The cast of It Follows is not filled with huge names, but each one of them delivers a stellar and typically understated performance. Maika Monroe (now known for Longlegs) plays our chief protagonist, someone whose recent lovemaking has made her the target of this film’s relentless, malevolent force. Keir Gilchrist and Olivia Luccardi play friends who may or may not be able to help her survive, and Jake Weary plays the scheming boyfriend who passes this creepy curse onto Monroe’s character in the first place.
Beyond its great cast, a big part of what makes It Follows so brilliant is how it transforms the “have s*x and die” formula of classic horror movies into some fresh and horrifying. The movie makes the most out of the ethical quandary at its core: nobody wants to die, but the only way to survive is to effectively sentence someone else to death. The characters also struggle with really practical questions, including how to capture or kill a monster that only the infected can even see.