The haunted house story is one of the oldest narrative formulas in horror, so it stands to reason that it’s also one of the hardest sub-genres to innovate in. From Indian cemeteries to cursed bloodlines, it feels like we’ve seen every possible combination of the supernatural horrors that lurk within dilapidated houses and lonely apartment complexes.
Yet, we still see the occasional brave filmmaker who’s willing to try and turn these overly familiar tropes on their collective heads by either defying audience expectations or delivering uniquely chilling retellings of tried-and-true scares. In the case of Ximena García Lecuona and Eduardo Lecuona’s No Me Sigas (Don’t Follow Me), a Blumhouse-produced haunted apartment thriller from Mexico, the creative duo opted to combine Lovecraftian lore with internet-inspired flair in order to make their debut thriller stand out.
Quietly released last month, No Me Sigas tells the story of up-and-coming influencer Carla (Carla Coronado) and her unhealthy fascination with the paranormal while living in an old apartment building with a dark past. When Carla’s videos about the increasingly freaky supernatural occurrences within her home start going viral, she soon realizes that there’s a dark side to becoming the center of attention.
On the technical side of things, No Me Sigas combines found footage scares with screenlife recordings and traditional filmmaking, with the film constantly jumping from in-world camera sources and smartphone screens to surprisingly atmospheric cinematography.
This unusual mix of styles is likely to divide audiences, as the hybrid format is something of a controversial choice among fans of found footage cinema. Personally, I’m of the opinion that the most important aspect of found footage is viewer immersion, with this immersion often becoming diluted when filmmakers add non-diegetic recordings to the mix (as the combination tends to remind audiences that they’re watching a fictional movie and not a real source of scares caught on tape). And even I have to admit that the Lecuona duo makes the most of this unorthodox blend of techniques when crafting jump-scares that feel like they were lifted straight out of an especially terrifying YouTube compilation of “Real Ghost Sightings”.
It’s really the film’s style that won me over in this regard, with the directors making the most of dilapidated urban environments and moody lighting to make the haunted apartment feel like a living, breathing space regardless of the filming style. The textures are so grimy and the rooms so lived-in that it’s often hard to tell exactly what was crafted by the art department and what was the result of a fortunately gloomy location.
The scares themselves are also pretty memorable, and I especially enjoyed the use of hidden figures in the background of pictures and videos that could only be seen when our main character messed with the image settings after the fact. While some of these scares are ultimately sabotaged by an unfortunate lack of subtlety, the “ghost” appearances are consistently frightening and always make sense within the story.
It’s also during these moments that you really understand why the Lecuonas opted to include found footage elements here in the first place, as the added grit and believability of low-fi video and POV angles add a lot to the scare-factor while also fitting with the subject matter. That being said, I still think it would have been possible (and maybe preferable) to tell this same story as a completely diegetic found footage movie, especially since the flick boasts such a strong lead with a clear motivation for filming.
In fact, Karla Coronado’s performance holds the entire movie together, with her believable take on a flawed yet fascinating influencer grounding the ghosts and goblins in something palpable. You may not always agree with Carla’s obsessive methods or the way she deals with her influencer best friend Sam (charmingly played by Julia Maqueo), but she’s compelling enough of a protagonist that it’s easy to sympathize with her deteriorating mental state even when she tells a story about killing small animals in a microwave.
While genre movies tend to get a bit heavy-handed with their depictions of online culture and characters obsessed with likes and followers, I’d argue that No Me Sigas offers a refreshingly grounded take on the paranormal side of YouTube that won’t make younger viewers groan at any blatant inaccuracies or cringeworthy dialogue.
My only real gripe with the experience is that the Lovecraftian spin on the story (which is mostly explored during the final act) could have benefited from further build-up earlier in the movie. That’s not to say that the twist is ineffective, but the story ideas presented here are so interesting that it’s a shame the film doesn’t explore them further before that gut-wrenching finale.
No Me Sigas may not completely reinvent the haunted house wheel, with the film suffering from its fair share of familiar tropes and the occasional missed narrative opportunity, but there’s enough creativity here to keep even veteran horror hounds entertained. So if you’re in the mood for an urban ghost story with plenty of atmosphere and a charismatic lead, Blumhouse’s first foray into Mexican-based productions should definitely be on your radar!
No Me Sigas is currently available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu.
