My own personal experience with the modern horror renaissance that I believe we are still very deep into at this point dates back to 2015 when I saw a movie called It Follows. The sophomore effort by writer and director David Robert Mitchell — in which a young woman (played by Maika Monroe) becomes targeted by a shapeshifting entity after inheriting a sexually transmitted curse — was easily one of the best horror movies I had seen in a long time and remains a classic in my book. So going by this information alone, one might assume that I was delighted to hear Neon has greenlit a sequel called They Follow. Well, not quite.
To be perfectly honest, the announcement — which I discovered from an X post by Neon — put me at a frustrating crossroads. On one hand, I am happy to see that a film I regard as a terrifying modern masterpiece has gained a following (no pun intended) successful enough to inspire a continuation. But on the other hand, I believe its reputation as a terrifying modern masterpiece is exactly why it should be left alone. With They Follow now set to begin production in 2024 (per Variety), I guess I should take the time to figure out exactly how I feel about this upcoming horror movie by weighing out the pros and cons — starting with my biggest gripe.
