Horror with a racial twist

Rating: 9/10 (22 September 2019)

As this film opens a young black man, lost in a suburb is attacked and abducted. We then switch to our protagonist Chris, another young black man, who is preparing to meet his white girlfriend, Rose's, parents for the first time. She assures him that they aren't racist but liberal to the point of cliché. Once at their large rural home Chris soon starts to feel uncomfortable; their black maid and gardener seem like characters from before the civil rights era and while outwardly friendly there is something a little off about the family. Rose's mother hypnotises him to stop him smoking but he is convinced that she did something more. A party thrown by the family only makes him more concerned but by the time he realises the real danger it may be too late.
I found this to be a really effective horror movie even though it features little obvious threat till the very end. In many ways I was reminded of 'The Wicker Man'; a protagonist goes somewhere of his own free will, finds things somewhat creepy then finally learns a horrifying truth. There were also obvious 'Stepford Wives' vibes with the way the other black characters at the family home and their neighbours behaved. As the film progressed the tension was constantly raising and although it was obvious that something bad was planned for Chris I didn't guess just how bad until he was told what it was. Some levity was provided by Chris's friend Rod, who was convinced that rural white folk wanted black men as their sex slaves! Daniel Kaluuya does a really fine job as Chris; he is rarely off screen and is convincing throughout. The supporting cast; notably Allison Williams as Rose and Catherine Keener and Bradley Whitford, as her parents are also impressive. Writer director Jordon Peele did a brilliant job; it is hard to believe this was his directorial debut. While it is obvious that there is a racial subtext to the story it doesn't feel like the viewer is being lectured to. Overall I'd definitely recommend this to horror fans who don't demand frequent violence.