A NEW LOOK AT HORROR
‘Get Out’ offers fresh, timely perspective on classic genre
Hindsight is often served with a bit of myth-building, the type of hyperbole that makes our former selves look like prophetic visionaries pulling ideas from the future.
So with “Get Out,” the horror thriller opening Friday that’s being hailed as a revelatory commentary on race in America, it would make some sense that writer and director Jordan Peele would look back at the movie’s formative stage as a moment of brilliant foresight.
But, no. The comedian-turned-horror master talks about the film’s genesis with a relaxed tone that’s more reflective than boastful.
“I never thought this movie would be made,” Peele says during a recent phone call. “I thought it would be considered too far out on the edge, that it would alienate white people.”
And, here’s the thing: A decade ago, it might have. That’s when Peele first began scripting the movie about the terrors surrounding a white woman bringing her black boyfriend to her parents’ affluent, and very white, upstate New York home. Without revealing too much, the movie, which plays like an elegant and elongated episode of “The Twilight Zone,” explores the ideas of racism and cultural domination in the context of a horror tale.
Peele, who later became onehalf of the popular TV comedy show “Key & Peele,” wrote the script in 2008, at least in part, as a response to the idea that the election of Barack Obama as president of the United States had pushed the nation into a “post-racial” era.
“The first draft was a little darker,” Peele says. “It was much more about calling out racism that people didn’t seem to want to talk about. At the time we shot the film (in 2016), it seemed like we shot it in a more woke America.”
Which is probably the best explanation for why this movie is getting so much attention and adoration; at the time of this writing, it had the rare 100 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
That happens when a film appears to capture the feelings of oppression and terror that are tormenting many in the wake of Donald Trump’s election as president.
As with so much of what’s in the pop-culture sphere, people want to send their own issues and misgivings through the prism of whatever they’re fascinated by. Which is why you’ve probably already seen the headlines for several reviews, features and think pieces about how “Get Out” is the perfect racial commentary for 2017.
Those ideas aren’t wrong. But they’re often leaving out a more ignored aspect of racism that’s at the heart of “Get Out”: cultural appropriation as a way to neuter a race’s relevance.
About a third of the way into the movie, the film’s protagonist, Chris, played by Daniel Kaluuya, wanders through a party at his girlfriend’s childhood home. He’s the only black person in sight who isn’t a servant. Chris tries to make conversation with some people when an older man — played by Rutherford Cravens, who has been seen on several Houston stages — says to Chris, “Black is in fashion.”
At the time, it feels like an odd statement. By the movie’s climax, the words echo in your memory like a haunting theme.
“It was important for me that this film is about several facets of racism in America,” Peele says. “I think the fascination with black culture can often include a disregard for the negative aspects of what it means to be black in America. Along with the appropriation comes a neglect of the dark side of the African-American experience.”
It’s a fitting line on another level because Hollywood’s horror industry has long neglected the African-American perspective. Take away the schlocky ’90s flick “Tales From the Hood,” the ’70s exploitation film “Blacula” or even “Demon Knight,” which starred a young Jada Pinkett Smith, and the horror genre is left with a rather light-colored palette — in front of and behind the camera.
It’s another reason why the simple fact that this film got made feels like a strong statement of changing tides.
So when did Peele realize the film was going to get made?
“It wasn’t until somebody said, ‘I’ll make the movie,’ ” Peele says without a hint of levity.
It’s also why this film’s opening weekend might be one of the more watched tallies of the year. If “Get Out” can bring out the audiences, it could greenlight more horror movies by and about black people — much like the success of “Straight Outta Compton” gave Hollywood more confidence in big-budget movies starring and about black people.
Though, let’s be clear about one thing: The praise for “Get Out” isn’t just for its racial commentary or rare horror perspective. Peele has made a movie that’s one of the better horror films in years, a smart and fluid march toward doom with expert pacing and a style reminiscent of classic horror like “Rosemary’s Baby.”
“They would make more movies like this if it was easier to do, to keep the protagonist intelligent and stay in this situation the entirety of the film,” Peele says, who was very cagey about offering quotes that accidentally divulge details about the plot. “That’s why you need (Chris) asking himself, ‘Is this the normal way things are going to work? Or is there something darker going on here?’
“You need that doubt to prevail. All you can do is take one step at a time toward this inevitable end.”
Feels like a metaphor for his own pet project.
Which begs another question: Will Peele be making more horror movies?
“I have several social thrillers I want to make. The next one will also be horror, it will deal with what I’m calling a ‘human demon,’ the sins of society. I just believe human beings are the greatest monsters of all,” Peele says, then adds. “My next movie will not be about race.”
Fair enough.