REVIEW: Get OutBy Quinn OxleyFebruary 25, 2017Faithful readers will know I’m not a fan of horror.  I’m obligated to make that known at the start of every horror review: a horror movie must be more than torture-porn for me to show up.

Interesting enough premise; African-American photographer Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) travels with his Caucasian girlfriend, Rose Armitage (Allison Williams), to spend the weekend with her parents at their strange, secluded property.  The locals seem to constantly spout racist micro-aggressions.  And there’s also the (literally) hypnotic pastime of Rose’s mother, Missy (Catherine Keener).  “Hilarity” ensues.

Personally, I wouldn’t have even called Get Out a horror movie.

It’s not scary.  At least, not on the surface.  It’s far more atmospheric than it is frightening, per se.  The first jumpscare is pretty masterful, actually, and jumpscares in general are few and far between in Get Out, which I greatly appreciated.  The tone is uncomfortable - the effective kind.  The actual conspiracy (come on; that can’t be a spoiler…) is little more than the second half of an episode of Doctor Who, though - thematically satisfying, creatively intriguing, but ultimately nothing that hasn’t been done before.

What helps develop Get Out’s unsettling atmosphere, though, is its natural script and the comfortable, expert performances of its actors; its world is almost seamless, which makes the discomfort that comes later all the more impactful.  Kaluuya and Williams have incredible chemistry; Bradley Whitford - playing Dean Armitage, Rose’s father - and Keener provide subtly imposing suburban antagonists, and the supporting cast continues to support the illusion (with the slight exception of Betty Gabriel, whose performance in the trailer gave me the impression that the film was a dark comedy, which it was not).

Now, obviously this premise lends itself to a large-scale metaphor, which could be why it’s called a horror movie.  Discussing the racial commentary would involve spoiling much of the film, so that won’t take place in this review.  While I feel less than qualified to share my opinion on such topics, I may write up a separate, spoiler-ific piece on the racial issues addressed by the film, just because it’s so relevant in today’s cultural climate.

Is it good, though?

Yes; for its purposes, it is good.  Not “100% on Rotten Tomatoes” good, but it’s good.  Entertaining.  Moderately disturbing.

Rating: 6.5/10

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