Where do we even begin? On a technical level, Get Out is just a brilliant and well-paced horror movie. The story feels fresh, and the terror and tension build slowly and masterfully throughout. There's a noticeable subversion of horror's biggest and most problematic tropes. Here, the black characters don't die first, sex does not lead to death, and there's no virginal "final girl" who inexplicably survives. Plus, it's got a wicked plot twist in the insane final act.
But Get Out's brilliance reaches far beyond its horror roots. It manages to make ripe and stinging social commentary on America's problems with race, while still keeping the general mood fun, bloody, and entertaining. There's a certain artistic integrity to the hypnotizing sequence when Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) slides into the "sunken place," where he's at the mercy of Rose's (Allison Williams) psychiatric mother (Catherine Keener). And maybe that's what makes it so stellar: whether you want to enjoy a solid, grisly horror film or take a good, hard look at the injustice bubbling in the underbelly of America, Get Out will give you exactly what you hope for.
