Rating: 4.5

Get Out provides an unexpectedly brilliant directing debut from comedy duo Key and Peele’s latter half, Jordan Peele. While short skits and comedy routines dominate most of Peele’s acting resume, this film has the potential to launch him into a celebrated directors guild and elevate the horror movie genre entirely.

Horror movies are often thought of as easy money-grabs from thrill seeking adrenaline junkies, i.e. The Boy, The Forest and The Lazarus Effect, however films like Get Out take a more sophisticated approach to the genre. It offers actual scene and character analyzation, as well as strong socio-cultural tie-ins. Much like how the genre of science fiction was able to emerge into the threshold of legitimate film in the late 1960s, the horror and suspense genre has recently gained validity with films such as The Witch, It Follows and The Babadook, based off strong building blocks from films like Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist and The Shining.

The film follows African American Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) on a trip to visit his girlfriend’s parents. However, nothing turns out to be true and everybody is racist.

What this film does so well, and what films like it do so well, is use its ability to rely on an unsettling suspense throughout rather than quick surprises. From the first few lines of dialogue the audience is aware that Chris’ trip will go poorly, there are already obstacles set up for the protagonist. As the film continues we get to learn about Chris and some of his most intimate memories, there is a clear connection between character and audience that goes beyond the physical and what they see. There is constant suspense built up and questions introduced that seem to be unanswered, but are resolved by the fims fruition. There is little to be longed for after the films well set up and satisfying conclusion.

What holds this film back is the lack of respect for the genre it’s in. The surprises, which help build suspense, unfortunately feel like a crutch to draw in audience attention and keep them intrigued and the cliches, although few, are grossly timeworn.

The curvy road of twists that this film follows is an exciting and captivating one and  should be viewed by all but the easily scared.