkes Booth~~ · 04-04-2015, 06:40 PM

Spoiler for i narrate the basic plot of the movie in my own words:

Nameless · 04-05-2015, 03:54 PM

Just watched The Mothman Prophecies again. I don't understand how this movie wasn't a huge deal with rave reviews, it's like one of the best movies ever.

~~John Wilkes Booth~~ · 04-05-2015, 05:33 PM

are you willing to stake my opinion of you on that claim? cause if so i will definitely download and watch that movie.

Nameless · 04-05-2015, 05:38 PM

If you like creepy atmospheric thrillers I'd give it a shot. It's an odd one.

~~John Wilkes Booth~~ · 04-05-2015, 05:39 PM

i have no idea what a creepy atmospheric thriller is. i like good movies.

**Frownland** · 04-05-2015, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Wilkes Booth

i have no idea what a creepy atmospheric thriller is. i like good movies.

It sounds like it's a thriller with creepy and atmospheric elements.

Mr. Sir · 04-05-2015, 05:44 PM

I saw Barton Fink this morning, which was an enjoyable film. It had Coel written all over it, which is never a bad thing.

04-03-2015, 08:22 PM	#15091 (permalink)
Exo All day jazz and biscuits Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: NJ Posts: 7,354	It Follows Insert STD joke that everybody seems to be making here There. Now that THAT’S over with… I feel the need in every horror review I write to point out that modern horror movies are hard to do correctly. First off, studios have trouble greenlighting a lot of horror films because the great ones almost HAVE to be rated R and rated R films hurt box office sales. If your film does get on its feet, then it’s got to be pretty unique or else it’s going to come off redundant and stale. As of late, there has been an almost “rebirth” of 80’s style horror/thriller films that take simple premises and make them unique with style, atmosphere, and callbacks to horror classics of the 70s and 80s. Films like Drive, House of the Devil, The Guest, Cabin in the Woods, and The Innkeepers have done unique things with either tired tropes or dated plot devices. Cabin in the Woods did this perfectly and then spun us onto our head with the 3rd act. House of the Devil fully embodied an 80’s slasher flick. The Innkeepers took a typical ghost story and through atmosphere and brilliant camera work, made it unique and special. That being said, I’ll always respect and applaud films that try to do something different, or try to spice up something familiar. It Follows is a film that I respect, am intrigued by, but am left wishing it gave me a little bit more. The film has a relatively easy premise. Whoever has “it” is followed by people, seemingly random people, and if they are caught, they die. They have to sleep with somebody and then “it” gets passed along to that person and the chain continues. If that person dies, “it” goes back down the chain of teenager sex until nobody is left. The followers only walk, and can’t be seen by anybody else. Off the bat, that’s a creepy premise. We all have been walking home late at night and notice that somebody is walking behind us. Even if that person is harmless, the sense of unease is there. So an entire film based on random people coming for you dead eyed at all hours of the night scares the ** out of me. I was disappointed though, not so much with the film, but rather by own self. You see, I wasn’t scared, not once, throughout the whole film. Save for one scene, I was watching this film no differently than I would watch a Pixar film. I guess the suspense just didn’t grab me or some outside forces from the day just numbed me to being scared but I just honestly wasn’t tense at all. I did however appreciate how one could find this suspenseful. They certainly did a good job keeping the camera flowing at the right places and still at others. There were many 360 pan shots that revealed some horrible thing or a stagnant show with something coming closer in the distance. I liked that. The film is well made. I just didn’t really get it. Like I alluded to earlier, the film definitely paid tribute to classic films and directors. The score, which was amazing by the way, is straight from Carpenter himself. The night shots and horror scenes look like they were shot by Wes Craven. Hell, I was even reminded of The Shining a couple times when a scene would concludeand I was left scratching my head as to what the hell I just saw. I think that’s what is eating at me with this film. It’s not as if I didn’t like it. I liked it plenty. I just didn’t get it enough to really love it. It’s a film that could definitely change my opinion of it over time, but I’m just not there yet. It’s flawed. The 3rd act was kind of a let down. There wasn’t a satisfactory end. Ambiguous is fine, but I needed a little bit more from it before it ended, which it abruptly did. There seems to be a lot of underlying themes that have NOTHING TO DO WITH ING STDS that I just can’t seem to grasp. Is the film about relationships? We have Jay, a girl, played by Maika Monroe, running away from “it” while her friend Paul, played by Keir Gilchrist, is only trying to get closer to her. I enjoyed this dynamic. Is the film about the youth of adolescents? Are these kids literally running away from death which is slowly inching its way towards them? Like I said, “it” walks very slow. Whatever the main theme is, it’s not obvious, which both excites me and frustrates me. I like challenging films. I also like to figure things out. I haven’t figured this one out yet. You should see the film. Why? Maybe you’ll understand it more than I did. If you’re a horror fan and have been waiting for a unique film that hasn’t been done before, then go see it. It’s a stylish film that does something completely different. Michael Meyers may have started the slow walk killer thing, but this film takes it to another level. I’ll always pay to see films like this. I love ambition. I just may not always get it. I need to watch this again. 3.5/5 __________________ LastFM SUPREME POO BAH MODERATOR EXTRAORDINAIRE**

04-04-2015, 08:28 AM	#15093 (permalink)
Exo All day jazz and biscuits Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: NJ Posts: 7,354	Check out the other films I mentioned if you haven't seen any of them. They've got exactly what you described, especially House of the Devil. As for the STD joke, the film's protagonist gets a ghost that follows her and tries to kill her after sleeping with somebody and she has to pass it along to somebody else to get rid of it for a while. There are some STD jokes that can be made there. I didn't want to go there because I'm funny. __________________ LastFM SUPREME POO BAH MODERATOR EXTRAORDINAIRE

04-04-2015, 06:40 PM	#15094 (permalink)
~~John Wilkes Booth~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 2,235	Spoiler for i narrate the basic plot of the movie in my own words: so basically this movie is about some swedish family that goes on a skiing vacation in the alps. while they're at lunch, there's a controlled detonation on the mountainside causing an avalanche which, for a moment, looks as if it is going to wipe them out. so everyone starts panicking and his kids are screaming and ****, and in that instant where your instinct is supposed to kick in, his did and it told him to grab his phone and run the hell away from the whole scene as quickly as possible. and then the rest of the movie is pretty much his wife awkwardly trying to confront him about it and him being in denial that he ditched his family. pretty funny movie i thought. swedish people are funny.

04-05-2015, 05:44 PM	#15100 (permalink)
Mr. Sir He behind the curtains Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 127	I saw Barton Fink this morning, which was an enjoyable film. It had Coel written all over it, which is never a bad thing. __________________ (╯°□°)╯︵ suoıʇuəʌuoɔ lɐɔısnɯ 100 albums worthy of stealing your time [2/100]

04-05-2015, 03:54 PM	#15095 (permalink)
Nameless Fat girls in yoga pants Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 152	Just watched The Mothman Prophecies again. I don't understand how this movie wasn't a huge deal with rave reviews, it's like one of the best movies ever.

04-05-2015, 05:33 PM	#15096 (permalink)
~~John Wilkes Booth~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 2,235	are you willing to stake my opinion of you on that claim? cause if so i will definitely download and watch that movie.

04-05-2015, 05:38 PM	#15097 (permalink)
Nameless Fat girls in yoga pants Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 152	If you like creepy atmospheric thrillers I'd give it a shot. It's an odd one.

04-05-2015, 05:39 PM	#15098 (permalink)
~~John Wilkes Booth~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 2,235	i have no idea what a creepy atmospheric thriller is. i like good movies.