Get Out (2017)

There’s a bunch of movies on my list that I’ve been excited about, but I don’t think any of them have my attention like Get Out. This film got a TON of buzz and it’s been on my Need To Watch list since it came out. As much as I’ve wanted to watch it though, and I had no doubt that I would enjoy it, I didn’t know if I was gonna include it on this list. I just wasn’t sure if it belonged with these other movies. Before you rage vomit at me for being a racist, I mean because there’s been a lot of debate on whether this was classified as a horror movie or a thriller. Hell, I’m pretty sure it was nominated as a comedy at one point wasn’t it? I just didn’t know what to expect from this. But tonight I figured to Hell with it. I really wanna watch it and as I’ve said before, my blog my rules. So there.

Dudes, dudettes, non binary dudeselves… I’m so glad I did. This movie is so good. It’s worth all of the praise it got. ALL of it. Jordan Peele has created something amazing here. Yeah, THAT Jordan Peele. The one from Key and Peele who ISN’T a side character in every movie ever. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed that show, but the last thing I ever expected from him was this. And it was his directorial debut no less. This was such a well directed, well written, and well cast film. Also, fuck the haters. This was definitely a horror movie. Go ahead and tell me you didn’t pee just a little bit during this scene.

In case you’re like me (awesome) and haven’t seen it or have been living under a rock, the summary is as follows. Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) is a black man in a relationship with Rose (Allison Williams) a white woman. Chris is traveling to meet Rose’s upper middle class whitebred family for the first time. Oddly enough, they’re not upset Rose is dating a black guy like Chris initially thought. In fact they’re extremely welcoming. A creepy amount of welcoming. Chris does his best to make a good impression while dealing with a lot of reverse and unintentional racism. Gradually we start to see that maybe the Armitages are hiding more than initially thought.

So yeah, let’s get it right out in the open. If you’re one of those “Why do we have to bring politics and race into this…bleh bleh bleh” kind of folks then this aint the movie for you. Well, actually even without the racial commentary it’s still a solid horror film. It does delve into systemic racism and the struggles and even just annoyances that your average black man faces in our society. That’s not to say this movie is anti white or any other such bullshit. It’s just very smart and has a message beyond the scares. Hence why it got award nominations and The Strangers got a direct to DVD sequel.

It’s not ham fisted though. It’s extremely clever the whole way through. There are quite a few subtle nuances to be found throughout the writing. And aside from all that the acting from everyone is incredible as well. The whole thing is chocked full of Oscar worthy performances, which you dont always get from horror films. Daniel Kaluuya gives an out of this world performance as the lead. Seriously, it was such a profoundly stunning display of range that I’m pissed now that he didn’t get a better and bigger role in Black Panther. Talk about underutilized.

This unlikable dick? Really? Smh.

Allison Williams as Rose nails her role too. Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener as Dean and Missy Armitage were perfectly cast. I honestly did not expect to see Catherine Keener take on this kind of role let alone crush it. Marcus Henderson is off putting and intimidating as Walter. But the award for creepiest character goes to Betty Gabriel’s portrayal of Georgina. She gave me the friggin’ willies. She’s meant to be the equivalent of The Shining‘s twins in terms of creepiness and it works.

Gahhhhhh part 3D

There’s tons of nods to classics of the genre to be had here too. There’s clear themes that are straight from Nightmare on Elm St, Stepford Wives, Halloween, and as previously mentioned, The Shining. I picked up on a lot of the metaphors and Easter Eggs, but then I decided to actually watch it with commentary on because I liked this so much. There’s even more that I missed. I was also satisfied that the ending that I predicted that didn’t end up happening was actually the original ending. I assumed it was going to end THAT way instead because it made way more sense metaphorically to the story. I can see why it may not have been well received though. Jordan Peele deserves all of the recognition he got for this. As does the rest of the cast. I’m excited for anything else that comes from this man. He’s one to watch for sure.

Last thing. If not for all the reasons I listed here you should watch this movie for Lil Rel Howery alone. He’s the reason I assume this got a comedy nomination. In between the suspense and tension he had me rolling. I want him to be in more things.

That’s all for tonight, kiddos.
Stay Spooky!