It Follows Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

It Follows Blu-ray Movie Review

Sex and violence.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III July 26, 2024

Debuting at Cannes over a decade ago, David Robert Mitchell's It Follows has earned quite a name for itself since then; it presents a perfectly capable surface-level horror film with several interesting layers to peel back, while its foreboding atmosphere and memorable soundtrack bring their own flavors to the stew. The UK-based boutique label Second Sight already got the 10th anniversary party started early with their outstanding new Limited Edition 4K/Blu-ray combo pack but, in addition to a more affordable 4K keepcase edition, frugal fans can also import this stand-alone Blu-ray as well. The good news is that it has the same outstanding new Dolby Atmos track and bonus features as its UHD counterpart, but there's only two drawbacks: the 1080p/SDR transfer is virtually identical to Anchor Bay's 2015 domestic Blu-ray and it's locked for Region B playback. If neither of those is a problem, this one might be for you.

For separate synopses and appreciations of It Follows, please see our reviews of both Anchor Bay's 2015 domestic Blu-ray while fans in the UK likely own Icon Film Distribution's 2015 Region B Blu-ray. As I mentioned in my own 4K/Blu-ray Limited Edition review linked above, I'm hesitant to award it such a lofty rating but still consider It Follows to be a well-made, confident, and thought-provoking effort that holds a good amount of replay value to boot.

It Follows Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Unlike the tightly refined 2160p/HDR10 (Dolby Vision capable) transfer on Second Sight's 4K edition, the Blu-ray's comparatively more down-to-earth 1080p/SDR transfer is more or less identical to the one we got on Anchor Bay's 2015 domestic Blu-ray. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as it's a generally solid effort and will look good enough on small to mid-sized displays. Closer examination reveals that edge enhancement and other post-processing was clearly used during the workflow, which reveals mildly waxy textures on hair, skin, and other textures; it's not totally flagrant or distracting, just something more common on format releases back then and more noticeable by today's standards. In a direct comparison, Second Sight's Blu-ray might come out slightly ahead due to its stronger bit rate and better encoding, but very few of these differences will be spotted without very close examination and almost certainly not in motion. Despite its marginal superiority, I still must rate it a bit lower than the 2015 disc due to higher expectations. Even so, from here on out this Blu-ray offers nothing but improvements over that earlier release.

It Follows Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Second Sight's Blu-ray features a brand-new Dolby Atmos remix identical to their Limited Edition 4K/Blu-ray combo pack, so please read that recent review for more details. The original DTS-HD 5.1 MA track is a secondary option.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature only, not the extras listed below.

It Follows Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase featuring the same front cover art as both the similarly sleek 4K keepcase edition and the beefy Limited Edition 4K/Blu-ray combo pack. Likewise, the bonus features are identical on all discs and listed below in name only; for more details, please see my linked review of the Limited Edition.

• NEW! Audio Commentary - With Louisiana State University professor Joshua Grimm.

• Audio Commentary #2 - A legacy track with film critic Danny Leigh and film professor Mark Jancovich.

• NEW! Chasing Ghosts: An Interview with actor Keir Gilchrist (19:09)

• NEW! Following: An Interview with actor Olivia Luccardi (11:57)

• NEW! It's in the House: Interview with Producer David Kaplan (22:31)

• NEW! Composing a Masterpiece: Interview with Composer Rich Vreeland (12:57)

• NEW! A Girl's World: Interview with Production Designer Michael Perry (24:05)

• NEW! It Follows: The Architecture of Loneliness (11:02)

It Follows Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Second Sight has made a lot of fans happy with their recent lavish treatment of David Robert Mitchell's horror film It Follows, offering fans three different options for import: a Limited Edition 4K/Blu-ray combo pack as well as separate 4K and Blu-ray keepcase editions. I strongly recommend the first two, because in addition to the terrific new bonus features and Dolby Atmos audio you also get an outstanding new 2160p/HDR transfer. That said, this Region B locked Blu-ray is the most affordable of the three... so if you're not set up for 4K, it's still well worth looking into.