Horror movie examines race in U.S.

The most thrilling cinematic experience to hit American theaters in recent years is out now, and everyone should go see it.

 

No, this experience did not come from a recent Oscar-winning flick; it was delivered in the form of a horror film directed by none other than comedian Jordan Peele.

 

“Get Out” is a scary movie like no other. Peele masterfully weaves together, in a mere 104 minutes, a film dressed in discomfort as much as it is in comedy, and in social allegory as much as pure terror.

 

The movie follows Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) and Rose (Allison Williams), an interracial couple going to visit the grandiose estate owned by Rose’s parents.

 

Chris has not met his girlfriend’s parents yet, and expresses concern because they are unaware he is black. Rose assures him that her family is not racist, and they set off for the weekend.

 

The consequent events of their weekend excursion are downright sinister, but the story Peele constructs is much more than just a scary movie.

 

Racial undertones are prevalent throughout the entire film. There is a questionable sense of danger from the beginning, and Peele impressively plays on this danger to form a palpable anxiety that filled the theater like a thick fog.

 

What is most impressive about Peele’s narrative is how effectively he illustrates the realities of modern-day American racism in a hyper-fictionalized movie.

 

Many of the horrific events that transpire in “Get Out” could never happen in real life, yet there is something vividly authentic about the entire film.

 

Through covert and overt symbolism, Peele presents the very real terrors of American suburbia, and commentates on the anxiety felt by black folks all over the country.

 

As one New York Times reviewer states, the true monsters are sometimes those closest to us. “Get Out” portrays this neighborly fear with poignancy.

 

Peele’s movie is violent, but so is America.

 

Released at arguably the most appropriate time in this nation’s history, his movie fastens itself securely at the crossroads of horror and race. Peele executes it damn near perfectly.

 

Five stars.