Why 'It Follows' Is The Perfect PSA About STDs
'It Follows' has one of the most unique ways of having its monster choose and chase its prey.
Sexually transmitted diseases are scary as it is, but sexually transmitted demons are much more terrifying.
It Follows is a 2014 horror film with one of the most unique ways of having its monster choose and chase its prey.
The movie's concept is similar to that of the Final Destination series where the horror element comes in the form of a curse that cannot be destroyed, only avoided.
The message behind the movie may get slightly blurred out by all the horror the film provides to its audience, however, I have listed a few of the lessons it has to offer.
Know your partner's history
At the start of the movie, we see Jay sleep with her boyfriend Hugh, who only seduced her into the act for the purpose of passing on the curse.
Not only does the movie tell us in the very beginning that knowing what your partner's intentions are with you but also to know to have a rough background check to keep your safety in check.
The fact that later on in the movie, we see Jay visit Hugh's house after getting the curse passed on. We find out that Hugh has been living in one of the most empty and abandoned-looking rooms.
This comes as a shock to both the audience as well as Jay as she never knew that her now ex-boyfriend lived in such a terrible state.
Appearances can be deceiving, therefore, having more than looks and personality to go on for a partner, it may be life-saving to know just exactly what they have been up to before they met you.
Do not pass it on!
After getting the curse, Jay initially has no knowledge about the entity that is now after her life.
Her journey of finding out just how close she is to imminent danger is when she finds out that the curse can be passed on just as her ex-boyfriend did to her.
Jay attempted this same method of avoiding her assigned fate by sleeping with one of her close friends, Greg.
Needless to mention that passing on an STD is one of the worst moves a victim can play.
Greg later dies at the hands of the entity after the curse gets passed on to him which therefore reverts the ownership of the curse back to Jay.
This act makes Jay an indirect murderer of the film as she knew exactly what the consequences of having the curse could entail for her friend.
Being cursed doesn't mean you should stop enjoying life
Having a sexually transmitted demon that is constantly chasing you is an extremely hard pill to swallow.
However, it does not stop the main character, Jay, from enjoying life.
As we come closer to the end of the film, we see the gang plan a trip to the beach as it not only gives the entity a long time to catch up to them due to its chasing speed being equal to a normal human's walking pace, it also gives Jay and her friends some time to relax and enjoy what they can with what they have.
It is important to be aware of your demons but you should not let them take over everything that brings you happiness in your life.
As long as it does not put the people you love in danger.
It's horrifying at first, but annoying once you learn about it
The curse targets the latest person its victim fornicated with.
The curse acts in order to kill its target by the means of an entity that is invisible to everyone else except its current target.
The entity only chases its target at a walking pace, it does not teleport, and it does not run or fly.
This knowledge makes handling the curse a lot more tolerable. One could make a scheduled plan to keep the entity walking in circles, one could simply live their life on a cruise ship.
It is the knowledge of what your demon can or cannot do that opens up the pocket of control you have over it.
The less you know the more danger you're in, so it is best to know everything you can about your STD before indulging in your fears.
Dylan Jobe