As an avid horror movie fan, I was excited to see “Get Out” as it had a 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating when it opened and then after a day or so dropped all the way to 99% and has been holding steady at that percentage. There isn’t a current movie out there with a 99% rating, let alone a horror movie! In fact, “Get Out” is in the top 30-rated Rotten Tomatoes movies of all time. Let that sink in.

“Get Out” was written and directed by Jordan Peele (of the comedy duo Key and Peele). It stars Daniel Kaluuya (an unknown to me going into the movie), Allison Williams, Catherine Keener and Bradley Whitford (looking significantly older and almost unrecognizable from his “West Wing” days).

The premise of the movie is fairly simple. Rose (Williams) is bringing her boyfriend, Chris,  (Kaluuya) home to meet her parents for the weekend. That’s it. The only other important factor, which seems almost trivial in this day and age, is that Rose is white and Chris is black. Chris asks Rose prior to leaving if her parents know he is black. He’s clearly worried that he may be walking into an awkward weekend with racist, or at the very least, mildly prejudiced parents. Rose assures him that her parents are going to be cool and goes so far as to say her father would have voted for Obama a 3rd time if he could have (a reassurance, I guess, that he isn’t racist).

Initially Rose’s parents (Keener and Whitford) seem cool and the kind of parents one would love to meet but that quickly fades away as little by little the creep factor starts to build. Chris finds it a little odd that the parents have two black people as their hired help. And it isn’t just that they are black, it’s that they are really peculiar individuals. There is the laconic maid/cook with her empty expressions, who also likes to stare at her own reflection when she thinks no one is looking. Then there is the gardener, with his inappropriate and off-putting comments, along with his bizarre and frightening routine that only happens at the dead of night. Rose’s brother also drops over for the weekend and everything about him is odd from his disheveled appearance to his playful banter that turns uncomfortably aggressive during a family dinner. I can say little else about the plot because the horror in this movie is all about the pacing and the unraveling of the film that goes from idyllic to horrific in the matter of 48-hours.

“Get Out” is a well-told story. Its horror lies in the simplicity and the fact that it leaves nothing to waste. Every plot-point gets used including the stories people tell, minor pieces of dialogue and seemingly trivial backstory. After seeing “Get Out,” I spent the next couple of days remembering and thinking of different comments that were made earlier in the movie and how those became so relevant later. It was masterful.

I was talking to my husband as we excitedly left the theatre about how impressive this movie was and we started discussing about what makes a perfect horror movie. The plot needs to be simple, unique, with stars that don’t overshadow the movie. I would also say that a good horror movie relies on psychological horror over gore. There can be gore but the scariest parts of the movie are the horror of the situation and the gore and violence is almost secondary. There are a few exceptions to that rule but not a lot. Finally, I would argue that a good horror movie has some humor sprinkled throughout the film. “Get Out” hits all these aspects and I would argue, is close to a perfect horror movie.

The subject matter of the film is an interesting one in today’s political climate and there can be no doubt that Jordan Peele is making a commentary on racial prejudice and stereotypes in our world today. There may be enhanced fear when the villains aren’t wearing sheets and pointy white hats but instead are like the wolves dressed as sheep, walking among us, and the horror is never knowing who they are.

Social commentary and politics aside, the movie is great fun, so get out and see “Get Out”!

Critic Rating: A+

Entertainment Rating: A+