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(2014) *****

Jay has been dating local hunk Hugh and finally decides to sleep with him. Following a sweaty tryst in the backseat of his car she idealizes the event by reminiscing about how she used to dream of having a boyfriend when she was a little girl. Hugh has more serious matters on his mind as Jay passes out. When she awakens she is tied to a wheelchair in an abandoned building. Hugh apologizes but insists that she listen to what he has to say. Having little choice she stares at Hugh as he reveals a remarkable, terrifying tale. There is a curse that people pass through sex. Once you have the curse the only way to get rid of it is to have sex with someone else and then they will have it. The ‘curse’ is a being that takes a human form and then follows you wherever you go, slowly, steadily, it walks towards you. It can look like a stranger or a friend and if it ever reaches you, you die (horribly I might add). You can easily run away from it, drive away from it, etc., but wherever you go it will be slowly walking towards you and will eventually find you. If the curse kills you, it will then stalk the person who gave it to you. That’s it.

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‘It Follows’ is the best American horror film since The Ring (2002) and is filled with a suffocating level of dread that I still haven’t shaken 48 hours after viewing it. The premise is so simple yet brilliant. The ‘rules’ are established early on and the ‘fun’ comes from seeing them applied. Director David Robert Mitchell cited John Carpenter as an influence and there are multiple nods to Halloween including long tracking shots of female friends walking down the street and a retro-synth soundtrack that you won’t be able to get out of your head. Like Scream (1996) the first five minutes are a shocker and set the stage for 90 minutes of terror. Go see it before someone ruins it for you. My only fear is that, like Halloween, unnecessary sequels will be made diluting the impact of the original. It’s perfect the way it is.