‘Get Out’ reflects bitter real life horrors

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When people hear “horror movie,” it’s common for people to think of the supernatural films such as “Saw” or films such as “The Grudge.” They are terrifying (and stressful) films to watch. They all share the same motive: being suspenseful and horrifying.

“Get Out” breaks the mold of what a horror movie has been typically depicted as, and does it very well.

A Brooklyn-based photographer Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) and his girlfriend, Rose, (Allison Williams) have reached the relationship milestone: meeting her parents. When the couple arrive at the family estate, Dean and Missy are overwhelmingly accommodating and accepting of the couple’s matchup. But as the weekend continues, Chris begins encountering a series of disturbing events only some can imagine.

It’s difficult to decide on what’s petrifying about this movie: the time period in which it was released or how director and writer Jordan Peele (of the comedy show “Key & Peele”) accurately nails the terrors that many African-American citizens may face on a regular basis.

Get Out speaks on a rather sensitive, and relevant, issue in today’s society. The movie is terrifying in a sense that racial prejudices have been, and still are, a reality within society. The exposition of this film is when the young African-American star (Chris) is walking down the street wearing a hoodie in a suburban area late at night. As the scene progresses, he is followed by a mysterious car before being abducted by a masked stranger.  The pathos in this scene was that people of color feel that they are in constant watch and peril.

Peele does a spectacular job integrating the longtime issues regarding racism. Given the series of events that have taken place in the U.S. throughout the past year-and-a-half, the film is a great follow-up.

“Get Out” collected a reported $42.5 million in box office earnings during its first weekend in theaters, and ranked an 89 percent positive audience score, according to Rotten Tomatoes.

The film surprisingly exceeded my expectations for supernatural films. The fact that Chris actually survives the risk of death and manages to escape is fascinating. Throughout the film, I felt as if I was sitting on the edge of my seat, and inside my head I kept thinking, “Oh my God! No no no!”

Leaving the theater, I felt frazzled and rather disturbed. It didn’t help that I went by myself.

I highly recommend for others to watch this film, mainly because  Get Out sends a very powerful message in terms of today’s society and that, yes, unfortunately, racism is a very relevant issue. The painful part of it all is how much emphasis continues to be put onto race and ethnicity.

Advocate Staff