Get Out

The “Under the Mask” Blog is an online outlet for the “Dont Go Out There” podcast hosts to further add creative content into the horror community.

Fan Submission by: Rashad Crowell

Let me start out by saying that I am generally wary of “black trauma” films. Though the trailers for “Get Out” didn’t reveal a great deal about the plot, I had read and heard enough about it beforehand to have some idea of what I was walking into. Generally speaking, it was refreshing to see a different take on black trauma in cinema. The horror aspect of it was an unexpected one, but served to drive home the gravity of the perspective.

As a black man who has been fetishized, highlighting the insidiousness of that was a bold move, because it’s not something that I believe the general public is privy to.  I think that, too often, we assume that people who are attracted to or date someone of a different ethnicity are progressive in their thinking. The opposite, in fact, is sometimes true. Every white girl who likes black men doesn’t necessarily like black people. It can be a challenge for black people in America to walk the fine line between being praised and maligned. Get Out shows us the murkiness that lies in between.

While Get Out obviously goes to extremes in illustrating the darker side of this, the subtext is something that deserves attention. The clear villains in the movie were the Armitages, but I think it’s worth noting that the Chris Washington character’s complaceny and trust in that scenario contributed to his perils. We can draw parallels here in that black Americans are taught from an early age to be wary of white Americans. While I don’t believe that it was Jordan Peele’s intent to paint all white people as villains, I do think Chris Washington being preyed upon, was a commentary on what can happen if we (black Americans) aren’t fully aware of the place we have in American society.

Ultimately, the success of Get Out as a film without the social commentary can be attributed to Peele’s ability to establish an eerie atmosphere. There seemed to be something lurking just under the surface the entire time. Something in the periphery that the audience should be aware of, but couldn’t quite see until it was already upon us. A story expertly told through subtext and innuendo,  it seems Peele intended Get Out to be a cautionary tale for some, and an eye opener for others. 

-Rashad Crowell