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[Review] ‘It Follows’ Is a Classical Horror Masterpiece

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It Follows

It Follows is this year’s The Babadook, and that’s both a blessing and a curse.

The blessing is that It Follows is a tremendous horror acheivement, while the curse is, well, now it’s overhyped. The biggest difference between Babadook and It Follows, though, is that the latter is a modern genre masterpiece.

Following up Mike Pereira’s rave review isn’t going to be an easy task, so we’ll keep this simple…

How’s this for a quick sell: It Follows is as if David Robert Mitchell directed the Halloween remake (only Michael Myers is a succubus), and then added elements from films like The Ring and A Nightmare On Elm Street.

Jay (played by Maika Monroe, who is absolutely fantastic) has a pretty weird date, one that ends in some hot car sex. Instead of cuddling, her new hubby knocks her out, and takes her to an abandoned structure. There, she awakens tied to a wheelchair (see the above image). Her capturer is forcing Jay (along with the audience) to be introduced to “It”, while also sharing the “rules”. This kid was infected with a curse (like The Ring), and now he has passed it into? onto Jay. “It” is coming. “It” won’t stop following Jay until she’s dead, or until she passes the curse onto someone else. From here, things play out a bit like Halloween, as “It” stalks her, but also more like Elm Street where the “crazy” protagonist must convince his/her friends that they aren’t headed to the looney bin.

Simply put, It Follows becomes a shared nightmare.

While most filmmakers would try and give homage to their favorite horror films (yawn), Mitchell evokes the emotion, aesthetic and vibe of the classics, while injecting his own personailty into it. In essense, he’s furthering the genre.

There’s a bit of gore, here and there, but mostly it will make the viewer’s skin crawl. And even though the film is riddled with serious inconsistencies and plot holes (it’s best to just experience it and not think too much about it), It Follows is easily one of the most suspensful and scary movies in recent memory.

It Follows is classical horror, and deserves to be sculpted into the Mount Rushmore of horror alongside other greats.

Horror movie fanatic who co-founded Bloody Disgusting in 2001. Producer on Southbound, V/H/S/2/3/94, SiREN, Under the Bed, and A Horrible Way to Die. Chicago-based. Horror, pizza and basketball connoisseur. Taco Bell daily. Franchise favs: Hellraiser, Child's Play, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Scream and Friday the 13th. Horror 365 days a year.

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“Bite Size Short: Her House of Horrors” Announce Short Grant Program!

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Her House of Horrors, the horror division of Independent Production House WOMXNOGRAPHY, has launched its Bite Size Short Grant Program, ahead of its film festival Dollhouse of Horror, which will take place in March 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.

The Bite Size Short Grant Program awards $2,000 film grants to female-identifying and queer horror filmmakers. Shorts must be able to be made for $2,000, with a minimum runtime of 8 minutes. Submissions are now open on Filmfreeway, and are being judged by a panel of horror lovers and content creators.

The 2024 Bite Size Short Grant Program judge lineup is as follows:

“James H. Carter II- A documentary director, film producer, podcaster, marketing specialist, and writer. James is the founder and co-owner of Creepy Kingdom. Creepy Kingdom was founded in 2011 and is a multimedia website, and production studio specializing in creepy content. Their primary focus lies at the intersection of childlike fantasy and the macabre, covering horror films, theme parks, haunts, and much more. Beyond their extensive media coverage, Creepy Kingdom hosts events, offers original merchandise, and engages in film production under the Creepy Kingdom Studios brand producing original films like “Foolish Mortals”, exploring Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” fan culture, and “Georgie”, featuring Tony Dakota from the original “It” miniseries.

“In addition to founding Creepy Kingdom, James has won awards for his documentary work, including the award-winning “Foolish Mortals,” which has earned him recognition. He has been featured on Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween special.

“Ashleeta Beauchamp is the editor-in-chief of Peek-A-Boo! Magazine, a cheeky horror magazine created to uplift marginalized writers, artists, models and other creators within the horror community. She also runs The Halloween Coalition, a community group to provide support and marketing for horror and Halloween events around the Southern California area.

“Titeanya Rodríguez is a multi-hyphenate creative, and the founder and owner of HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, home of DOLLHOUSE OF HORROR and the horror division of WOMXNOGRAPHY. As a fellow storyteller and a self-proclaimed artivist, Titeanya’s mission is to create opportunities for women of color and queer women, across film, tv, sports, music, and beyond. She is also the creator of the BITE SIZE SHORT grant program.”

Winners will have a one-night theatrical screening at Regal Cinemas. Submissions Close April 8 at Midnight. Winners will be announced on May 27, 2024. Shorts must be shot and through post-production by June 30, 2024. The screening will take place on July 8, 2024, in Los Angeles, CA.

WOMXNOGRAPHY, HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, and Rodriguez are represented by Azhar PR, Granderson Des Rochers, and Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir.

To submit your short to the Bite Size Short Grant Program, go to the FilmFreeway link here.

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