“Get Out” A Social Horror Masterpiece

Get Out!

I am on a roll! Finally, I got a chance to get out of the house without my precious baby! I went to see “Get Out”. This movie has been on my list since I saw the trailer last year. I knew it would be good, and it did not disappoint.

Jordan Peele‘s “Get Out”, is a movie after my own heart. I’m a serious horror movie fan but this film took me to a new high. I love seeing my people on film, especially in genres other than comedy and holiday themes. This social horror movie touched on the black body being a fashion statement, the new “it” thing. Full lips, muscular physique, even the lore of black male private parts. One character suggested that with specialized training, and his genetic makeup, the main character could be a “beast” as a fighter. I had no idea that this character probably wanted the main character’s body for himself. Whether out of love, admiration, idolatry, hate, racism, or some twisted mix of it all, the film explores this fascination with the black body. At the same time, it explores the lack of respect for the black person as a whole.

I hated seeing how the mother hypnotherapist took advantage of the main character. She hypnotized him without his permission, then asked him about a subject that was sensitive for him, and further traumatized him commanding him to “sink into the floor”. The term heightened suggestibility stuck with me as well.  It was the term used to describe the state of hypnosis. Once the mother in the movie had the main character in a place of heightened suggestibility, she dug into his mind and planted seeds of hopelessness, fear, failure, and loss of control.

The main character in “Get Out” was tricked, and was going to be literally sold into a form of slavery; and used for his body. Despite the overwhelming racial tension and evil intentions of the white family who preyed on black men and women, the protagonist pulled through in a most amazing and satisfying way. Using his skill and physique to his advantage, he was able to outsmart and overpower his captors. With the help of his friend (who was looking for him and had humorous suspicions about the family all along) the main character was able to find his way to freedom, literally.

This movie is soooooo deep. Too much to break down here. I would actually need to watch it at least one more time to provide even half of the elements present in this work of art.