Effectively combining horror with satire, Get Out ensures that its gory scenes are not the only thing that will make audiences feel uncomfortable as it chillingly explores racism in America.
Jordan Peele’s directorial debut is not like any other horror film, or any film really, that you’ve seen before.
After a few months of dating, Rose (Alison Williams) takes her black boyfriend Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) to her family home in the countryside so he can meet her parents.
Once Chris arrives he immediately notices that the only black people at the house are servants to Rose’s very white and liberal family, making him feel rather uncomfortable. Of course then strange things start to happen.
Considering Get Out was made last year it couldn’t have been released at a more appropriate time with racism being a common subject for discussion in this Trump era.
Peele cleverly replaces the usual bogeyman that appear in horror films with racism, which is certainly a more frightening threat.
It’s a brave move from the first-time director but also an extremely smart one as the unsettling examination of racism is what marks Get Out as being something different and rather special.
Peele realises throughout that his film cannot just be a sharp satire as it is ultimately a horror film and so there are the usual jump scares and rather gory scenes too.
Thankfully Peele doesn’t rely upon these cliches too often as he knows that it’s the disturbing racism that will make the audiences feel uneasy.
A haunting score and soundtrack, which includes a terrifying use of World War II song Run Rabbit Run, also guarantees that audiences are chilled to the bone.
Catherine Keener gives a particularly alarming performance as Rose’s mother, a psychiatrist who you will most definitely never want to meet again.
Alison Williams and Caleb Landry Jones are also especially creepy but the show belongs to lead actor Daniel Kaluuya who gives an exceptional performance showing depth and a surprising range of emotions.
Lil Rel Howery is also a great addition to the cast providing some much needed comic relief ensuring that Get Out is an enjoyable experience as well as a disconcerting one.
The people who have been calling Get Out one of the most important films of the year are certainly right as its stark social critique is both shocking and timely.
But more significantly it is a fantastic twist on the horror genre that is surprisingly refreshing and ultimately terrifying.
