IT Follows – Blu-Ray Review

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Another superb release from Second Sight

itfollows

It Follows, from award-winning director David Robert Mitchell, is about to creep up and shock you with an immense new Limited Edition 4K UHD / Blu-ray dual release from Second Sight Films.

Care-free high school student Jay Height (Maika Monroe – Independence Day: Resurgence) has just started dating a ‘nice’ guy – Hugh (Jake Weary – Zombeavers), but they have sex, everything changes and life will never be the same again…

When she wakes up, she’s tied up in a deserted parking lot, where Hugh reveals his dark and disturbing secret… he’s passed on something unimaginable… a deadly curse that will see her relentlessly pursued by evil… A shape- shifting force It follows its victims and will stop at nothing to kill them. The only way to escape, is to pass it on to another person through sex…

A still from It Follows showing a girl in her underwear standing in the middle of a road.

If you’ve not seen It Follows before then this Second Sight release is the perfect first viewing, if you have seen it before then you’ll love this release and the package of extras contained within.

It Follows has always had discussion around it of if it is basically an allegory about AIDS or sexually transmitted disease. In fact even if the people who wrote and made the film say that’s what it was, people still argue both sides. However you look at it , it’s about the never ending pursuit of a killer that is unseen by all but the person it’s pursuing, and the person who gave it to them.

The film is beautifully shot with a fantastic soundtrack to accompany the visuals and this release really makes everything even more beautiful.

a still from It Follows showing the timeless nature of the film. The television is old and sat on top of another old television and the radio in the room is from a different time period as is the furniture.

The film is done so it has a timeless quality, there is old and new technology in it, with things like the shell phone being something that could be of the 50’s but is clearly a modern device. It all succeeds in adding to the uneasy feeling the characters must be experiencing being stalked by an invisible killer.

It Follows is a classic, and one that warrants repeat viewing with fantastic performances from the whole cast.

The brand-new Limited Edition is presented in a stunning box with new artwork by Thinh Dinh alongside a 150 page book, with new essays. There will also be Standard Editions in 4K/UHD and Blu-ray, and all versions come complete with a host of fantastic extras.

The main character of the film stands outside a run down house.

The extras supplied are really good, as we’ve come to expect from Second Sight releases.

Two fantastic commentaries, both interesting and give insight into the film that you will probably not have heard elsewhere unless you’re a complete It Follows super fan.

The audio commentary by Joshua Grimm starts off as it continues, quick and “fun”. Joshua is a professor at Louisiana State Uni who wrote a book on the film. He’s really interesting and puts across his love of the movie, and knowledge of the genre really well. He may not be to everybody’s taste but I really enjoyed this commentary, feel like I could listen to it as a podcast perfectly.

Audio commentary by Danny Leigh writer and journalist and Mark Jancovich lecturer at university of East Anglia. These two are a little stilted but give some good knowledge and say a lot of what you may have felt during your viewing of the movie. Both are really easy to understand too.

Chasing Ghosts: 19 minute interview with actor Keir Gilchrist. Decent, quick snappy talk.

Following: 12 minute interview with actor Olivia Luccardi. I sometimes think people doing these interviews years later can’t REALLY remember shooting them 😀

It’s in the House: 22 minute interview with Producer David Kaplan, interesting and he is quite good to listen to.

Composing a Masterpiece: 13 minute interview with composer Rich Vreeland, the sound is such an important part of It Follows so this is a great interview to include.

A Girl’s World: 24 minute interview with production designer Michael Perry. I always find production design interviews fascinating, this one is no different. The timeless look of the production makes this particularly interesting.

It Follows – The Architecture of Loneliness: 11 minute video essay by Joseph Wallace. A bit of an odd addition this, very much feels like it’s being read out by an ai. Interesting though, just odd.

So that’s the Blu-Ray. Easy to recommend and once you’ve watched it you’ll recommend it to your friends. In fact, it will become a little bit like the pursuer in the film…

Special Features

  • Dual format edition including both UHD and Blu-ray with main feature and bonus features on both discs
  • Second Sight Films 4K master produced in conjunction with the original post production facility
  • Approved by director David Robert Mitchell
  • UHD presented in Dolby Vision HDR
  • New Dolby Atmos audio track produced by Second Sight Films
  • New audio commentary by Joshua Grimm
  • Audio commentary by Danny Leigh and Mark Jancovich
  • Chasing Ghosts: a new interview with actor Keir Gilchrist
  • Following: a new interview with actor Olivia Luccardi
  • It’s in the House: an interview with Producer David Kaplan
  • Composing a Masterpiece: an interview with composer Rich Vreeland
  • A Girl’s World: an interview with production designer Michael Perry
  • It Follows – The Architecture of Loneliness: a video essay by Joseph Wallace

Ltd Edition Contents

Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Thinh Dinh
150 page book with new essays by Anne Billson, Martyn Conterio, Kat Ellinger, Eugenio Ercolani, Matt Glasby, Kat Hughes, Jennie Kermode and Katie Rife
Six collectors’ art cards

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