Maika Monroe

Independence Day helped define the modern summer blockbuster and earned Will Smith the nickname Mr. July (for a while, anyway). It’s easy to forget that there was a time when summer movies weren’t always superhero flicks and action movies and disasterpieces. And now the man who gave us Independence Day is back again with Independence Day 2, the long-awaited, long-developing sequel which will finally arrive in theaters next summer. We know who’s in it, but what is it about, exactly?

Yesterday, it was announced that It Follows star Maika Monroe will be taking the role of President Whitmore’s daughter in Independence Day 2, a role originated in the first film by a young Mae Whitman. Whitman has grown up to become a successful star in her own right, recently proving herself as a leading lady with recent teen comedy The Duff. So why wasn’t she cast in Independence Day 2? There’s one answer many male journalists are contenting (or discontenting) themselves with, and it kind of stinks.

David Robert Mitchell’s ‘It Follows’ made the festival rounds throughout 2014 and the general consensus was that it was one of the scariest films of the year. Well, technically it’s one of the scariest films of next year, since it won’t actually open in theaters until 2015. But believe us: This is one horror movie worth the wait, and the freaky new domestic trailer should do a fine job of whetting your appetite.

This year has proven that there are still plenty of inventive, original and genuinely scary horror film ideas. ‘It Follows’ is one of those films with its tale of a sexually-transmitted haunting, and it has left quite an impression, gathering praise at both the Cannes and Fantastic Fest film festivals (read our review). Today brings the first trailer for the upcoming horror film, which will soon also play at the Sundance film festival before it hits theaters in the U.S. Prepare to be spooked.