I've loved It Follows since it came out and I'm happy to report it still holds up nearly a decade later. It has an interesting story, the actors do a fine job, and it's pretty scary, but what makes it so special is its style, courtesy of David Robert Mitchell's excellent directing and the perfect synth score by Disasterpeace (seriously, this has the best horror soundtrack I've ever heard outside of John Carpenter's Halloween). Plus, it takes place in and around Detroit and uses the city's blight and decay to great effect. In short, it's about the vibes.

What struck me this time around is Mitchell's playing with typical horror convention regarding teens and sexuality. This is very much a horror movie about teenagers having sex, yet it's as passionless and un-sexy in tone as possible. I think there are three sex scenes total, but you don't see much of anything and the characters don't really even enjoy it that much. The only time we see any nudity is when the titular "It" -- basically a shapeshifting, anthropomorphic STD that follows you around and kills you unless you pass it along via sex -- takes the form of ghoulish naked bodies, which are definitely not hot. It's a smart take on what could easily have been a horny fuckfest.

In closing, It Follows absolutely rules and I'm sad it isn't often talked about with the same reverence as other 2010s "elevated horror" films like The Babadook, The Witch, Get Out, and Hereditary. It's a damn shame because this flick is a work of art and I'm proud to say I believe it's one of the best horror movies ever.