[Review] Get Out

Get Out is a warped beast entirely of its own. Concept-wise, Jordan Peele's feature directorial debut is one of those wildly blended cinematic experiences that you don't often see pulled off with this much success. It's all at once an effective horror film, a gut-busting comedy, a sly commentary on race relations, a searing satire on the terrors of white supremacy, and a psychological cult escape thriller.

Meet Chris (Daniel Kaluuya, Sicario) and Rose (Allison Williams, "Girls"), an interracial couple packing up for a trip to visit Rose's parents. Chris is concerned because Rose's parents don't know that he's black, but Rose insists that he doesn't have to worry because "They would've voted for Obama for a third term if they could." But as soon as the couple arrives at the rural estate, something is more than a bit off. The place begins to resemble a modern-day slave plantation, with its groundskeepers and housemaids wandering around in a brainwashed trance. And I'll leave it at that.

It's a bold and off-kilter premise that transcends simple parody or an extended sketch. Peele conjures up a tense and stressfully awkward atmosphere that you couldn't chop through with an axe if you tried. There's genuine horror craft here--the discomforting music, the slow-gliding camera, the well-calculated jolt scares, the pod people-like eeriness of the surrounding characters, the twists... And it isn't afraid of getting gruesome either. The whole thing is like a "Twilight Zone" nightmare that turns too real.

The script is really funny too. Hilarious even, from the biting and hysterical lines of dialogue to the oddball predicaments and keenly tongue-in-cheek jabs. Chris' best friend Rod (played by Milton "Lil Rel" Howery) serves as a great source of comic relief, and "Atlanta" standout Lakeith Stanfield gives a deliriously amusing performance. In fact, the entire cast is fully game.

This film will make you jump. It'll make you squirm. It'll make you laugh. It'll make you sweat. And it'll make you desperately want to yell "Get Out!"

* 9/10 *

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