Alan's pick this week, after a recommendation from a fellow horror fan at the craft fair — starring Maika Monroe.
Alan's Take:
A happy consequence of manning a stall at a craft fair, given our inventory, is that I can gab away to fellow horror fans about our favourite movies and recommend 'must sees.' One of these recommendations was It Follows.
Written and directed by David Robert Mitchell, it sees our main character Jay (played by Maika Monroe) inherit a curse passed on to her during a sexual encounter. A menacing, constant presence is following her, always. She can outrun it but it will not stop pursuing her — so she enlists the help of her friends to try and solve this.
The acting is very good and the despair of the constant threat oozes throughout. D.R. Mitchell has done an excellent job there. But in his colour palette and choice of soundtrack, he's opted for a full-on 80s retro feel. This is a misstep. It took me right out of the atmosphere he'd so skilfully built.
I had to double-check to ensure it wasn't actually set in the 80s. Mobile phones are present, so no — we're not in the creatively vacuous decade that gave us Scrappy f***ing Doo and Bros. So why oh why do we have that synth throughout this movie?
The bass synths are pleasant enough, but the rest of the soundtrack is horrible. Imagine if Leonardo Da Vinci looked at the Mona Lisa and thought "you know what that needs, just to finish her off?" — and proceeded to paint a Dick Dastardly tash on her. To my ears, it's that misjudged.
So I hate to be negative about a customer's recommendation, but the soundtrack was so jarring that it polluted the entire experience. You've been warned.
Clare's Verdict:
I'd actually seen this one before, so this was a rewatch for me — and honestly? It didn't hold up quite as well the second time around. The first watch had more impact.
As for the infamous soundtrack — I genuinely don't remember it bothering me, but then again, I love 80s naff, so that probably explains a lot! 😂 Where Alan and I do agree is that it's a genuinely interesting and — I believe — original concept. Something about it lingers, even if it doesn't make you jump out of your seat. It just has... a feeling.
The Scores:
⭐ Alan: 5/10 — "The Dick Dastardly tash ruined it for me."
⭐ Clare: 5/10 — "Didn't hold up as well second time, but the concept is solid."
🩸 Gore Score: 2/5
😱 Jump Scares: 1/5
🎭 Vibe: Slow-burn supernatural thriller with an unsettling atmosphere and a very divisive synth soundtrack
Love horror? Browse our gothic horror gift collection over at Fat Badger Designs. 🦡
fatbadgerdesigns.com/collections/horror-collection
