‘I Need Water!’

This chapter discusses how the best horror films say something about complicated gender politics, nationwide policy decisions, reaction to a significant event, or any issue that deserves more attention. It analyses the most straightforward interpretation of David Robert Mitchell'sIt Follows, focusing on the entity that represents the spectre of adulthood, one of looming responsibility and grounded dreams. The chapter explains the entity that takes the form of adults in It Follows and points out that only two parents' faces are clearly visible in the film. It assesses the parental absence in It Follows in order to create a world as only teens can see it.

Introduction

This chapter begins with a description of film director David Robert Mitchell's recurring nightmare when he was 10 years old of being slowly followed by something that could adopt multiple identities. It talks about how It Follows became a breakout hit when it premiered at Cannes and went on to become a critical success. It also mentions It Follows's financial success and how the film joined a horror movie renaissance of smart, frightening films that have rejuvenated the genre, such as Scream (1996) and The Blair Witch Project (1999). The chapter recounts how horror movies became stagnant by the success of Japanese remakes and torture flicks in the early noughties, followed by an unrelenting march of the supernatural both in film and television. It reviews the speculated interpretation of It Follows, asa metaphor for sexually transmitted diseases or a cautionary tale about teenage intercourse.

‘I Can’t Do This’

This chapter discusses the easy classification of David Robert Mitchell'sIt Follows that most closely falls into the slasher subgenre with its crop of teen characters. It explores the open universe concept that provides depth to It Follows's characters, resulting in audience involvement that moves beyond spectatorship. It also looks at the attribute binding the films characters Kelly, Paul, and Yara whose concern is at a level far beyond that is typically seen. The chapter highlights how the three characters in the film were quick to believe the main protagonist of the film named Jay before they saw any form of physical evidence of the entity's existence. It mentions teen romance as the most prevalent and popular subgenres that often takes the form of first dates, parties, and prom.

Path to Victory

This chapter investigates the final scene of David Robert Mitchell'sIt Follows as the ultimate conclusion for whomever is tethered to the entity. It reviews the entity that possesses the ability to move through obstacles at a walking pace until it gets within close proximity to its target. It also discusses the urban legend, which is a story that has exposition, an inciting incident, climax, and denouement. The chapter analyses how certain narratives become salient through the urban legend and become enmeshed in the fears, concerns, even pleasures of a particular cultural moment. It explores how the urban legend is useful as a warning about a local threat within the context of the horror genre.