Student Film Reviews

Film reviews from theaters, couches, and film festivals

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1. Angela Ostermeier 11.18.14 / 7pm

   WOW! I really enjoyed your review and the fact that you made it so short and sweet without giving too much detail about the story line. I’ve been looking for a good scary movie to watch with my boyfriend and I think that this one will be our next film. I also like that you mentioned mise-en-scene in the film because a movie without any sense of direction or purpose for why this is this and that is that isn’t worth watching. Thanks for the review.
2. brandon aguilera 03.13.15 / 11pm

   Your review of the film was very well written. It lets the reader know just enough information to make them want to know more and want to watch the movie. I actually watched the movie with my girlfriend and I must admit it did leave us feeling very creeped out and questioning what diseases are out there. However we would have not watched the movie if it not for your very well written review. Thank you for taking the time in writing this review, it really makes the reader want to watch the film.
3. Reiko KannoHeartland 11.20.15 / 3pm

   Great review with many detailed technical terms, Dana! I saw this movie last week. As I never enjoy horror movies because it scares me too much, this film is definitely the one! The sound with a super crisp image works so well, I couldn’t take a deep breath ’till the end. The story line is not what I expected, and could add more creepiness for the audience.
4. jackjpage 03.11.16 / 10pm

   I loved this movie, the soundtrack and directing gave it a very indie and retro vibe. It almost seemed like a movie by Danish director Nicholas Refn Winding, who did Drive and Valhalla Rising. The director uses very long and slow panning shots to build suspense and honestly gives the viewer almost a sense of hopelessness because the camera can’t and won’t pan in time to see the outcome of a scare scene, until the camera cuts to the aftermath. The whole plot is a very new and fresh take on the horror genre, which has been bogged down by zombies and newly wed couples who move into haunted houses and decide to film everything. It’s nice to see a modern horror movie filmed in a Art Cinema style which gives it more depth and honestly makes it a better movie all around. Horror movies usually lack plots and are just loaded with jump scares for pure entertainment value and no creative value. David Robert Mitchell did a wonderful job with this movie, and honestly should have been a bigger hit.
5. karleee haas 06.04.16 / 9pm

   After reading this review I watched some of the film, pretty interesting. I like films like this but this one is certainly different than the ones I usually watch. It was very suspenseful I think the use of zooming out was what made some scenes especially creepy. But I do have to say I am pretty sure there are no diseases out there from sex like this. The actors in this film did a pretty good job at playing their parts. I got into it and enjoyed what I watched, I will need to finish it some time soon.
6. haleywilde 03.16.17 / 9pm

   I really enjoyed your review because, like others have said before me, it’s very short and to the point and doesn’t give away any plot points. Personally, I absolutely adore this movie, and being a horror enthusiast, it takes a lot for me to say that. It has such a unique vibe and a unique storyline that surpasses most of the “high school horror” that has been coming out recently. I hope that David Robert Mitchell writes and directs more, because I will definitely be looking out for his work in the future.
7. Isidro Ramirez 07.28.17 / 11pm

   It follows is an interesting film. I find the story of the film very straight forward. Jeff/Hugh passed the curse – walking force- to Jamie (Jay) in their sexual encounter in the car. He tells her that this curse is going to follow her unless she passes it to somebody else. Jay is tied to the wheelchair by Jeff/Hugh, so he could show her this curse – walking force-. Jay sees the curse as a woman approaching her and tries to break free from the wheelchair. Both Jay and Jeff/Hugh leaves the abandoned building. The narrative develops as Jay convinced her sister and friends that a walking force is following her. If Jay gets killed by this walking force, then the walking force goes down the chain to kill the next person. In this case would be Jeff/Hugh. The location is beautiful with the exception of the rundown neighborhood on the way to the swimming pool. Most of the main characters are in college and autumn is on the air with birds chirping during the day and crickets chirping at night.
8. Lupita Saldana 06.21.18 / 9pm

   “It Follows” was about an entity that can only be passed through sexual intercourse, it is like a living STD, but in a living form. Absolutely Scary! This movie is relatable to many young lives today in terms of the STDs. It is a living nightmare and that is exactly what the film shows us. In the opening scene the camera is capturing the silence and calmness of the neighborhood and then a girl comes out running, we do not know what is going on, but she seems to be seeing something or someone coming toward her, but we do not see anything. This opening is perfect and relates very much with the title. In this film, music is used as much as visual aspects. The sound complemented the visual part of the movie, but also was crucial in creating the fear needed to make this movie effective since the monster was invisible half of the time.
9. Theresa Moreno 08.03.18 / 1pm

   I would agree that this movie used many creepy sound effects! I was always on the edge of my seat during this film because I was never sure when something was going to happen. For example, the scene at the beach I was unsure if the person walking towards them was a “zombie” or just a regular person. The shot that the film was recorded at and the sound made this film hard to watch without getting a little freaked out. I was always trying to look behind Jay to make sure nothing would surprise me, but the camera always focused on other angles.
10. Abigail Jaquez 08.03.18 / 11pm

    I just watched this film for my Film 101 class. I like your review because it doesn’t just summarize the plot of the film, it analyzes some of the technical aspects. The premise of the film is simple but with the creepy score, it’s enough to leave you on the edge of your seat. The score perfectly matches some of the more intense scenes. One song I noticed that played a lot in the film (maybe the theme), would get higher-pitched while also getting faster with every note. I think it sounded so creepy because it sounded “off” compared to most music.
11. Rory America 04.13.19 / 10pm

    I just watched it follows and found it to be rather interesting. I don’t like thrillers in general due to the jump scares but felt that this film overly followed a rather simple storyline. I felt that the characters in general didn’t really develop beyond the initial 15-30 minutes of the film and for that I felt rather disappointed. I wanted more back story to the monster not just that it follows people after intercourse. I thought the mise-en-scene played a good role in portraying that even though she was at a friends home or even her own she was not safe. Besides this I felt the film lacked overall in character development, background and real logical reasoning.
12. Rachel Kahn 08.01.19 / 3pm

    Your review of this film was very well written and very engaging. I agree that David Robert does a very good job at engaging the audience through the scary sounds and sound effects they use in the editing. I also agree that the film uses a lot of 260 – degree shots which adds to the film and the overall look of it. The film does a great job of keeping the viewer on their feet because the plot and storyline is very interesting and keeps you engaged throughout the whole film. I also really enjoyed the soundtrack of the film and thought that added to it as well.
13. YaelLaCommare 02.02.20 / 11am

    I greatly enjoyed this review, it brought a lot of different parts of the film to my attention that I had not realized before. For example, the 360 degree camera angle really allows the audience to know more information than the characters know, leaving us, the audience, with an impending doom type of feeling. I have to say that I didn’t enjoy the film that much just because it left me with a sort of “dirty” feeling, like I immediately needed to shower. However, I did enjoy the statement it made, and how it can be up for interpretation. I always thought the film was making a case for safe sex and the “IT” that follows is an STD, but maybe the “IT” is everyone you have sex with and how you bring them with you to every new partner you have.
14. Jennifer De La Palma 04.03.20 / 9pm

    As I was watching the film, I would expects certain things to happen also but then it wouldn’t. This definitely has to do with the type of scary sounds that were used in the film. Throughout the film, it had a very repetitive narrative as “it” continued to follow Jay. I agree the characters fit well with the overall mise-en-scene of the film and I did noticed the many 360 degree shots the director used.
15. Megan Hedges 06.01.20 / 8pm

    It Follows is one of my favorite horror movies ever, both for being a spine-chilling thriller and for having a deeper meaning and small details that make you come back and watch it again and again. Your summary of the plot made me laugh in its casual and playful description of the conflict Jay goes through. I agree that the movie is a classic thriller, with story beats happening at the exact moments you would expect them to (time them!). This makes the film a classic in my books, and I know I will keep coming back to it every time I get the chance to suggest a scary movie to watch with others.
16. Brenda Quezada 03.26.22 / 10pm

    Great explanation of this film Dave! You managed to make it concise and leave the thrillers to the imagination. This film had to do with the paranormal, while also including this realistic aspect of having to worry about sleeping around and the consequences. The first character to appear is in panic at the end of a great date and leaves the viewer confused. The following scene immediately shows why he acted the way he did at the end, anyone would do the same if they were fearing for their lives. The director using sex and being attacked by another person made it very personal which I believe also played a role in making the viewer want to keep watching. What was next? Who was going to pop up? Since the random people who stalked them to kill them once they caught the ‘curse’ could be an unfamiliar face.
17. Batool Naji 03.15.23 / 11pm

    It Follows is definitely a unique take on classic film tropes. It is thrilling, scary, playful, attention grabbing, and enticing. The sound effects, editing style, plot, and characters all fit very well with the mise-en-scene. Horror/thriller films like It Follows, I believe were inspired by the 1970s style of horror films. Mainly in the way they take “high school” tropes and add twists and thrills, to attract different types of audiences. As well as inspire more creative films with unique plots and stories.

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