The sequel to 2015’s horror smash is finally heading into production with new casting details confirmed. Horror gems do not necessarily need to have a groundbreaking concept to be embraced — sometimes all it takes is a unique approach to a familiar premise, like Obsession‘s spin on The Monkey’s Paw or The Blair Witch Project‘s “found footage” format. One of the 2010s’ best horror indies has also achieved that, spawning a cult following and mounting clamor for a sequel, which was thankfully announced in 2023.
Many supernatural horror films resort to jump scares to shock audiences, and that’s effective to a certain extent. But the best of the subgenre leaves you with a feeling of dread long before you’ve left the theater. Films like The Conjuring and Paranormal Activity feature familiar scenes about generational curses and demonic possession, but what if there’s an easy way to exorcise a malevolent spirit, with no strings attached? That’s the plot of 2015’s It Follows, which revolves around Jay Height (Maika Monroe), who is stalked by an evil entity after she catches a sexually transmitted curse.
It Follows introduces a serial stalking, supernatural entity that only pursues a single host, but the latter can pass the curse to another person through sexual intercourse. It’s like a game of hot potato that ends when the entity kills the most recent host. Once that happens, the entity then targets the last person who carried the curse. That’s why the sequel, They Follow, is so appealing, because we want to see the next victim, or the first source of the curse. They Follow is set ten years after the events of It Follows.
Monroe reprises her role as Jay, alongside an all-new cast. Watchmen‘s Jackie Earle Haley has officially joined the lineup, which begs the question about his part. The spiritual entity in It Follows is a shapeshifter, manifesting itself in subhuman forms. Haley has starred in a handful of horror films, including 2010’s A Nightmare on Elm Street and last year’s Your Host. He’s already played Freddy Krueger, so it’s not so far-fetched to see him as a manifestation of They Follow‘s ghost.
Rounding out the cast of They Follow are Justine Lupe (Succession), Anna Mirodin (Ivan), Jayne Taini (Unbelievable), Michael Gandolfini (Daredevil: Born Again), Tom Pecinka (Stereophonic), Melora Walters (Magnolia), Ben Krieger (Song Sung Blue), Natalie Shinnick (The Brutalist), and Jan Hoag (The Fabelmans). Naomi Ackie (Blink Twice, Mickey 17) has also been cast in a starring role. Plot details for They Follow remain under wraps, but Monroe promised in 2024 that the sequel is “darker and more f***ed up.” It Follows Director David Robert Mitchell will also direct They Follow based on his script. The sequel is now in production.
It Follows debuted at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival and was shortly picked up by RADiUS-TWC for distribution. The film premiered in four US theaters on Mar. 13, 2015, with a first-day domestic gross of $51,300, but quickly blew up after an overwhelming reception spread through word of mouth. It Follows was massively successful at the end of its run, grossing $21.6 million globally against its $1.3 million budget.
