The Plot

An African American man (Daniel Kaluuya) visits his white girlfriend’s (Allison Williams) family for the weekend. But things soon start getting spooky when her family’s hired help start acting out…

The Good

Writer/director Jordan Peele – one half of comedy duo Key and Peele – brings a sharp witted, spine-tingling horror film to the screen in what is sure to become an instant classic. When Chris (Kaluuya) and his girlfriend, Rose (Williams) visit her family’s estate, paranoia soon sets in with him as their attitude towards him becomes increasingly creepier.

Opening with a scene in which a (literal) run-in with a deer results in a police call-out where Chris is instantly singled out despite not being the driver, Peele’s script continues with some all too familiar racial stereotyping. As he begins to meet his unofficial in-laws played by Catherine Keener and Bradley Whitford (who ensures Chris that he would’ve voted for Obama a third time if he could!) he soon feels outnumbered as, even with the black maid and handyman roaming around the house, he’s still paraded around the party at an annual get-together attended by a sea of old white people.

It’s a slow burner but the deeper Get Out gets, the more intrigue and chills it brings with it. While Peele is known mostly for his comedy work, coming off the back of last years Keanu with Keegan Michael-Key who also star alongside each other in their hit sketch show, the comedy in Get Out never feels shoehorned in and instead just elevates the plot to a realistic sense that would have otherwise been missing as the paranoia becomes ever more ridiculous. This is thanks partly to the comedic talents of LilRel Howrey as Chris’ friend/comic relief.

But if Peele is the off-screen standout of the film, Kaluuya is undoubtedly the face to remember. Recognisably to British audiences mainly for his lead role in an episode of Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror, his performance in Get Out is further proof that he has what it takes as an actor.

The Bad

There’s really nothing negative to report for Get Out. Peele’s script gives the most entertaining thriller in a long while. The more impatient viewer might be waylaid with the slow burn of Peele’s script but I promise, if you wait you’ll come to the same glowing conclusion as me.

The Ugly Truth

Jordan Peele proves that he is not just a funny man, but a damn fine director too. Mixing horror and humour brilliantly in a film that not only leaves you thinking about its social commentary but will also leave you with a shiver down your spine for a good while.

Review by Johnny Ellis