10 Horror Movie Scenes Shot In A Single Take
7. The Opening - It Follows
Upon its release in 2014, It Follows was lauded as one of the freshest and most exciting new horror movies in years, due to an incredibly simple concept flawlessly executed.
A mysterious shapeshifting entity slowly chases down and kills whoever is burdened with its curse, which is passed on by sexual intercourse. For a genre obsessed with sexual metaphor, this felt like a natural climax.
Director David Robert Mitchell wastes no time in establishing terror, as its opening shot is of a frightened woman desperately trying to see the creature. The camera is static in the middle of the road, panning around to follow Annie (Bailey Spry) as she frantically searches for her pursuer, while also being on the lookout for a way to escape it.
Again, the decision to film Annie's struggle in real-time only adds to the viewer's sense of tension, as they too feel the panic expressed in this young woman's body language.
She eventually finds a car and drives away in it, leaving the entity behind and living happily ever after.
At least, she does if you turn the film off at this exact moment.