It Follows (2015)

This is the most unexpected and downright unnerving fright flick in years, which riffs smartly on the classics while adding something ineffable all of its own. It offers an authentically frightening experience with folklorish simplicity and a smart STD metaphor.

The critic highlights the film's roots in the director's nightmares and its knowing nods to classic horror while capturing the feel of being young and afraid. It is called one of the most fearsomely original chillers of recent times, with a central conceit that serves as a subtle metaphor for teenage angst and relentless, nameless dread.

The critic praises the film's simple but effective central premise of an implacable pursuing entity passed on like a curse, along with its serious undertones and the strong portrayal of the young friends' relationships. It is described as a first-rate horror movie that adds a new monster to the pantheon while maintaining a meaningful subtext without undercutting the spookiness.

The critic praises the film's simple yet ingenious premise of a sexually transmitted curse embodied by an implacable pursuer, blending old-fashioned horror with subtle, personal observations on youth, suburbia, and mortality. They single out the emotionally engaging performances, particularly Maika Monroe as the sympathetic lead and the tender dynamic with her admirer Paul, alongside atmospheric cinematography and score.

A petrifying and refreshingly original horror movie from an American name-to-watch. It is a mature, character-based film where waiting itself is scary.

The film delivers impressively fresh, smart and relentlessly chilling horror by opting for originality over cheap jolts. Convincing performances by relatable young characters and an unsettling electronic score enhance the nerve-jangling dread.

This rough-edged but pleasingly creepy American indie puts suburban teens at risk from a seemingly inescapable presence. It is more about goosebumps than gore, with an unsettling, slow-moving, shape-changing monster that sticks to its victims.

The critic praises David Robert Mitchell's imaginative young-adult twist on horror's implacable-pursuit mode. It puts rare emphasis on virtue and solidarity among the teens facing the threat.

The critic calls the film visionary but faults it for undigested ideas and dubious sexual politics, noting the strong visuals and Carpenter-like style while criticizing the metaphor and resolution. They single out the disarming delineation of slow-growing madness and the synth score for praise amid complaints about the catch-all metaphor.

Mitchell uses Detroit's contrasts to depict horror worming its way into placid life after a sexual encounter passes on a curse. The narrative rhythms blend frights with anomie among bored teens, making violent extinction feel ordinary.

The critic calls the film a modern classic of fear that taps into primal anxieties about sex and death with disturbing effectiveness. He singles out the director's sensational setpieces of suspense and the way it evokes a bland suburban world turned alien and menacing.

The critic praises the film's creepy, suspenseful atmosphere and skillful manipulation of tension in this lo-fi horror, noting its earnest tone and effective use of genre tropes without winking. They single out the assured direction and genuinely unnerving quality despite some lack of originality in characters.

The critic praises the film's cool, controlled direction and its incarnation of paranoia through a shape-shifting menace. Everyday teenagers and moody atmosphere stand out as elements that distinguish it from slick Hollywood horror.

The critic praises the film for being made with love and infusing familiar horror tropes with fresh influences and atmosphere rather than cheap shocks. She highlights the director's skillful use of space, both temporal and within the frame, to build creeping menace.

The critic hails It Follows as one of the best horror movies in years for its intangible, relentless dread that makes death feel immediate and personal to young characters. They single out the film's personification of primal terror through an unstoppable entity and Maika Monroe's sympathetic performance as the terrified protagonist.

The film is a remarkable deconstruction of the teen slasher genre and a powerful allegory for fears of sexual disease, aging, and mortality. It creates an unavoidable sense of dread through its focus on inevitability rather than a conventional monster confrontation, while remaining surprisingly non-nihilistic thanks to the support of the protagonist's friends.

The critic calls it one of the scariest horror films in years thanks to its simple, relentless walking-entity conceit that creates paralyzing real-life dread without jump scares or effects. They praise the performances (especially Maika Monroe conveying fear) and the John Carpenter-influenced score.

The critic calls the film an undeniable triumph of mood and an ambitious effort at reinventing horror by eschewing the genre’s common tricks. They single out the long shots that build stomach-dropping suspense without relying on jump scares.

The review highlights the superb execution of the visual style with wide shots that force constant background scanning, the gripping mythology, and convincing teen performances, resulting in one of the most impressive tension-builders in years. It notes the dreamy teen-movie quality alongside the horror.

The critic describes It Follows as a fresh and scary low-budget horror film centered on the world's worst STD-like curse. They single out the smart script that builds tension effectively without relying on gratuitous gore.

The review appreciates the arthouse sensibility fused with genre horror, dreamy photography, and atmospheric score but finds the rules diffuse and the film softer on outright scares than hoped, working better as mood and allusion than pure horror.