The directorial debut from Jordan Peele of “Key and Peele” fame, “Get Out” is a layered and disturbing horror that reflects on one of society’s biggest issues.

The film follows Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) as he visits his girlfriend Rose’s (Allison Williams) parents and discovers that something sinister is occurring in their quiet suburb.

The best part of “Get Out” is its surprisingly layered story. Nothing is as it seems, and there are a lot of hints and pieces of information that tie together nicely by the film’s end, making the conclusion satisfying and memorable. This is complimented by the effective twists the film relays, with each building nicely upon the last, and the strong sense of dread that occurs as a result. The dread, however, is balanced by occasional bits of humor to keep the film from falling too far into the horror or comedy genre and helps makes things feel fresh and entertaining.

The strong story is developed through great performances from the cast. Daniel Kaluuya gives a strong and believable performance as Chris, making him likable and easy to root for. Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener and Caleb Landry Jones also do well as the family, providing performances that border a fine line between caring and creepy. Milton Howery rounds out the cast as Chris’ friend Rod and really helps the comedic bits work with great timing and delivery.

Kaluuya’s performance helps his character’s arc feel complete and satisfying. Chris goes through changes that pay off emotionally and help provide a sense of growth not many horror films have. Unfortunately, the development of the other characters is relatively lacking. This makes some of the motivations and choices in the latter half of the film feel unexplored.

The film follows the same path with its visuals. There are some really interesting ideas and concepts that make the film fun and extremely interesting to watch at times. When those ideas aren’t at play, however, the film keeps a simpler style that, while looking nice, doesn’t stand out as much.

Despite this, the film is a definite must-see for horror fans due to its effectively done atmosphere and twists. Because of its subject matter and the way the film is crafted, it’s also worth highly recommending to general audiences despite its horror-oriented nature. Overall, “Get Out” not only meets expectations but surpasses them to form what is one of the best and deepest horror movies in the last few years.

Verdict:

Equal parts disturbing, hilarious and socially relevant, “Get Out” is an amazing horror film that messes with the genre and the mind.

8.5/10