The Fantasy Review‘s Spoiler-Free Review of Get Out (2017).
Rating: 5/5
Horror movies are often at their best when they keep the plot simple and focus a lot of character work and setting. Get Out (2017), Jordan Peele’s directorial debut, does just that, making one of the best modern horror movies yet.
Despite some lighter moments of humour, Get Out is a dark story showing what racially motivated anxiety of being a black person feels like (which was Peele’s aim). Daniel Kaluuya’s performance as the lead, Chris Washington, is outstanding, conveying this anxiety on the screen – there is no way you can watch this movie and not feel what he is feeling throughout.
The plot is fantastic, with the mystery slowly unfolding, revealing the disturbing situation Chris Washington finds himself in. The narrative is brought to an exciting and satisfying conclusion.
It’s great when you can have “normal” people as the villains of horror movies without any demons or other supernatural things going on. The use of science fiction is also good in Get Out; it’s a subtle use of a disturbing idea and is used effectively within the narrative.
Overall, I would say that Get Out is one of the best horror movies out there and worth watching for any fan of the genre. If you’re looking for a gorey slasher, this might not be for you, but if you want a disturbing, psychological story, this is perfect for you.
