GET OUT (2017)

Genre: Horror / Thriller
Running Length: 1:43
Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener, Caleb Landry Jones, LilRel Howery
Director: Jordan Peele
Screenplay: Jordan Peele

Those expecting Jordan Peele's directorial debut to be a full blown Key & Peele goofy comedy will be sorely disappointed because GET OUT is one hell of a creepy movie. Yes, thankfully there are some comedic elements to balance out the scares.

Get Out is more a thriller than a horror which shares the same tonality as Scream and the strangeness of The Stepford Wives. Peele borrows elements from various horror classics but yet he's able to deliver a satisfying outcome without coming across as a copycat.

This movie tells the tale of a black man (Kaluuya, who is very good at playing sympathetic characters as seen in Sicario and that one episode in Black Mirror) who visits his white girlfriend’s (Williams) parents in the deep country for the first time. Of course, he senses something is off - something sinister - with her parents and their black helpers.

What's exceptional about this movie is how clever the filmmakers blend a social commentary within a horror genre. As a result, the insights of the post-racial America showcased here is authentic and sharp. But thankfully Peele doesn't venture too deeply into racism but instead uses the black/white phobia to mess with the audience's mind at the start, right to the crowd-pleasing gory finale.

Get Out is tight and funnier than expected. And it's one of those films that will make you go, "Oh! That's why she did that!" way after you have left the cinema hall. It just gets better the more you think about it. It's still too early in the year but this movie is a strong contender to emerge in my top 10 of 2017 because it's one of those rare movies that would appeal to both horror fans and those who avoid this genre.

RATING: 8.5/10