When I hear the name Jordan Peele I automatically think Key and Peele – one of the funniest sketch comedy series to air in recent years. What I don’t think is horror, and yet that’s precisely what he’s created with the upcoming horror movie Get Out.
The official plot synopsis is as follows:
When a young African-American man visits his white girlfriend’s family estate, he becomes ensnared in a more sinister real reason for the invitation.
Now that Chris (Daniel Kaluuya, Sicario) and his girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams, Girls), have reached the meet-the-parents milestone of dating, she invites him for a weekend getaway upstate with Missy (Catherine Keener, Captain Phillips) and Dean (Bradley Whitford, The Cabin in the Woods).
At first, Chris reads the family’s overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter’s interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he could have never imagined.
This looks creepier than Nick on a good day. I’m not the biggest horror fan around, but more psychological thriller-style horrors I find entertaining to watch so this is right up my alley. The race dynamics on show here also make for a more interesting take on what’s a fairly standard horror setup.
Peele had this to say earlier in the year when talking about the movie (via ComingSoon):
People know me for my work in comedy, but now Ill get to focus on my passion for writing and directing horror films. Like comedy, horror has an ability to provoke thought and further the conversation on real social issues in a very powerful way. ‘Get Out’ takes on the task of exploring race in America, something that hasn’t really been done within the genre since Night of the Living Dead 47 years ago. Its long overdue.
I’d say it looks like he’s succeeded and has definitely subverted the “token black man” horror trope. What do you think?
Get Out is due for release in the US on 24 February 2017. Written and directed by Jordan Peele, it stars Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener and Betty Gabriel.
Last Updated: October 5, 2016
Raptor Rants
October 5, 2016 at 15:41
NEED. TO. WATCH.