Movie Overlook

Rating: 9/10 (4 March 2019)

*SPOILER ALERT* Jordan Peele begins his career in directing by creating one of the best films of the year, tackling multiple societal issues while also giving his audience some laughs and some scares. Get Out strays from the stereotypical horror film by lacking the villainous, scary monster coming from the scary building, woods, etc. Instead it begins with an African-American being the lead character, which is rare when not in an all African-American cast, and the fright of meeting the family of his Caucasian girlfriend. It slowly begins to transition from a regular weekend away into surviving a family of killers and psychopaths. Peele intended the audience to relate to Chris and his fears in every situation with constant close up shots allowing us to feel how uncomfortable he is constantly. It is not just his fears of the crazy family, but societies current awkwardness with interracial couples. Get Out holds a feel of Tobe Hooper with the psychotic killer family seen in Texas Chainsaw Massacre as well as George Romero's Night of the Living Dead feel of entrapment and being stuck in a home.

Peele takes us through a process where Chris begins to face his biggest fear, his mother's death. Chris looks down on the dying deer after hitting it, resembling a similar situation as his mother's hit-and-run where he was powerless. Later in the film that deer reappears as the roles are reversed and it watches Chris as he is about to die. After hitting the deer, the police was called and the officer asks for the ID of Chris even though he was not driving which is Peele's way of showing society how the law can often prejudice. What might be overlooked in that scene is how Rose stands up for Chris as if the focus is on the racism of the officer, when actually it is so that there was never any evidence that the couple had gone up to the estate. If the incident had been filed and Chris would have gone missing, it would lead the police right to the Armitage's. This is just one example of how so many scenes have a double message behind it. Its constant nondiegetic sounds of screeching horror music and jump scares kept the audience on edge, not sure what exactly is gonna happen next.