Also Known As: The Entity, It, The Follower
First Appearance: It Follows (2014)
Most Iconic Form: A supernatural presence that relentlessly walks toward its victim, taking the shape of any human
Kill Count: Multiple implied victims across generations
Portrayed by: Various uncredited performers
Tier: Second Class Tier
It Follows (2014)
Directed by David Robert Mitchell, It Follows introduced one of the most quietly terrifying concepts in modern horror. The film centres on The Entity, an unseen curse transmitted through sexual contact that manifests as a physical presence visible only to its current victim.
Once passed on, the Entity begins to follow its target at a slow but constant pace. It never runs, never speaks, and never stops. Distance means nothing. Hiding only delays the inevitable. The horror lies not in speed or spectacle, but in certainty.
The Entity can take the form of anyone. Throughout the film it appears as strangers, neighbours, family members, and grotesque distortions of humanity. It may look like a naked elderly woman shuffling forward, a towering man ducking through doorways, a childlike figure, or someone the victim recognises intimately. These forms are not random. They are designed to disarm, disturb, or exploit emotional vulnerability.
One of the film’s most unsettling moments involves the Entity appearing as a tall man with hollow eyes entering a bedroom, his head scraping the ceiling as he approaches. In another, it takes the shape of a decayed older woman, walking calmly across a beach in full view of the victim. The variety of forms reinforces the idea that safety and familiarity are illusions.
The Entity kills by physical force, crushing and breaking its victims once it reaches them. It then resets the chain, continuing its endless pursuit backward through previous hosts until stopped or passed on again.
Attempts to destroy it fail. Gunshots slow it. Fire delays it. Traps only inconvenience it. The film never explains its origin, rules beyond transmission, or final purpose. This lack of mythology makes it more disturbing. The Entity simply exists.
Nature and Behaviour of The Entity
The Entity is not driven by malice or emotion. It does not stalk out of pleasure. It follows because that is what it does. Its movement is slow, deliberate, and inexorable. This walking pace becomes its most frightening trait. Victims can always see it coming, but they cannot escape it forever.
Its ability to mimic humans introduces paranoia into every environment. Any person in the distance could be the Entity. Any approaching figure might be death. Crowds become dangerous. Isolation becomes worse.
The curse also introduces moral ambiguity. Survival requires passing the Entity to someone else, condemning another person to the same fate. The film never offers a clean solution, only survival at someone else’s expense.
Symbolism and Interpretation
The Entity has been widely interpreted as a metaphor for sexual anxiety, trauma, mortality, and the inevitability of consequences. Its slow pursuit mirrors the passage of time itself, always advancing no matter how far one runs.
Its shifting forms reflect fear of intimacy and trust. Anyone can become the threat. Even loved ones are not safe. The curse erodes relationships and turns connection into danger.
Unlike traditional supernatural killers, the Entity has no identity. It cannot be reasoned with, understood, or appeased. It represents inevitability rather than evil.
Sequel and Continuing Legacy
A sequel titled They Follow has been officially announced, with David Robert Mitchell returning to write and direct. The follow up is expected to expand the mythology while preserving the ambiguity that defined the original film. Plot details remain deliberately minimal, but the continuation confirms that the Entity’s curse did not end with the events of the first story.
The announcement alone reaffirmed the film’s lasting impact and the Entity’s status as a modern horror icon.
Legacy
The Entity is now regarded as one of the most original supernatural antagonists of the twenty first century. It Follows influenced a wave of minimalist horror films focused on mood, metaphor, and slow building dread.
Its imagery has become iconic: figures approaching from the distance, emotionless faces, and the sense that something is always coming. The Entity proves that horror does not need violence or spectacle to be effective. It only needs inevitability.
League Placement
The Entity belongs in the Second Class Tier. It is not mythic in the traditional sense, but its concept is powerful, original, and deeply unsettling. A killer without identity or motive, it represents fear itself given form.