A young African-American man visits his Caucasian girlfriend’s mysterious family estate.

Controversy. It is compelling touchstone from which to build a premise. In first-time feature director Jordan Peele’s GET OUT, humor and horror are used to explore the many shades of racism that, in less capable hands, could have been another throwaway movie from the Tyler Perry. We are instead given a film that knows what it’s doing, and even wags its finger at your expectations.

As the story begins, Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), a young African-American guy is getting ready to spend a weekend with his girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams). They are headed off to her family’s estate. As he is packing his incidentals she asks him is anything is wrong. He uncomfortably asks, “Do they know I’m black?” She laughs off his insecurities assuring him, “My parents would have voted for Obama for a third term if they could have.” 

On the way up to her parent’s place Chris’s buddy, Rod (LilRel Howery) checks in with him. A bad ass TSA agent, Rod warns Chris about running off to his white girlfriend’s family’s house for the weekend, saying something doesn’t feel right. This fear is dismissed as racist and Chris hangs up.

Arriving at the family estate, Rose’s parents Missy (Catherine Keener) and Dean Armitage (Bradley Whitford), welcome the pair with open arms. Everything seems fine as the kids get settled in and are shown around the house. Chris notices, however, that both the maid Georgina (Betty Gabriel) and the groundskeeper Walter (Marcus Henderson) are African-American but ignores this passing thought. It isn’t until Chris sneaks out for a cigarette later that night that he begins to run afoul of the family secrets. Then there is the late-night hypnotherapy session that Missy throws at him, the way the housekeeper keeps disconnecting Chris’ phone from the charger, and Grampa’s surprise family get together held at the house.

Peele is no stranger to edgy subject matter. He and comedy partner Michael Key have been handling this stuff on Key and Peele for years. Writing his scenes to evoke the most cringe inducing moments to produce laughter is almost identical to provoking a scare. But that is only part of the genius. As Chris slowly unravels the supposed racially charged mystery we keep second guessing ourselves, our own perception of race, and basic human behavior. Are we seeing what we think we are seeing? 

This reviewer had serious misgivings about a horror movie driven by racial profiling and paranoia. The simplistic fear of being the odd man out as a black man in a white world seems not just primary, but bordering on offensive if we are to be ignoring race. But Peele’s clever script knows exactly what it’s doing, knows what you are thinking, and knows, better still, how to really mess with your own perceived prejudices. It entices us to lower our defenses enough to be toyed with to full effect.

Horror, like comedy, allows us to hold a warped, funhouse mirror at real life, to reflect on ourselves and situations in a way that other genres just aren’t capable of. Get Out is a razor-sharp horror movie with a wicked sense of humor and an adroit perspective. Get in to Get Out.