John Carpenter may not be making movies anymore, but it kinda feels like he is.
Many horror films that have come along in recent years have been heavily influenced by the work of John Carpenter, with his incredible scores being a particular source of inspiration for filmmakers who grew up admiring his work. Recent movies such as The Guest, The Void, and even The Hateful Eight owe a debt to Carpenter, and It Follows falls into that same camp.
Directed by David Robert Mitchell, the critically acclaimed 2014 film centered on a young woman being pursued by a relentless supernatural force in suburbia, calling to mind the general plot of slasher films like Halloween. And It Follows certainly *felt* like Halloween in more ways than one, thanks to a retro synth score and an overall atmosphere that reminded many of Carpenter’s seminal slasher.
The atmospheric connections between Halloween and It Follows are explored in a new video essay put together by Alessio Marinacci. If you didn’t pick up on the Carpenter influence while watching It Follows, it sure is made clear when you watch sequences from the two films cut together side-by-side.
Check it out below!