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This chapter investigates the final scene of David Robert Mitchell'sIt Follows as the ultimate conclusion for whomever is tethered to the entity. It reviews the entity that possesses the ability to move through obstacles at a walking pace until it gets within close proximity to its target. It also discusses the urban legend, which is a story that has exposition, an inciting incident, climax, and denouement. The chapter analyses how certain narratives become salient through the urban legend and become enmeshed in the fears, concerns, even pleasures of a particular cultural moment. It explores how the urban legend is useful as a warning about a local threat within the context of the horror genre.

This chapter discusses how David Robert Mitchell repeatedly listed John Carpenter as one of his main influences. It describes the opening scenes of Mitchell's It Follows on a tree-lined suburban street outside Detroit at dusk, which is considered a sister city of Haddonfield from the film Halloween (1978). It also explains the horror prologue as an essential component to the genre that serves as a mini trailer and provides a justification of the monster or as a way of keeping the audience tense or aware that they are watching a horror film and not a drama. The chapter assesses the striking opening vignette of It Follows, which is more than a typical horror film opening that features the killer attacking. It mentions Mitchell's first movie The Myth of the American Sleepover in 2011, which played a role in creating the world of It Follows.

While gender is particularly prominent in Ex Machina, there is an undercurrent of racial discourse as well, most notably in the character of Kyoko. She’s demure, silent, small, and seems to be perceived (ultimately incorrectly) by Nathan not to be a threat. These are all attributes of two larger stereotypes of Asian women portrayed throughout the history of film: the “Dragon Lady” – a feminized but sinister, deceitful woman– and the “Lotus Blossom” – a diminutive, obedient, sexually-desired woman. This chapter analyzes how Kyoko’s character is written to embody – and ultimately challenge – both stereotypes to create a refreshing, unique perspective on race in a genre too often bathed in Whiteness.

The evolution of artificial intelligence in science fiction film has showcased an array of technological marvels, and yet each reflects the era in which the films were made, be it what the device looks like, the extent of its power, or the ethical/moral issues surrounding its existence. Ex Machina is no different, with the development of AI firmly embedded in the tech industry. Caleb’s entire purpose for being at Nathan’s compound is to determine whether Nathan has, in fact, created artificial intelligence or if Ava is simply imitating human interactions. This is called the Turing Test, which has been around for nearly 70 years, and it has been rigorously debated for almost its entire existence. Ex Machina pushes this debate by accepting and challenging key assumptions of the Turing Test while positing its own: The role affection/attraction/love might play in the entire process. As such, by considering these emotional components (as expressed toward the creation rather than from it) grounds the discussion in terms of morality and soul, something previous films have treated more as a by-product of artificial intelligence.