Get Out (2017)

“TS-Motherfuckin-A”

Get Out is a pivotal horror movie from the last decade. Jordan Peele smashed all kinds of records with his writing/directorial debut and sparked all kinds of conversations about both racism and the horror genre. It’s a smart, fun, creepy horror flick that is incredibly well written and executed. The cast is to die for — Daniel Kaluuya? Been a fan since Skins, always gold! LaKeith Stanfield? Absolute king, future Oscar winner for sure. Allison Williams? Excellent performance, especially on the rewatch!

The story packs every kind of microagression possible and showcases the gaslighting that takes place under racist systems. Kaluuya’s character can feel that something is wrong, but the white people always seem to explain it away, it’s him actually, who feels wrong, everything here is fine! A deeper motif reveals itself as the film progresses that explores bodily autonomy, white supremacy and the fetishization of black bodies.

When Get Out was released, the conversation about the movie focused on how it was a “smart” horror movie. It even became one of the ultra rare horror films to get recognized at the Oscars (putting it alongside Silence of the Lambs and Rosemary’s Baby), with nominations for Best Picture, Best Director & Best Actor, and a win for Jordan Peele for Best Original Screenplay. It became a focal point of the ongoing #OscarsSoWhite conversation (one anonymous academy voter confessed she felt insulted the film “played the race card”), with many academy members confessing they never actually watched it before voting for a different film. It also became a reference for what critics started calling “prestige horror”, a strange distinction that seems aimed at marketing horror, an already lucrative & popular genre, to “mainstream” audiences. Though the meta narrative can take away from the fun of a movie, Get Out remains a classic with an undeniable legacy.
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