Get Out (2017)

Disclaimer: The original Get Out review was posted February 17, 2022 and updated August 2025.

Not too long ago in a place not so far away Black horror meant low budget, badly scripted, comedy-adjacent, straight to TV projects. Rather than a subgenre of horror it was simply a punchline with some notable good additions that tried to break out of that stereotypical box to no longterm avail. Despite efforts from creators like Wes Craven (The People Under the Stairs 1991) and Stephen Norrington (Blade 1998), the subgenre was a loosely connected outline rather than a solid collection of work that forms something solid. Aside from the lack of options many of the other options existing already offended more than spoke to audiences of Black viewers, projects typically inspiring controversy rather than being viewed as solid pieces of horror. That changed in 2017 when a Black comedian, Jordan Peele, wrote and directed Get Out starring Daniel Kaluuya.

From the widespread introduction of the concept the movie stood apart from others immediately in an obvious way: it spoke to Black audiences rather than about Black audiences. Instead of watered down jokes to spare White audiences feelings Peele opted for inside jokes and shared struggles that highlighted the lingering racism in the modern world. Prior to the 2016 Presidential election many in America purported to themselves, other citizens, and abroad that we had solved systematic racism. Not only did they portend we would eradicate it any minute but also that we moved past the worst of it to some other version of elevated society where everyone is a thumb person like in the South Park skit about mixed race people. Rather than tiptoe around this fragile cognitive dissonance in the horror genre Peele showed a huge appetite existed for authenticity about race issues.

It feels normal now to have Black stories by Black artists but prior to Get Out that was a big deal, so much so that it was a huge drawing point for audiences to go watch Get Out. Black elders typically don’t love horror and it’s a genre that gets a mixed response in other generational cohorts so the fact that theaters filled for Peele was a big deal in itself. On top of that the movie defies what the genre is, what it means now in the modern world, and the lengths it can be pushed to encompass a wide range of societal topics previously not associated with horror. Creating a simple scenario with basic characters Peele and the talented cast are able to make a dynamic film that has changed the entire genre while also creating a space for a real, full fledged subgenre, Black horror, to reach it’s potential.

Get Out 2017 spoilers past this point

Aside from the cultural significance of Get Out it is also just a good horror movie as a piece of media; it is really some of the that horror can offer despite a lack of typical horror imagery through much of the movie.  Chris Washington portrayed by Daniel Kaluuya is a main character that breaks stereotypes from the onset of the film, being a professional photographer with a nice city apartment rather than a caricature of Black men that moviegoers had been accustomed to prior. Chris and his girlfriend, Rose Armitage portrayed by Allison Williams, are headed back to her parent’s place for him to meet them and everyone to get aquatinted, a common next step in a relationship. In addition to Chris’ background defying expectations Rose does early on as well, seemingly standing up for Chris to a racist cop on their way to her parents and apologizing to Chris in anticipation of her parents being unintentionally offensive in an attempt to make him comfortable.

The moment Chris and Rose arrive things are off but seemingly sunny and upscale, remote location with lush landscaping and an imposing mansion. They don’t just live in a neighborhood like the suburban street from the opening of the movie but rather have grounds on their property and a groundskeeper. Rose’s parents, Dean Armitage portrayed by Bradley Whitford and Missy Armitage portrayed by Catherine Keener, appear to accept Chris. Dean makes an awkward point of saying to Chris they voted for Obama both times, but in hindsight they don’t mention who they voted for in the most recent election at that time which included Trump. Something of note is Chris doesn’t readily or openly comment on his feelings to the white characters of the movie, and rather waits until he’s on the phone with his friend, Rod Williams portrayed by Lil Rel Howery. Chris also attempts to form a connection with the Black people on the property who happen to be the house and grounds keepers, Georgina portrayed by Betty Gabriel and Walter portrayed by Marcus Henderson, but both are odd. Despite being Black physically they have odd demeanors and make obvious cultural errors that make them seem like characters in Invasion of the Bodysnatchers and pique Chris’ suspicions.

A Black man from the start of the movie who did exemplify culturally connecting touchstones appears at the Armitage’s party dressed like an old White man on the arm of an old White woman. Unbeknownst to Chris this man had been abducted into the trunk of a red car while he walked along a suburban street lamenting to who he was on the phone with that he felt like a sore thumb in the area. To the viewer this is an excellently crafted oh-shit moment, especially if you went into watching prior to seeing the trailer which relied heavily on Chris and this man’s interactions. The man, Andre Hayworth portrayed by LaKeith Stanfield, has been the source of countless memes sprung about due to the film to reference Black folk serving White supremacist culture (think Tim Scott as a great example). In the film Chris attempts to snap a photo of the man so that he can send it to his friend Rod, thinking it is odd but ultimately a joke about the guy being a gold digger and fitting in for his woman. In a very relatable moment Chris’ flash is on and his secret photo isn’t so secret, the flash snapping Andre out of his state. Back in his “right” mind Andre lunges at Chris and begs him to get out as his nose begins to bleed.

The party this all occurs at ends up being an auction, and in a way similar to slave auctions the rich party guests, that includes Asian members, bid for Chris. Ultimately the bidder that wins is Jim Hudson, portrayed by Stephen Root, who wants to subsume Chris’ body due to his artistic ability. Even this story decision is unexpected considering the film is primarily about race relations between the dominant and minority cultures of America we have the character Jim who takes advantage of a racist system because of his own desires without caring about the system’s deeper functions. This is interesting because it mirrors what we see in modern culture particularly among what is commonly referred to as “the liberal elite” who schmooze up alongside the same people and policies as their political opposition. Despite not feeling that he’s as bad as the other wealthy in their group and despite feeling he’s not racist and therefore absolved, he still helps the system and makes it possible.

It’s clear at the party that each wealthy couple or solo attendee have their own racist stereotypical reasons why they’d want to purchase a Black body. Comments about athletic ability, height, and penis size are all mentioned with a particular lean towards positive stereotypes for Black men without much mention of Black women. I believe the only Black woman example in the movie is the housekeeper who is revealed to be the Armitage’s grandmother. The Armitage family business of transplanting persons into Black people started between her and the since passed grandfather who is now existing inside of the groundskeeper who runs around fast as fuck all night.

The non-surgical portions of the process don’t just include Rose’s associating and luring the victims to the property but also Missy hypnotizing them. This hypnosis makes them compliant and after sending their personage to what she calls “the sunken place” there’s ample space in the mind for the new host. Unfortunately for the family the procedure doesn’t completely eradicate the Black person from their body and they still exist as a remnant locked away. Basically the Black victim is trapped to watch the body snatcher continue existing in their place, the family ensuring that no one is looking for their victims. This draws back to earlier in the film when Rose doesn’t want the cop to look at Chris’ license because it would make him a witness in the event anyone looks for Chris. This reminds of scenarios throughout history of Black people being taken advantage of or bamboozled by White kindness that is a mask for nefarious intentions, something seen throughout White American history towards other groups including the Indigenous population.

Each Armitage represents a different type of White bullshit and varying degrees of racism in that. The brother, Jeremy portrayed by Caleb Landry Jones for example is unable to hide his disdain and superiority complex, sounding like a MAGA bro even before Chris is fully in their clutches. The way the family dismisses his comments and asides makes them seem more righteous and less dangerous to Chris but in reality he’s being honest about the family’s feelings and intentions. He doesn’t play the game and rather is the type to roll up and abduct someone into his car, revealed to be the person who abducted Andre in the opening scene. This further supports the notion that the family is, for lack of a better phrase, playing with their food when they don’t have to. They have the means and ability to do drive by abductions without any authorities looking into it but instead perform the elaborate ritual of an auction and hypnosis to make what they’re doing feel different than what slave owners of the past did.

Chris outsmarts the Armitage’s in the end, picking cotton from the chair he’s strapped to, a nod to the very crop that Black slaves were forced to pick, that he fashions into ear plugs. These ear plugs protect him from the hypnosis they use and without another form of anesthetic administered Chris is able to pop up and kick ass. He uses the deer antlers of a mount to impale the father and uses a billiard ball to smash open the skull of the brother. Just when he thinks he’s freed though he’s attacked in his getaway car by Georgina who screams in his face, determined to kill them both for what she perceives he’s done to her family. They smash into a tree just as flashing blue and red lights appear on scene, causing an immediate chord of dread to fill Black audience members. Up until this point the events at the house are happening as they would for any other horror final character, surviving from the rubble and killing the bad guys along the way. Once the “police” show up on scene audiences are reminded that in America 2 justice systems exist and the police are likely to either kill or arrest Chris due to the carnage and fire at the mansion.

In one version of the ending this is the police and they do shoot Chris, something many Black communities were still trying to prove as a form of discrimination at the time of the movie’s release. Now, since the George Floyd protests in 2020 it is commonly accepted that Black people are more likely to be harmed or killed by armed forces, now assholes just debate to what degree people deserve it based on how they did or didn’t act. In the ending that audiences saw en masse however the flashing lights are Rod, Chris’ friend and TSA agent, who’s tracked him down and showed up after he lost contact with Chris.

Chris surviving at the end is a good shock and I believe heavily contributes to why the movie has had such an impact on the genre. Not only is it a good movie but it can and is rewatched willingly rather than with tear stained interpretations best avoided. Black characters are known to die in horror movies to the extent an entire horror comedy, The Blackening, is dedicated to this trope. This isn’t the only example of creativity and originality that Peele employed though, the entire movie is a fresh idea with fresh fears that the horror genre desperately needed in 2017.

The genre had become somewhat of a mockery that served as low hanging fruit for studios without expectation of accolade or recognition but movies like Get Out and Hereditary pumped new life into it. By utilizing a combination of lesser or wider known actors with a focus on ability names like Kaluuya have brought a respect back to horror and horror movies. Following the success of a Black story like Get Out more money became available for projects like it and Peele has gone on to create more horror through his production company Monkeypaw and studios like A24, Neon, and Blumhouse have followed suit by funding more original and serious horror to great success. Some films include Bodies, Bodies, Bodies, Talk to Me, and Death of a Unicorn from A24, Cuckoo, Longlegs, and The Monkey from Neon, and like 90% of what Blumhouse does which includes Get Out.