It Follows (2014)

“It Follows,” directed by David Robert Mitchell, is a horror film that explores the relentless terror of an inescapable curse. The story revolves around Jay Height, a young woman who becomes the target of a supernatural entity after a seemingly innocent sexual encounter with her new boyfriend, Hugh.

After their intimate moment, Hugh reveals to Jay that he has passed a curse to her: a malevolent force that can take the form of anyone, relentlessly pursuing her at a walking pace. If it catches her, it will kill her and then return to pursue the previous person in the chain.

Jay’s initial disbelief turns to horror as she begins to see the entity, which can only be seen by those who are cursed. With the help of her friends—Paul, Kelly, Yara, and Greg—Jay tries to evade the entity and find a way to break the curse. The group devises various plans to stay safe, including fleeing to different locations and attempting to pass the curse on to others, but the entity is always close behind, relentless and unyielding.

The film is marked by its unique atmosphere, creating a sense of dread through its slow pacing, eerie soundtrack, and the constant, unnerving presence of the entity. Jay and her friends’ struggle to understand and outsmart the curse highlights themes of fear, vulnerability, and the inescapable nature of the past.

In the climax, the group attempts to confront the entity in a swimming pool, hoping to electrocute it. The plan fails, and the entity nearly kills Jay, but she manages to escape. Ultimately, Jay and Paul decide to pass the curse on by having sex, but the film ends ambiguously, with the entity still seemingly on their trail, leaving viewers to question whether they can ever truly escape.

“It Follows” stands out in the horror genre for its originality and psychological depth, using the metaphor of the curse to explore themes of sexual anxiety and the inevitability of death. The film’s lingering sense of dread and its haunting conclusion make it a modern classic in horror cinema.