History Film / ItFollows

** The scene where It, in the guise of Greg's mother, rapes Greg to death is filmed the same way as Calder's possession by the two women in ''Film/PrinceOfDarkness'' (though, there, it's a KissOfDeath).

* InterplayOfSexAndViolence: TheMovie. Notable examples include Its near-constant nakedness, [[spoiler:Greg getting raped to death, Annie being in her underwear and possibly also violently raped to death (causing her leg to be cracked off), and Hugh chloroforming Jay right after they have sex]], aside from the premise itself.

* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: At least some bearers of the "curse" have knowingly passed it on without prior warning or subsequent explanation, meaning even if the sex is consensual, the consequences are not. Also. "It" seems to kill its victims with rape, which makes its slow inevitability all the more horrifying.

* CombatPragmatist: While it is implied to prefer raping victims to death, in the climax, [[spoiler:It cannot reach Jay directly without risking electrocution, and so it settles for trying to electrocute her in her own trap.]]

In October 2023, a sequel entitled ''They Follow'' was announced, with Mitchell returning as writer-director and Monroe returning as the star. Filming will reportedly begin in 2024.

In October 2023, a sequel entitled ''They Follow'' was announced, with Mitchell and Monroe confirmed to be returning; filming will reportedly begin in 2024.

In October 2023, a sequel entitled ''They Follow'' was announced, with Mitchell and Monroe returning; filming will reportedly begin in 2024.

A sequel, entitled ''They Follow,'' was announced for a 2024 release.

* AThreesomeIsHot: Averted. Jay sees some guys partying on a boat and swims out to them, implying she intends to have sex with one or more of them to buy herself time. We don't see any of the "action," just Jay weeping in her car afterwards.

* AThreesomeIsHot: Averted. Jay sees some guys partying on a boat and swims out to them, implying she intends to have sex with one or more of them to buy herself time. We don't see any of the "action," just Jay weeping in her car afterwards at what she's been reduced to doing to survive.

* TrueCompanions: Jay's sister Kelly friends Paul and Yara, and neighbor and OldFlame Greg all stick by her side in the aftermath of her trauma, and when the supernatural horror is proven to exist none of them hesitate to guard her and confront it with her. Unudually for a horror/slasher film, there is not a single coward or traitor in the bunch.

* DaylightHorror: It appears and attacks in daytime and well as at nighttime.

** The film's StepfordSuburbia aesthetic and synth-heavy soundtrack feel like an homage to ''Film/Halloween1978''. The scene in which 'It' comes after Jay as she looks out of the window of the classroom at her school is very similar to the scene in which Laurie looks out of the classroom window and sees Michael Myers staring at her. There's also the use of old movies on the television, which was a memorable feature of ''Halloween''. It also pays homage to the invincible killer like Michael Myers who hates sex, although It is literally supernatural and passed along via sex.

* ShoutOut:
** The angle of Jay getting dressed in her pink dress for her date, looking at herself in the mirror and putting makeup on, calls back to ''Film/Carrie1976'', when Carrie is getting ready for the prom.
** ''Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet1984''
*** A nightmarish scene where Jay flees out of class and runs into a couple of girls who can't see It (an old woman) is a shout out to a scene in the film where Nancy also runs out of class and sees Freddy in the corridor in the guise of someone else and her murdered friend in a body bag. So is the scene where Jay runs across the street to try and save her dark-haired hookup who's unaware in his bedroom that It is coming for him, reminiscent of Nancy running around the neighborhood to try and save Glen as Freddy goes for him in his bedroom.
*** Greg's death, which mirrors Glen's death (note the names). Nancy tries to call Glen, who lives down the street, only to realize that he's fallen asleep, so she runs over to try and save him. Jay lives across the street from Greg and notices It breaking into his house. She runs over there to try and save him, but is also too late.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: Jay is barefoot in easily three-quarters of her scenes. Justified in that most of those scenes involve her at home, in bed, at the beach, or swimming.

* ConvenientPhotograph: Hugh aka Jeff just happens to leave a photograph in a porn magazine that shows him with Annie (who [[RewatchBonus the audience may recognize]] as the opening victim). The part important to Jay and her friends is that Jeff happens to be wearing a letterman jacket in the photograph, allowing them to track him down from the school's information.

* EasilyForgiven: Jeff[=/=]Hugh is probably one of the most egregious examples ever. If nothing else, the main characters could have easily had him locked up for [[spoiler:chloroforming and kidnapping Jay,]] which would have effectively been a death sentence for him if anything happened to her. Instead, they rather casually talk to him on his lawn with virtually no animosity. While it could be argued that this is sensible because he's being stalked by a murderous abomination, the extreme violence of him [[spoiler:abducting her and chloroforming her]] is horrific.

* ItCanThink: Jeff[=/=]Hugh warns Jay early on never to enter a room with only a single exit, given "It" is "slow, but not dumb." "It" seems to be mindlessly driven to a victim and pays little attention to who or what is in the way. [[spoiler:But during the pool scene, it seems that "It" knows a trap has been set and tries to kill Jay through the very means meant to kill "It".]]

* ADateWithRosiePalms: [[ImpliedTrope Implied]]. When Jay and her friends locate the derelict house [[spoiler:that Jeff[=/=]Hugh was staying in]], Paul comes across a stack of porno magazines... surrounded by balled-up tissues.

* GenreThrowback: The whole movie is based on the DeathBySex and OminousWalk trope of the SlasherMovie genre. [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9e/It_Follows_%28poster%29.jpg The films' debut poster invokes the "80s horror movie" brilliantly.]]

* {{Homage}}: The film's StepfordSuburbia aesthetic and synth-heavy soundtrack feel like an homage to ''Film/Halloween1978''. The scene in which 'It' comes after Jay as she looks out of the window of the classroom at her school is very similar to the scene in which Laurie looks out of the classroom window and sees Michael Myers staring at her. There's also the use of old movies on the television, which was a memorable feature of ''Halloween''. It also pays homage to the invincible killer like Michael Myers who hates sex, although It is literally supernatural and passed along via sex.

-->--'''Hugh'''

* BareYourMidriff: Yara towards the end of the film. She usually dresses more conservatively.

* MonochromeCasting: Aside from a few background characters, everyone is white, even the various forms It takes. Kind of strange for a movie that takes place in Detroit.

->''"You're not going to believe me. But I need you to remember what I'm saying. Okay? This thing. It's going to follow you. Somebody gave it to me. And I passed it to you. Back in the car. It could look like someone you know. Or it could be a stranger in a crowd. Whatever helps it to get close to you. It could look like anyone. But there is only one of it. And sometimes...sometimes I think it looks like people you love. Just to hurt you. [...] You get rid of it, okay? Just sleep with someone as soon as you can. Just pass it along. If it kills you, it'll come after me. Do you understand?"''

* HornyDevils: "Its" murder method of choice is rape. However, it doesn't appear to actually rape its victims to death so much as rape them and they simply... stop living, though given what happened to Annie "It" might also use its monstrous strength.

* AdultsAreUseless: All of the main characters are in their late teens/early twenties and live with their parents, who are barely present and are oblivious to the situation. Kelly and Jay's mom is implied to be an alcoholic, although some scenes do show that she cares for her girls (or at least, Jay). Her father [[spoiler: is implied to be an AbusiveParent, if the FinalBattle is any indication]]. Greg's relationship with his mom is indifferent at best. Even Anne, at the very beginning, doesn't enlist her father's help; [[JustifiedTrope she spares him, at the very least, third degree burns]].

* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Jay gets a cast on her arm, a few scrapes on her elbows and a bandage on her eyebrow, but otherwise remains perfectly attractive through her trials.

* CloseOnTitle: The Title happens only after the film is over. [[spoiler: Especially because [[TheEndOrIsIt that's the last thing we see]] ''[[ParanoiaFuel someone]]'' [[TheEndOrIsIt doing]] to Jay and Paul.]]
* CombatPragmatist: While it is implied to prefer raping victims to death, in the climax [[spoiler:It cannot reach Jay directly without risking electrocution, and so it settles for trying to electrocute her in her own trap.]]

* CreepyChild: The form "It" takes when Jay and friends are in the cabin at the beach, as it climbs through the hole in the door. [[spoiler: Also, if you look closely, this form is of the [[ThePeepingTom young voyeuristic neighbour]] who is seen spying on Jay a few times.]]

* ADateWithRosiePalms: [[ImpliedTrope Implied]]. When Jay and her friends locate the derelict house [[spoiler: that Jeff[=/=]Hugh was staying in]], Paul comes across a stack of porno magazines... surrounded by balled-up tissues.

** [[spoiler: Greg’s]] death = Oedipus
** [[spoiler: The pool trap = suicide via bathtub and electrical appliance]]
** [[spoiler: The pool filling with It’s blood = the relief of a period following unprotected sex]]
** [[spoiler: It’s partially naked form = slut shaming / rape victim]]
** [[spoiler: The garage scene where It’s giant form smashes a hole in the door, followed by It changing into a child and crawling through the hole = pregnancy by rape]]
** [[spoiler: It is invisible to anyone not affected by the curse = bystanders having difficulties relating to the victim’s experiences.]]
** [[spoiler: The first time It assumes its giant form. Right before Jay closes her bedroom door, It is in its half naked form, which while creepy, doesn’t seem like an impossible adversary... cue the short feeling of relief as Jay’s friends enter the room, followed by a giant stranger who is significantly more imposing. It's like the visual representation of a potential victim putting a barrier between themselves and an attacker, and the attacker is able to physically defeat the barrier.]]

* EasilyForgiven: Jeff[=/=]Hugh is probably one of the most egregious examples ever. If nothing else, the main characters could have easily had him locked up for [[spoiler:chloroforming and kidnapping Jay,]] which would have effectively been a death sentence for him if anything happened to her. Instead, they rather casually talk to him on his lawn with virtually no animosity. While it could be argued that this is sensible because he's being stalked by a murderous abomination, the extreme violence of him [[spoiler: abducting her and chloroforming her]] is horrific.

* TheEndOrIsIt: [[spoiler: Paul shoots It in the pool, causing Jay to see a gigantic cloud of blood permeate the pool. Whether It has been destroyed is unclear. Jay and Paul have sex, and in the final scene, they walk down a sidewalk with a person far down the road following them. Whether it's It or not is left ambiguous.]]

** While none of the sex scenes in this film are played for {{Fanservice}}, the second one, in which [[spoiler:Jay and Greg have sex]], is uncomfortable to watch because [[spoiler: Jay is only doing it to pass It onto Greg, essentially giving him a death sentence. She looks anguished during the act. Not to mention, they're doing it in a ''hospital bed,'' which is pretty unappealing by itself ''and'' Jay has been in the hospital for quite some time and is terrified that It will appear at any time]].
* ForTheEvulz: When Jeff[=/=]Hugh is first explaining the nature of "It" to Jay, he speculates that the entity sometimes appears as someone its target knows or loves, just to hurt them. This later seems to be the case, as "It" appears to Jay as her (implied to be abusive) father, the peeping tom child, either one of her grandparents, and [[spoiler: Yara]].

** Hugh explains that "It" can look like anybody, whether it's a complete stranger, somebody you know, or even a loved one; whatever lets "It" get close enough to its victims. [[spoiler: When "It" kills Greg, "It" has taken the form of his mother.]]

* HornyDevils: "Its" murder method of choice is rape. However, it doesn't appear to actually rape its victims to death so much as rape them and they simply... stop living, though given what happened to Annie "It" might also use its monstrous strength.
* HorrorHatesARulebreaker: Effectively turns this trope into a metaphor for an STD. Having sex with someone carrying the curse passes it on, causing a malicious spirit (taking the form of a random bystander, and only visible to anyone cursed) to relentlessly stroll towards you, killing you if it catches up and moving back to stalking whoever passed it on. The only solution is to keep moving, or pass it on and hope for the best.

* InterplayOfSexAndViolence: TheMovie. Notable examples include Its near-constant nakedness, [[spoiler: Greg getting raped to death, Annie being in her underwear and possibly also violently raped to death (causing her leg to be cracked off), and Hugh chloroforming Jay right after they have sex]], aside from the premise itself.

* InvincibleBoogeymen: "It" always knows where its targets are, it can't be seen by anyone except its future victims, and nothing can stop its pursuit: sooner or later, it always catches up. The only way to escape is to have sex with someone and spread the curse to them, or spend the rest of your life on the run.

** Masterfully subverted. After seemingly spotting It in her house, Jay runs upstairs in terror and locks herself in her room. When her friends plead with her to let her in, she eventually opens the door and...it's them, not the monster. While comforting her, they suddenly hear a knock on the door, and grab things to defend themselves before opening the door, and...there's still no monster there. It's just Yara, another one of Jay's friends, [[spoiler: and as Yara asks what's wrong, with no warning or ScareChord whatsoever, a seven-foot tall eyeless '''monster''' of a man calmly walks towards her in the dead center of the frame [[EmergingFromTheShadows straight out of the shadows behind Yara ]].]]
** Played straight at a few other times, though, like the ball that hits Jay's window when she's recovering from [[spoiler: being kidnapped by Hugh]], and the sudden cut from Annie on the beach to her mutilated corpse.

** Hugh (a.k.a. Jeff) doesn't just pass It onto Jay. He passes it onto her, [[spoiler: chloroforms her, abducts her, ties her up and forces her to look at It]]. While some of this may be justifiable due to circumstances, it's unnecessarily violent.

* LightIsNotGood: Whenever "It" is personally seen "It"'s either in the nude or wearing undergarments or sleepwear that is colored heavily white, which adds to the unearthly appearance. "It" apparently can show up in clothing other than this as well [[spoiler: as early on it's hinted that "It" was a woman in a yellow dress Jeff[=/=]Hugh could see but Jay couldn't.]] This is what also lends some ambiguity to the ending when [[spoiler: a figure can be seen following Jay and Paul, as he's clearly wearing casual clothing including jeans and a black jacket, but also a white shirt very similar to the color of clothing "It" is usually seen in.]]

** There is also a case of Meaningful Background Noise at the very beginning. [[spoiler: We hear the door to Annie's house open twice while she's walking away, but we only see her father outside.]]

* MoodWhiplash:
** After Jay and Jeff[=/=]Hugh have sex, Jay lies on her stomach in the back of the car, smiling contentedly and talking about her young fantasies of what her romantic life would be like. Then Hugh joins her and seems to start cuddling up to her... then [[spoiler: he suddenly chloroforms her]].
** Immediately after Jay has an extremely close encounter with the entity in her own home, there's a bit of comic relief as we see some of her neighbors watching in confusion as she dives out the window and makes her escape down the street on a child's bicycle.

** The film slowly ratchets up its tension levels via carefully-timed scene placement, so that by the midway point a genuine uncertainty and dread has latched onto all the participating characters.

** Some shots go on for a long time, usually the panning shots. In fact, the very first shot after the opening titles is one of these, starting with a pan across the street to Annie's house, and ending when Annie drives off. Later, [[NothingIsScarier there is a slow pan around a school corridor]] when Jay and Greg try to track down Jeff[=/=]Hugh [[spoiler: and you can see - though the camera shows it no favour - "It" walking off of the campus pavement toward the door of the hallway bearing the school records room in which Jay and friends are doing research]].

* RightThroughHisPants: Greg doesn't even pretend to remove his shorts before climbing under the hospital blanket to have sex with Jay. There isn't even a pause to indicate he got them off first. Jay also apparently has sex through her panties at the beginning of the movie, and later It [[spoiler: dry-humps Greg to death.]]

* SexSignalsDeath: [[spoiler: A more literal example than most. When you pass It to someone else, it's essentially a death sentence unless you tell your partner what's going to happen. Also how possibly how It kills; it's sort of hard to tell]].
* ShoutOut

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: The kids deploy quite a collection of electric devices in the pool to kill It. But the pool is far too enormous for this trick to work anyway, best case, and they use strips that have breakers. And also, It starts throwing these devices into the pool at Jay, most of the time ripping the devices out of their sockets anyway.

* TheTeaser

* TraumaSwing: After the terrifying home invasion incident, Jay escapes and ends up on a swing in a playground.
* TrueCompanions: Jay's sister Kelly friends Paul and Yara, and neighbor and OldFlame Greg all stick by her side in the aftermath of her trauma, and when the supernatural horror is proven to exist none of them hesitate to guard her and confront it with her. Unudually for a horror/slasher film, there is not a single coward or traitor in the bunch.

* {{Tuckerization}}: On top of everything listed under {{Homage}}, Jay is named after Creator/JamieLeeCurtis (Laurie Strode) and Jay's sister Kelly is named after Curtis's real-life sister.

** Invoked after Jay and Hugh have sex. Jay is peacefully monologuing...then Hugh crawls up behind her and [[spoiler: suffocates her with chloroform]].