The horror film, It Follows, written and directed by Michigan-native David Robert Mitchell, will be filmed in Detroit, Sterling Heights, Royal Oak, and Clawson in the next few months following the approval last week of a state incentive of nearly $200,000.
Mitchell, who set the script in his home state to highlight locations throughout southeast Michigan, is expected to hire nearly 50 state workers and use local businesses and support services as much as possible.
“We are glad to have them filming here, harnessing our Michigan talent and drawing that investment to our state and several Michigan communities,” says Margaret O’Riley, director of the Michigan Film Office, that approved the incentive. “As we work to attract the best projects to Michigan, it is always an added bonus when we can bring homegrown talent back to the state.”
According to a statement distributed by the Michigan Film Office, It Follows is a “terrifying coming-of-age nightmare … that tells the story of five friends and the unseen horrors that follow them.”
Mitchell’s debut feature, The Myth of the American Sleepover, was also filmed in metro Detroit and went on to screen at Cannes and SXSW. The project was listed as one of the top five films of the year on Ebert Presents at the Movies.
“I’m thrilled to be making another film in Michigan,” Mitchell says. “It’s a beautiful state filled with a lot of really kind and talented people. It’s the place I was born and I intend to make more films here.”
Since last October, the film office has awarded $36.8 million to 30 film productions. The projects are expected to create 1,990 Michigan hires with a full-time equivalent of nearly 700 jobs.
