Horror movies have played with all kinds of creepy concepts like haunted houses and demonic dolls. But It Follows hits different. It doesn’t rely on loud jump scares or monsters leaping out from the shadows. Instead, it plants a chilling idea of a supernatural curse following you. That's something really unique done by David Robert Mitchell, the director and writer of the movie.
In It Follows, the fear doesn’t come from gore or ghosts. It comes from something much scarier. The idea that no matter where you go, something is always coming after you. The curse takes its time to take its toll on you, but with time, everything and everyone around you starts getting creepier and creepier. That’s the curse at the heart of this story, and it’s one that gets under your skin the more you think about it.
The curse that follows you wherever you go
So here’s how the curse works in the simplest way. It’s like a supernatural infection that spreads through sex. Once you sleep with someone who’s “infected,” the curse passes to you. From that moment on, something starts following you. It could look like a stranger, a friend, or even a loved one. But it will walk straight toward you, slow, steady, and never-ending. If it catches you, you die. There are no dramatic flashes or screams, just a brutal, silent end.
Only the cursed person can feel it, and that makes everything worse. You could be in a room full of people, and no one else would even notice this thing walking straight toward you. And if it kills you, the curse jumps back to the person who passed it to you. It’s a never-ending cycle unless someone manages to pass it along fast enough. But even then, you’re never really safe. What’s scary is that the curse always knows where you are. It could show up in your school, your house, a crowded street, or anywhere you go.
The deeper meaning behind it all
On the surface, It Follows is about a creepy curse. But many viewers believe it’s also a metaphor for something bigger. Some say it represents sexually transmitted diseases, like HIV or other infections. Others think it’s more about the fear of adulthood, responsibility, or even death itself; something that follows everyone, sooner or later.
The film never tells you what to believe, which is part of its genius. It leaves just enough clues to make you think, but not enough to give you a final answer. The curse doesn’t speak, nor does it explain. It simply exists, and that blank space allows the audience to fill in their own meaning.
There’s also a lot of emotion tied up in the way the characters react. Jay, the main character, goes from being scared and confused to determined and calm, giving her impressive growth. It feels like the movie is silently teaching us to face our fears, learning what they mean, and finding a way to live with them.
It Follows is currently available to stream on Max.