When Jordan Peele announced his plans to become a horror director, I was surprised but mostly I was excited to see what someone with such a smart and singular voice would bring to the genre.
Turns out that my excitement was well placed, as – at the risk of sounding hyperbolic – Get Out is one of the best horror films of the decade. A wickedly smart, unsettling, and biting look at racial tension through the lens of surreal horror. Peele’s debut is impressive on all fronts.
Daniel Kaluuya (Sicario, Black Mirror) is phenomenal here. Funny and charming, while also convincingly projecting a well-hidden vulnerability. Catherine Keener is great and, between this and Cabin in the Woods there should be a new law requiring Bradley Whitford to appear in all satirical horror films.
Peele is clearly just as talented behind the camera as he is in front of it. He displays a remarkable control of mood, tension, and atmosphere, and gets excellent performances from every actor. And the script is nuanced, funny, and intelligent.
The technical credits are great across the board. Toby Oliver’s photography is gorgeous and eerie, and Gregory Plotkin’s editing is tight. And Peele isn’t the only one to have a strong debut here; composer Michael Abel’s first film score is terrific, moody and unrelenting in all the right spots.
I hate when reviews of horror films become dismissive and insulting of the genre, this is a horror film through and through. Scary, thought provoking, and insanely entertaining, Get Out is an instant classic. If there’s any justice in the world, Peele has a bright career as a director ahead of him.
Sam Shot First 