It Follows · reception & legacy
2015 · David Robert Mitchell
How It Follows has been received, argued over, and remembered.
The arc
No redemption arc needed — it premiered at Cannes' Critics' Week in 2014 to instant raves and arrived in 2015 as 'the best horror film in years.' A decade on, the hype has hardened into consensus: it's now a fixture of every best-horror-of-the-2010s list.
What's debated
The forever-war is over what 'it' means — the STD-metaphor reading versus fans (and the director) who insist it's not that literal — with a side skirmish over whether the monster's rules actually hold together.
Its footprint
The image of a figure walking slowly, implacably toward camera became instantly shorthand — 'it follows' is now how film Twitter describes any unhurried, unstoppable threat — and Disasterpeace's synth score kicked off a wave of Carpenter-revival horror soundtracks.
Where it stands
A cornerstone of the 2010s 'elevated horror' wave and a certified Letterboxd favourite — the modern horror film even non-horror people are expected to have seen.
Named by the director
Influences David Robert Mitchell has publicly named — the director's own word, distinct from the inferred lines of influence.
- Halloween (1978) — Mitchell cited Carpenter's suburban dread and prowling widescreen camera as a key touchstone, an influence that extends to the film's synth score.
- John Carpenter — Mitchell repeatedly named Carpenter as a formative influence on the film's atmosphere, framing, and music.
- George A. Romero — Mitchell pointed to Romero's slow, relentless zombies when describing the walking-pace menace at the film's core.