10 Horror Movie Background Scares That Will Scar You For Life
2. Does What It Says On The Tin - It Follows
Supernatural psychological horror It Follows (2014) helped demonstrate what the genre was capable of, at a time when the mainstream was all about big franchises, haunted houses and jump scares. Pairing an old-school high-concept premise with a bold, slick and distinctly modern visual style, writer/director David Robert Mitchell shifted the status quo for good.
Teenager Jay (Maika Monroe) shares a passionate night with Hugh (Jake Weary) and becomes the next bearer of a fatal curse that's passed from person to person via – you guessed it – sexual intercourse. The curse of death manifests in friends and strangers alike, stalking Jay wherever she goes until it can finally get her in its grasp.
Though we're suspicious of every background in this film, it can often take a minute to spot the monster, as it's always in the guise of another person. As a result, It Follows is essentially an entire film built around the background scare trope. Some of Jay's stalkers are super subtle, never really being called attention to in the film, and some of them see the editor crank up the score and zoom until we know exactly who – or what – we're looking at. The school hallway scene transitions from the former into the latter, but there are plenty of others to keep your eyes peeled for throughout.