The Haunting Aftermath: Life After It Follows
In the world of indie horror, few titles have made as large an impact as It Follows. The 2014 film introduced audiences to the nightmarish idea of a supernatural entity pursuing a victim, transferable through an intimate encounter. Although the film’s atmosphere and innovative storytelling earned accolades, the path followed by the cast members, post-release, was a story of uneven wasteland: wins and personal development, but primarily, struggles.
Maika Monroe: From Scream Queen to It Follows’ Lead
The center of It Follows was Maika Monroe, who played the lead as Jay Height, a young woman victim to an awful curse. Her performance cemented her place as a top actor in the horror film world. Yet, the journey that came after was far from easy. After the film, Monroe suffered from a bad case of typecasting. She had to deal 2 with offers for roles that were simply repetitions of her character in It Follows. The role-typecasting, along with the roles-and typecasting, brought Monroe to a place of deep reflection. She described in interviews the struggle to not act as a primary role, along with her exhausting and emotionally draining work to the point of burnout, as a leading cause for her near-retirement from the film industry.
Stepping back gave Monroe a chance to pick up her craft with a fresh perspective and greater selectivity. She started taking up different types of characters which stretched her range and displayed her versatility. The characters she played in Villains and Longlegs particularly demonstrated her mastery in taking multifaceted roles and moving beyond horror.
In 2025, Monroe returned to the character Jay in the sequel They Follow, ten years after the first film. This was a return both nostalgic as well as testifying to her evolution as an actress.
Keir Gilchrist: The Silent Spectator
Keir Gilchrist, who played Paul, Jay’s friend and confidant, gave a performance marked by a delicate touch and powerful restraint. Following It Follows, Gilchrist has continued diversifying his body of work across both film and television. In some of his more praised roles, especially in Atypical, he displayed impressive versatility winning both critical and popular acclaim.
Although his peers may have starred in more popular works, the fact that he has remained so active in the industry, particularly in television, testifies to his commitment and skill.
The Silent Strength of the Ensemble: Olivia Luccardi and Daniel Zovatto
Luccardi and Zovatto, who portrayed two of Jay’s friends, took on different projects after the film’s release. While Zovatto adapted to different roles in genre films such as Don’t Breathe and horror television series, and more recently, in season of Fear The Walking Dead, Luccardi balanced indie films and television.
The separate careers of the duo speaks to the impact of ensemble casts on the overall narrative of a film, and the individual growth of the cast thereafter.
Crafting the Unseen Terror: Behind the Scenes
The background work of the creative team remains the most significant contributory element to the fulfillment of the film’s vision. Director David Robert Mitchell’s approach of shooting in retro style and 1980s horror films inspired the film’s vision. Mitchell’s approach of foregoing a substantial portion of the film’s score, which was composed by minimalist Rich Vreeland (Disasterpeace), further contributed to the atmosphere.
The film’s success exemplifies the importance of indie horror films and their impact on low-budget film making, which opened doors for many more to be made and achieve the success of critics and box office.
Fan Reactions and Cultural Impact
It Follows developed a fan base that appreciated the film as a novel contribution to the horror genre. The film’s treatment of adolescence and sexuality, coupled with the theme of the unknown, resonated with the audience and sparked conversations and analyses across multiple forums.
In the years that followed, the film’s impact could be seen in various elements of popular culture, including music videos and other horror films that aimed to reproduce the tension and atmosphere it offered in abundance.
The Lingering Presence
It Follows’ impact is a byproduct of the innovative storytelling that captures and expresses quite a few universal human fears. The film is a milestone in the cast’s careers with regard to the character choices they adopt and the trajectories they take.
Both cast members and viewers are revisiting the terror It Follows introduced with the announcement of the sequel. They are also reminded of its impact and the nature of the fear it introduced in the genre.