It Follows is a unique, dwelling horror film that delves into the abrupt loss of innocence after an assault. While it can be seen as a cautionary tale about STIs, its themes run much deeper. Gabe talks about MC Jay's loss of innocence, reflects on the lingering monster of trauma, and deconstructs the myth that this is a film about an STI demon. Kat talks about the meaning of the monster, the importance of support systems after a traumatic event, and how the film's absentee parents solidify this as a millennial film.
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It Follows (2014)
A young woman is followed by an unknown supernatural force after a sexual encounter.
Directed by: David Robert Mitchell
It Follows: the Relentless Pursuit of Fear for SA Survivors
by gabe castro
RED: Quotes, someone else's words.
Synopsis
It Follows is a unique, dwelling horror film that delves into the abrupt loss of innocence after an assault. While it can be seen as a cautionary tale about STIs, its themes run much deeper. The story centers on Jay Height, who becomes the target of a relentless supernatural entity after a sexual encounter. The entity, which can take the form of any person, will pursue her until it kills her unless she passes the curse to someone else through sex.
The film opens with a young woman in a panic leaving her home. She is fleeing as something the audience can’t see seemingly follows her. The next morning, she is found brutally murdered on a beach, with her body grotesquely contorted. We then meet Jay who lives in the same area. She is in a relationship with a guy named Hugh. He seems harmless enough and Jay is interested and excited about the possibility of their future romance. Only, something is a bit off about Hugh who is quick to agitation and paranoia. On one date at the movies, Hugh sees a young woman in a yellow dress, a woman that Jay does not see, which leads him to panic and leave the venue.
Things escalate on their next date after Jay and Hugh have sex in his car. At the time, a consensual act that has Jay reminiscing over childhood dreams of adulthood. The event twists into something sinister when Hugh incapacitates Jay with chloroform and ties her to a wheelchair in an abandoned building. When Jay regains consciousness, he explains that he has passed a curse onto her. Explaining that that had been his intention the entire time. The curse is in the form of an entity that can take on the appearance of any person, known or unknown to Jay, and will follow her at a walking pace wherever she goes. If it catches her, it will kill her and then return to pursue the previous person who had the curse. Hugh warns Jay that the only way to escape is to pass the curse onto someone else through sexual intercourse. Now that Jay is cursed, only she and others who’ve been cursed can see the entity.
Jay, alongside her sister and childhood friends, attempts to beat the curse in a variety of ways. Each attempt becomes more desperate as it is made clear how in the deep end they truly are. In the end, the audience is left to wonder if the cursed entity is only a few steps away, haunting the protagonists until it can finally claim their lives and make its way back down the line of victims.
The film features dwelling, tense wide-angle shots that slowly pan around the action, leaving viewers to guess at “Its” presence and instilling them with impending doom. The choice of mostly empty, suburban settings further amplifies the feeling of isolation and vulnerability, a classic horror trope of subverting a place in the world that had been notoriously understood as safe. The entity’s slow but relentless pursuit serves as a metaphor for the inescapable anxieties that follow us throughout life, and further Jay’s specific anxiety tied to her assault.
Loss of Innocence
Most conversations about It Follows often interpret the film as a cautionary tale about sex. In 2019, when the Ghouls first covered the film, we included it in our Romance Gone Wrong series under the title “You Had Sex, Didn’t You,” pairing it with the worst film ever, Contracted, to explore the portrayal of STIs in horror. However, we quickly realized that neither film was actually about that, teaching us a valuable lesson in media literacy.
Unlike many slasher films that condemn sex, It Follows takes a more nuanced approach. The film doesn’t moralize or punish characters for their sexual choices. Instead, it focuses on Jay’s introspective journey. After her encounter, she reflects on her younger self’s idealized vision of romance—imagining herself simply holding hands with a cute boy in a car. This contrast between her imagined future and her present reality highlights her struggle to reconcile who she thought she would become with who she is now.
As Jay shares her story, playing with the grass and feeling at ease with the boy she’s just opened up to, Hugh is secretly preparing the chloroform rag. This act of betrayal leads to Jay being cursed, leaving her paranoid and doubting the presence of even those she knows, as the entity can take any form. Hugh’s manipulation raises serious questions about the legitimacy of Jay’s consent. Can it truly be considered consent if she wasn’t given all the information? If we interpret the curse as an STI rather than a supernatural entity, then Hugh infected Jay without her knowledge—an act that is, in fact, assault.
The events after the assault so clearly paint a heartbreaking picture, that it’s hard to understand how anyone can walk away labeling it simply an “STI film.” Hugh dumps a still groggy Jay from his car, in her underwear, and is traumatized by the intense shift from comfortable love to abuse. The police are called and they question her. We hear only “And the act was consensual,” leaving Jay at fault and Hugh absolved of any real trouble other than assuming he’s having a mental break. Next, we see her in the hospital, alone and prepared for an examination - the usual next steps after a reported assault. But even more damning is Jay’s behavior afterward. She, reasonably, doesn’t believe Hugh’s story about a creature following her but she does feel different. We see her in the mirror, touching her body now changed, not visibly but substantially nonetheless. She closes herself off from others and feels unsafe in her own home. She’s untrusting and defensive, clinging to memories of her youth and the innocence of kissing boys in school or looking at porno mags in a friend’s front yard, not understanding the problem of that. And now that her innocence has been stolen from her and the reality of the horrors of the world made apparent, only she can see the monster. She’s now incredibly aware of how her body can be interpreted, manipulated, abused, and distorted by others - it’s no longer solely hers.
In an article on Bloody Disgusting titled, ‘It Follows’ is Not About STDs. It’s About Life As a Sexual Assault Survivor, describes the ways director Mitchell repeats shots to establish this shift for Jay between before the assault and after. Specifically, they mention how in the beginning, Jay is seen in her backyard pool swimming and enjoying herself. She is at ease and as she goes to leave she spots young neighbor boys peeking at her through their fence. She teasingly calls to them, “I can see you.” She knows they’re looking at her as an object, something to be desired, but it's harmless and she still feels in control of her body. Later, after the assault, she is swimming again in the pool, only now much more ill at ease. She looks at the fence where the boys had been and feels great discomfort, promptly leaving a place that had once been a haven for her.
There’s also the interpretation of those around her. We mentioned the police and there’s also the eerie absence or nothingness of adults throughout the film (a classic horror trope.) Since her friends cannot see the creature, she spends much of the film trying to convince them it’s real. The article emphasizes this saying, “When the creature is in the area or is approaching Jay directly, most of her peers look at her like she’s out of her mind, blaming her for her fear instead of blaming the thing instilling that fear in her. ‘Is something wrong with me,’ Jay asks with tears rolling down her face. Nobody tells her no.”
Initially, everyone, including the police, seems to blame Jay for her situation—she chose to date and have sex with Hugh, so now she must deal with the consequences. As a neighbor remarks, “She’s a mess.” It isn’t until others inherit the curse that they can see the monster and grasp the depth of Jay’s fear and trauma. Only those who have experienced similar violations and lost their innocence can truly understand what she’s going through.
With It Follows, we don’t get a monster film where the characters end in triumph, proving their strength and wit. Instead, we get an eternally lingering threat and a question. The choice to have these young people fight the big bad using a nonsensical idea (they lure it to a swimming pool where they try to electrocute it before shooting it many times) is purposeful. David Robert Mitchell said in an interview with Vulture that he wanted their idea to be realistic. “It’s the stupidest plan ever! It’s a kid-movie plan, it’s something that Scooby-Doo and the gang might think of, and that was sort of the point. What would you do if you were confronted by a monster and found yourself trapped within a nightmare? Ultimately, you have to resort to some way of fighting it that’s accessible to you in the physical world, and that’s not really going to cut it. We kind of avoid any kind of traditional setup for that sequence, because in more traditional horror films, there might be a clue that would lead them to figure out a way to destroy this monster. I intentionally avoided placing those. Instead, they do their best to accomplish something, and we witness its failure. It’s probably a very non-conventional way of approaching the third-act confrontation, but we thought it was a fun way to deal with it.”
This choice of ambiguity, that the kids don’t even know if the plan worked, is a brilliant ending. It forces Jay to confide in Paul and ally with him. It is not a rejoicing moment but it does give us some hope for growth and healing for Jay. Where in her first attempt to share the curse, she was clearly not ready and it only retraumatized her, in her moment with Paul, she is on top - and though not quite enjoying it - is much more comfortable. Now, she no longer walks alone and in fear but alongside someone who can see the monsters with her.
It Follows Slowly
Throughout the film, there are nods to this feeling of innocence lost but also of preservation, and protection. Friend Yara shares how her family never let her go anywhere past a certain point in Detroit and how now she understands why - they were trying to keep her in the suburban, safe areas. In moments like this, we can see where David Robert Mitchell is inspired by the quintessential horror film that first subverted our perceived safety in suburbs, Halloween. This film features a slowly walking evil that no matter how far or fast the protagonist runs, will always catch up with them - just like Michael Myers who is known for his deliberately slow pace. He knows he’ll get to you eventually. Laurie believed herself safe in her suburban home, only to find it isolating and unequipped for protection against violence, violence it never assumed would cross their white picket fences. Where Halloween had John Carpenter’s notorious soundtrack, It Follows has Disasterpiece’s modern take on the retro synth and eerie tones that dwell in the film. Even the ending is reminiscent of the cult classic, with Jay and Paul walking down the street together. In the distance, a figure follows them at a slow pace, leaving the audience uncertain whether the curse has truly been lifted or if it will continue to haunt them. Their sense of safety is irreparably damaged and even a romantic stroll down the road, the very picture of Jay’s youthful imaginings of a couple holding hands, is perverted and warped in a sense of dread.
In the end, when faced with the question of whether or not the person behind them is the curse, we confront the reality that surviving assault isn’t the end, it stays with you forever in some form - lingering just out of sight now that you’re forever changed. No matter if you “pass the curse” to someone else, there’s no guarantee it won’t make its way back to you. You can’t be the person you were before, and feeling safe again takes constant work and care. It Follows leaves a lasting impression, challenging viewers to grapple with the dread that lies just out of sight, always following, never stopping.
It Follows: Millennial Support Systems and Absentee Parents
by Kat Kushin
RED: Quotes, someone else's words.
The Monster, and What it Represents for the Human Experience
It Follows could be interpreted many ways. A reminder of an experience, or a trauma that can never be undone. Something that through the very literal curse, as well as the trauma associated with it, will follow you for the rest of your life, and only you can see it.
It Follows can be seen as a processing of trauma, the “monster” being the triggers slowly walking towards us at all moments, and our survival contingent on support systems authentically being there for us. The ones who fell victim to “it” from what we could see, socially isolated themselves after being cursed, or refused to face the reality of the curse head on, allowing it to sneak up on them. This is also similar to trauma in that isolation and denial in response to a traumatic event are more likely to lead to long term health impacts.
If we view the monster as the creator intended, “it” being inevitable threat of death, then we find a similar set up. Being that death is inevitable, but those who are actively aware of it’s imminent threat have to live differently. When we are aware of mortality it impacts the way we move in the world. Sometimes this change in behavior actually helps us, when we work in collaboration with other humans and our planet to keep living and surviving. Or it can hurt us by driving us to be overly cautious, isolating, and paranoid. Our need for survival can also drive humans to do messed up things, like sacrifice others for just a little more time. Additionally, as humans, isolation is not conducive to our survival on this planet, so in isolating ourselves we are more likely to meet our end. Those not impacted by the curse of the knowledge of our mortality live their lives free from that burden, and cannot see death as it slowly approaches. Joy can be found in brief moments, in community, but our guard can never be down.
Millennial Support Systems and Absentee Parents
What we see in It Follows are support systems almost entirely absent of parents. At multiple points throughout the film we see the teenagers commenting on the absence of their parents. That they don’t care where they are, aren’t present in their lives, or are not protecting them in some way. Kelly comments on the fact her Mom is always asleep by 9pm so they won’t even know if they go out. Greg states that his mother wouldn’t care where he went or what he was doing. None of the young characters lean on their parents for support during the hard times they are experiencing. The parents main point of “support” is instilling problematic world views into their children, as Gabe mentions regarding fear of cities, and expected safety within suburbs. As this film centers on millennials, the friend group being the core support system makes a lot of sense. This can be easily seen in drinking trends across generations, which I will unpack further below.
What does alcohol have to do with It Follows? Let’s get into it. In an article on Collider titled 'It Follows' Ending Explained: What Does the Entity Really Represent? they comment on the absence of Jay and Kelly’s parents, stating: “The main lead of It Follows is Jay (Monroe)... lives at home with her rarely seen mother (it's hinted that her father is dead and her mother is an alcoholic).” Why does this matter? Because this was not something unique to Jay or this suburban town. It is in many ways an experience that millions of millennials can relate to. Support systems looked different for many teens during the 80s and 90s, who had parents struggling in their own ways, with their life choices, identities, and more. Many of these struggles found primarily with the boomer and gen x parents revolved around substance abuse as a way of coping with the realities of the world. As we saw in Heathers, many youth from Gen X struggled heavily with societal expectations, but did not have the tools of today’s internet to fully understand why on a systemic level. The viewpoints of their parents oftentimes trickled down to themselves as they didn’t have much to inform them alternatively. Additionally many Gen Xers struggled with mental health issues, living during the highest number of teen suicides. They witnessed their boomer parents struggle with alcoholism and drug use but without it being coined a problem. Mommy just likes to drink her wine, Daddy just likes to drink his beer. Sometimes Mommy takes a valium with her wine, it’s not a big deal, it keeps her from putting her head in the oven, so we aren’t going to talk about it. GenX witnessed the normalization of alcohol and drug use as a method for coping, and many unfortunately adapted that onto themselves. Socially, drinking, even in large unsafe amounts was seen as normal, perpetuated by television characters who always had drinks in their hands. This was also perpetuated, to a point, that many GenXers didn’t even know they had a drinking problem until they were much older, and information on Alcoholism was more widespread.
So how do generations differ when it comes to alcohol use? In an article titled Alcohol Consumption by Generation: What Are the Trends? On Reframe, they say: “While Gen Zers drink less than millennials, millennials are also drinking less than previous generations, including Baby Boomers and Generation X.” they go on to say: “Millennials are most likely to drink for social reasons, citing going out to bars and restaurants as an “important part” of how they socialize.” This aligns with what we see in It Follows, where drinking is done among friends. Gen Xers were statistically more likely to be solo drinkers, using alcohol as a means of relaxation and coping. They continue that “Generation X — those born between 1965 and 1980 — are heavier drinkers than Gen Zers and millennials. Research indicates that the percentage of Gen Xers who reported drinking alcohol in the past month increased from 56% in 2002 to 60% in 2014. More recently, studies show that 65% of Gen Xers consumed alcohol in the past month, compared with 53% of millennials.”
“Furthermore, a 2021 analysis found that 1 in 20 adults aged 65 or older had alcohol use disorder (AUD) in the past year. One survey determined that in the U.S. between 2001 and 2013, the rate of AUD increased 107% among people 65 and older. Sadly, the rate of alcohol-induced deaths in 2020 was highest among those aged 55-64 for both males and females.” We see this in the backdrop of It Follows, and while many of the characters in the film coped with this fairly well, we see the ways in which absentee parenting failed Greg, in that he did not have the protection or support from his mother throughout the film.
In another article titled The Impact of Substance Use Disorders on Families and Children: From Theory to Practice from the National Library of Medicine they state that in a study conducted in Soc Work Public Health. 2013. They say it was “estimated that more than eight million children younger than age 18 lived with at least one adult who has a SUD that is a rate of more than one in 10 children. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 2010). The studies of families with SUDs reveal patterns that significantly influence child development and the likelihood that a child will struggle with emotional, behavioral, or substance use problems (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2003). The negative impacts of parental SUDs on the family include disruption of attachment, rituals, roles, routines, communication, social life, and finances. Families in which there is a parental SUD are characterized by an environment of secrecy, loss, conflict, violence or abuse, emotional chaos, role reversal, and fear.” When unpacking all the data surrounding alcohol misuse in GenX and Baby Boomers, the backdrop for It Follows feels very intentional and very millennial as a film. All of the kids in the film had to take on the very real threats of the world mostly by themselves, or with their friends as an exclusive support system. This makes the film even more believable, as the characters faced a threat that was not able to be seen. That abuse is not exclusive to physical abuse, and that many millennials have a silent and invisible trauma that follows them for their entire lives.
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