They Follow Director Confirms Return Of A Vital Collaborator

It’s been over a decade since David Robert Mitchell unleashed It Follows on the world. And, appropriately, it’s a horror film that’s stayed with us ever since, with a brilliantly-conceived set-up (a sexually-transmitted death curse, with an entity that follows you relentlessly) and eerie execution from its director. For years now, we’ve known that a sequel is on the way titled They Follow, with star Maika Monroe reprising her role of Jay – and as he prepares to unleash his dinosaur blockbuster The End Of Oak Street later this summer, Mitchell has unveiled some electrifying up-to-date tidbits of information for the much-anticipated next chapter.

Speaking to Empire, the filmmaker confirmed that several of his key collaborators will be returning. “Maika is back for this, and [cinematographer] Mike [Gioulakis], and the editor, Julio [C. Perez IV],” he says. And there’s another major comeback to be excited about: “Disasterpeace will be doing a score,” confirms Mitchell. The synth soundtrack to It Follows was a significant part of its atmosphere, invoking the John Carpenter classics of the 70s and 1980s. “I wouldn’t want to do a sequel without him,” says Mitchell of Disasterpeace. “That first movie is so much to do with his fantastic music, so I’m excited about seeing what he does with this.” The composer, aka Richard Vreeland, also wrote the score for Mitchell’s mind-bending Under The Silver Lake, with a completely different sound to the It Follows score – so who knows what he’ll cook up this time.

As for what They Follow involves, the filmmaker is keeping his cards close to his chest – but it’s expected that the film will be shooting in the not too distant future. “I’m very proud of the script,” Mitchell teases. “It is its own unique thing, while still being very much connected to the first film. It’s doing something cool that is going to be really fun.” Begin the existential dread.

Read more from David Robert Mitchell in The End Of Oak Street feature, in The Odyssey issue of Empire. Pre-order a copy online here. The End Of Oak Street comes to UK cinemas from August 14.