"Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, and Probably Never Leaving"

Rating: 10/10 (2 March 2017)

For some, there's really nothing more terrifying than a gaggle of well-to-do and overly polite white people. In Get Out (or "Guess Who's Coming DinnerAnd Possibly Never Leaving"), comedian-turned-director Peele makes this abundantly clear, reminding us that racism often doesn't show up in outwardly obvious hatred, but in an insidious need to understand and control "the other". With breathtaking moments of social adeptness (Kaluuya's dealings with cops), terrifying realizations, hilarious satire and even some Django-esque wish-fulfilment, Get Out is as refreshingly thoughtful as it is enveloping. Chris (Kaluuya) , a young black photographer, is going on a trip with his white girlfriend (Williams) to meet her parents (Keener, Whitford). As the weekend unfolds, Chris becomes increasingly concerned about the intentions and history of his hosts. Kaluuya is great, leading with empathetic concerned but always present, and he's supported by some truly amazing actors and characters. Brilliantly written and executed, all confusions & questions are answered without being exposited. What's really fascinating though is this is the type of twist-inclined horror that Shyamalan (Sixth Sense) would drool over. However, the reveal is barely the point. Instead the focus is on straight-up weirdness in visuals and ideas that slow-burn from a calmly paced suspense drama into a raucous and insane mind-trip. It's such a confident debut for Peele in the director's seat: the editing and storytelling are clear, the visuals are striking but not obnoxious, the music is ominously perfect. He's clearly studied the masters (Lynch, Cronenberg, Hitchcock) and learned to allow his audience to be perplexed by while simultaneously sucking us right in. With this and Split, it's already looking to be a great year for horror.