Just saw this over the weekend and liked it so much I want to recommend it to any of you horror loving peeps out there. It’s definitely one of the best I’ve seen since I can’t even say how long.
The premise is kind of stupid on paper - the “it” of the title is an evil entity that can take on the appearance of anyone and slowly stalks it’s victims, though only the victim can see it. The director really pulls it off though. It’s super atmospheric with an extremely effective sound track. There’s very little gore, though the one instance of it is pretty intense. Luckily it’s brief and in my opinion not gratuitous in that it illustrates how brutal “it” is.
Horror has always been my favorite genre but I’ve all but given up on seeing anything I like these days. I won’t watch torture porn or slasher or zombies and I really cannot tolerate movies filled with jump scares (this one has a couple that I could have lived without, but it wasn’t a deal breaker). This was such a pleasant surprise. Not a perfect movie by any means; it still had some clichés, though some would say it’s more of an homage on the director’s part, and of course, as with anything in the genre there has to be suspension of disbelief. But I definitely think anyone who likes sort of old style (70s & 80s) horror well enjoy this.
The atmosphere is terrific. Its got a great slow build that lets you believe anything can happen. The weirdness of it appearing in places makes you scan the background of every scene wondering if it is there.
I like how it was set in Detroit, kind of a run down old timey little place. Its big, but got a small town quality to it. The same story would probably feel really weird in LA. I even liked how it didn’t explain everything, though I’m dying to know, but it adds to the mystery surrounding the creature.
Both great points. I think one of the reviews I read before seeing it mentioned it compelling the viewer to always be searching the whole frame for " it". I was doubtful but damn if that isn’t 100% true.
The Detroit setting was perfect. That poor city is freakin’ scary all on its own without some evil being walking around. On the other hand, the outside scenes, such as at the lake showed how pretty Michigan is.
I just read that they’re already considering a sequel. I supposed it is inevitable but if I had my way they’d just let this little gem stand alone.
Forgot to talk about one of the best parts: the soundtrack! That creepy stalking music is so memorable, even now weeks later I’m thinking about it. The movie wouldn’t be half as good without that soundtrack blaring at you. The thing just makes me feel uneasy and apprehensive
I know the two have nothing to do with each other, but I like to think of this movie as a sequel to 2005’s It Waits, and eagerly await the third installment in the series, It Actually Does Something.
Roland (by the way I love your user name. Tears for Fears baby, yeh!), have you seen It Follows or are you just connecting the titles? If you have seen it, are they similar? If not, what did you like about It Waits ? I followed your link and read the blurb and must say it *does not *sound good. But " a shape shifting entity stalks innocent teens as they try to figure a way out of their living nightmare: doesn’t exactly sound appealing either, so if It Waits is good, I’d love to hear about it.
Yogsosoth, the soundtrack is indeed phenomenal so much as to serve almost as a character itself. I wonder how it will come off for those that watch it at home.
I am really anxious to see this movie and prefer to see it in the theater. I’m the only one amongst my friends/family that enjoys this genre so I’d be going alone. I’ve heard some comments that the movie rivals The Exorcist in terms of how scary it is. Did you find that to be true?
Counter opinion: I didn’t think it was that good. I thought there was some suspense in it, but it could have been a lot better.
I also thought that they could have done a better job editing it. It just didn’t grab me. The idea was pretty interesting but I think they could have done a lot more with it.
Also,
it had 2 different endings: the one they showed at the beginning of the movie, and the one they showed at the end. Which one was the real ending? Or am I supposed to infer how they got from the ending at the end to the ending at the beginning?
Maybe that’s just me, but I wouldn’t recommend it.
J.
Heh, I’m interested in seeing it in the theatre, but know literally no-one who likes this genre - certainly not my wife, who hates any sort of horror movie (not even classics like The Changeling - she just plain doesn’t like creepy in any way, shape or form). So I guess I’ll be seeing it by myself.
I really liked the movie. I had a few problems. I’m not sure how it ended in the pool. The boy visiting prostitutes after that seems to indicate that it wasn’t killed, or maybe they just wanted to be sure?
I did enjoy the atomosphere, the music, the slower pace.
Very Mild Spoiler
But my main plot complaint was near the beginning, when she goes on the date to the movie theater. She starts them playing the game where you pick someone from the crowd. HE should have started the game. At this time he was being followed. He needed an excuse to look around and ask “Can you see that person?” but secretly. It is just too damned convenient for her to start a game that allows him to figure out if the follower is there.
That and “just get on a plane!” going through my head the entire time.
I’m not sure I understand what you mean by 2 different endings. Are you saying you think the opening scene with the girl at the beach is meant to be the ending?
Zebra, I get what you’re saying but I think the part where Paul sees the prostitutes is supposed to be a moment of “will he or won’t he?” . Same with Jay seeing the three guys in the boat. I don’t think anyone had sex, we’re just meant to feel their inner torment. That’s my take on it anyway.
My takeaway from that was
it doesn’t matter whether they did or didn’t. Unless you really take the time to explain the rules to the new victim (and even then), there’s always the chance everyone in the chain has been offed and it’s back to following you. Paul and Jay will never be able to feel safe again.
I thought it was great fun, and the premise is quite ingenious. Horror has always acted as a metaphor for the fear of sex, and the STD (D=Demon) literalizes the trope in a way that’s both fresh and yet harkens back to the traditions of the genre.
It’s also executed quite ably, never really cheating, letting the audience stay maybe one step ahead of the characters, but allowing our knowledge to inform scenes with even more dread. What helps is the long takes so that you do get to assess the landscape to see if It is there or not. It’s a movie that benefits from that level of patience.
jharvey963 clearly misunderstood the beginning, and such a fundamental mistake is very likely to inform everything you think or perceive afterwards.
The girl at the beginning who dies wasn’t our protagonist–she was the girlfriend seen in the picture of the guy who preys on our shero. That’s why he’s desperate to get rid of it–because he accidentally passed it on to her after cheating on her, and it boomeranged back to him.
Ultimately, I think your best bet would be to go to a high-volume prostitute (preferably in another continent) and hope that the hooker/client exchange went through enough rounds to create some distance for you. But ultimately, you will never really feel safe and you’ll always be looking over your shoulder. Forever. And that is terrifying.
I don’t know that I’d compare it to The Exorcist; they’re too different to. It’s also hard to know what a stranger will consider scary, but as I mentioned horror is my favorite genre so I’ve seen *a lot *of it. Don’t know if I’m just desensitized or “they just don’t make movies like they used to” but this movie truly had me cringing in my seat. There are 2 jump scares that “got me”( but that’s not hard to do) but other than that it really relies on creepy atmosphere, interesting visuals and a super effective sound track. My boyfriend, who detests the horror genre said he thought it was pretty good. That’s high praise coming from him.