'IT FOLLOWS' and the Triumphant Return of the Ghost Story

~I do not resort to plot spoilers as I merely seek to put words to my experience of the film while giving nods to the technique of some the individuals involved.~

If ye want a different cinema-going experience. See 'IT FOLLOWS'. Fans of good film will experience emotions of excitement and dread they haven't felt from a film in years. The youthful fans of modern horror will experience the lost art of the slow burn they never knew existed. Perhaps they will wonder how Director David Robert Mitchell achieved such scares without filling the place with 'boo' moments and more importantly, with no desensitizing amount of gore. The symbolism abound hither and thither is delicious; ripe for the viewer's imagination to emboss hers/ his own fears of whatever encroaches about the periphery be it adulthood, droughts, sickness. It is a masterpiece of horror BUT unlike the other films in the genre these days it feels more akin to the suspenseful and experimental years of the first 'Halloween' and 'The Omen'- A TIME when one could still link horror to society's great tradition of GHOST STORIES. And like the best ghost stories, Mitchell's tale confidently declares a knack for taking a sense of dread and pulling it taught to a fun and delightful breaking point. His wide shots are gorgeous and play into the real star of the movie- the ATMOSPHERE! I cannot write another word without genuflecting to the towering score by Disasterpiece whose homage to vintage John Carpenter is nothing short of breath-taking. This Music elevates a great film into the stratosphere as precious few film scores these days do {save for the likes of 'The Social Network' or 'Birdman'}. I must commend Mitchell for controlling every part of this film most notably any chance for current teen-pop culture to creep in. He has lined the props with a flare for the retrotrash that I'm sure any self respecting hipster will appreciate. The result is an immersive experience wherein even the filmmaking seems to harken back to another time much like JC Chandor achieved with 'A Most Violent Year'. Were I ever to write a personal philosophy- ye can be assured that I would inscribe an entire chapter just on the importance of a good olde ghost story in everyone's life now and then. 'It Follows' is simply told, passionately presented and wondrously exciting.~