Get Out of the Sunken Place
Horror movies have been popular among film fanatics for ages. The intensity, rush of adrenaline, and cathartic release all packed into approximately two hours make for an incredibly invigorating experience. Horror movies are stereotyped with being all about monsters, demons, and ghouls, but what about when the terrifying monster is a human? Portraying images of terrifying moments that have a possibility of happening in real life makes the fear that much more prevalent. Jordan Peele’s Get Out is a critically acclaimed film that is deserving of all of its praise for changing the way horror films are perceived by the masses.
Soundtracks can make or break a movie and Jordan Peele’s use of music is essential to the subject matter of the film. The opening scene is one that feels very familiar as it has happened to many people. Andre is somewhat lost while walking through an unknown neighborhood. A car driving by slows down and begins to follow him. As the discomfort grows, the song Run Rabbit Run by Flanagan & Allen plays in the background. The 1930s music hall ditty with the lyrics “run rabbit, run rabbit/run, run, run!” being played as Andre gets kidnapped is the perfect way to set the mood for the rest of the film. The main title track for this film, Sikilza Kwa Wahenga, makes the audience uneasy because of its ominous instrumentals and tone. This Swahili track issues a warning to the main character, Chris Washington. The song’s lyrics roughly translate to “listen to your ancestors” and are telling him to run. In a GQ interview, Peele said “The whole idea of the movie is ‘Get out!’ — it’s what we’re screaming at the character on screen” in reference to the foreshadowing and significance of the song. A popular song used in the film is Redbone by Childish Gambino. Jordan Peele chose to feature this song in the film because of the line ‘stay woke’. “That’s what this movie is about. I wanted to make sure that this movie satisfied the black horror movie audience need for characters to be smart and do things that intelligent, observant people would do.” (Peele) The calm sound of this song is the perfect contrast for the paranoia ridden lyrics. The songs selected for the soundtrack mirror Chris’ experience throughout the film.
Touching on race, “wokeness”, and the African American experience, Get Out tackles the moving target that is society. Written during the Obama era and released to Trump’s America, Jordan Peele’s film addresses what no one wants to talk about. Race always has been a touchy subject and Peele doesn’t hesitate to get right to it. Chris Washington, an African American man, is going to meet his white girlfriend Rose’s family and is worried because they don’t know that he is black and she has never dated a black man before. Rose then goes on to say “Dude, seriously. My dad would’ve legit voted for Obama a third time if he could’ve.” This response to Chris’ concerns is reminiscent of times when people reference the “one black friend” they have to prove that they’re not racist. Chris arrives at the Armitage estate and is immediately uncomfortable. The servants and workers to a white family are both black and Dean Armitage, Rose’s father, has a poor social filter. Throughout the film, there are allusions to slavery with auctions, strange comments, and the servants. Police officers also play an important role in this film. Appearing once at the beginning and once at the end, both Chris and the audience members are both worried about how he will be treated while his white girlfriend recognizes her privilege.
Horror movies usually are full of clichés and jump scares but Get Out focuses on deeper, more realistic fears. Getting kidnapped is a very common fear. The loss of control and abuse of power is enough to scare some people into never leaving their home. Andre’s kidnapping in the opening scene is enough to freak someone out and seeing him as a hostage later on in the film really triggers that fear. Another moment that can be seen as a loss of control and potential abuse of power is the therapy and hypnotism scene with Chris and Missy. Seeking help by seeing a therapist may be helpful but not when someone is coerced into speaking about their deepest, darkest thoughts. Chris has some rational fears such as his girlfriend’s parents being racist but having a gut feeling about something being terribly wrong is so much worse when no one else shares those concerns. The only person that believes him is Rod, his TSA agent best friend. Rod is so far away that he is unable to help Chris so he’s stuck with just giving advice and reassuring his best friend. When Andre gets snapped out of his trance for a second, he aggressively warns Chris to get out and it strengthens his fears. The use of common fears brings audiences together to watch a new genre outside of their comfort zone without all of the monsters and gore.
This film contains a lot of anxiety inducing content due to the nature of the film, most of which are caused by connections of subtle cues to important events as well as some that are lightened with humor. The plantation style home owned by a rich white family with African American servants makes the audience and characters uncomfortable but they don’t have much to base that fear off of other than prior knowledge. The house and family end up playing a huge role in where Chris could potentially end up. Throughout the film, Rose’s mother Missy Armitage is seen carrying around a teacup. She seems very focused on Chris and keeps encouraging him to get hypnotized by her. Therapy and hypnotism are terrifying for a lot of people, so even the thought of it puts some people on edge. Chris avoids it at all costs but is eventually tricked into hypnotism with the teacup. Her constant clinking of the spoon & cup plays a huge role in the film because it brings Chris to the “Sunken Place” and becomes a huge source of anxiety for both Chris and the audience. Chris’ best friend, TSA agent Rod Williams, is a source of comedic relief. His exuberant personality and wild ideas make the audience roar with laughter but everything he says is actually very important. His theories aren’t very far-fetched and each joke is foreshadowing an event that will occur later on in the movie.
Get Out is a must-see because of how effortlessly Jordan Peele turns this social satire into a terrifying story that is the basis of nightmares. This motion picture perfect for the audience that desires stimulation and excitement. This film cannot be contained within one genre. Perceived as a horror, comedy, thriller, or even a documentary (as stated by Jordan Peele himself) — this film does it all. The soundtrack, social commentary, and comedic relief make this cinematic masterpiece a new classic. Every audience member is sure to be screaming “get out” at Chris Washington by the end of the film.