It Follows (2014)

Written and Directed by David Robert Mitchell

Starring Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Jake Weary and Daniel Zovatto

A young woman is followed by an unknown supernatural force after getting involved an innocent sexual encounter.

When I first heard about this movie, I had no interest in seeing it whatsoever. But when it came out, I heard only good things. Everyone told me I should go see this movie. And what I watched on that screen was exactly what I thought it would be. It was just OK.

This movie was nothing spectacular, like I had been told. It was your average horror movie with young adults having sex and being stupid in creepy (not even scary) situations. The entity that followed the main character around was less intimidating than a spider. They stated several times "it only walks, no matter how fast you travel". I've had more intense chase sequences in Mario Kart.

"Why's it taking so long to get here?"

This film is not without it's positives. While at it's core, it is just your average horror movie, the plot is actually quite unique and at times it is quite suspenseful. It's just nothing to write home about. Granted, while I do see a lot of horror movies, I am rarely impressed with them. It's just not a genre that I love. I love them when they're great, but that's rare for me. So perhaps I'm not the best judge for horror movies.

My Rating: 6/10

Open Windows (2014)

Written and Directed by Nacho Vigalondo

Starring Elijah Wood, Sasha Grey, Neil Maskell and Adam Quintero

A jilted fan finds himself pulled into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse after he accepts the opportunity to spy on his favorite actress via his laptop. A skilled hacker works his way into every aspect of the fan's life in order to control him throughout the night.

This movie is definitely interesting. It takes the fear of hackers and their obsessions with actresses and displays their computer onto the big screen. Filmed and edited entirely to only show the open windows (OH, I GET IT!) of programs on a computer desktop, the action never cuts away from what the protagonist is looking at on his screen. 

Instead, the director chose to only move from window to window, looking into various programs, phone calls and videos. The style of this movie is undeniably unique. And one that I feel will be copied in future movies. But that is where the positives end for this movie.

Sorry, Elijah

The entire plot seemed like it was attempting to be convoluted in order to impress, but rather than achieve that, it just felt simple and convenient. Many of the things that the computer hackers were doing  seemed overly fictitious and made up for the sole purpose of making the style this was made in less boring.

Topped off with terrible acting (Elijah Wood excluded), this movie had little going for it other than the unique filming style. If you want to watch a decent thriller film with a unique filming style, that happens to be starring Elijah Wood, might I suggest 2012's "Maniac". It's not amazing, but if you're looking for those criteria, that is a much better choice.

My Rating: 3/10