By Max Keefe
For quite some time, the general public has been subject to laughable special effects, overused tropes, and jump scares when the time came for an anticipated horror film’s release. As the genre evolved and newer ideas were being brought to the forefront, it became difficult not to notice a certain category of horror films that did not follow the usual format. We may think of some sort of monster or supernatural being as the catalyst for mayhem in a horror movie. Still, in this category, the antagonist tends to be a societal force or universal experience. Instead of a possessed doll or a recently infected human under some spell, it could be the experience of grief after the death of a loved one or racial injustices. One director who has excelled in this category is Jordan Peele.
I spent a September Tuesday evening at the Strongsville Cinemark to see the highly anticipated horror release, Him. Through the course of the film’s advertisement, it garnered quite a bit of attention due to esteemed horror film director Jordan Peele’s production company. Having Peele’s name attached to the project already cemented a space in people’s minds as a film worth seeing. With his production credit serving as somewhat of an endorsement for the film and an addition to his overall work, audiences were excited to see a new horror movie composed of elements congruent with Jordan Peele’s style.
Directed by Justin Tipping, Him follows the story of a college football player, Cam. After suffering a traumatic brain injury just before his big opportunity to try to make it into the professional league, he’s at a loss now that his lifelong dream cannot be pursued. He receives an opportunity to train with one of the best players in the league, Isaiah White, for one week. Isaiah is someone Cam has idolized since he was a kid. One thing that Cam and Isaiah have in common is their resilience after both enduring traumatic injuries that, in normal circumstances, have the potential to end one’s career. This week of training would guarantee Cam a spot in the league. With another route to his dreams being offered to him, he goes to Isaiah’s mansion to train. Upon arrival, he is subject to intense rules like not being able to communicate with anyone outside of the house, and the training is not for the faint of heart. As more time passes during Cam’s stay, we begin to dive deeper into the dynamic between Isaiah and the people close to him, including his fans.
Color symbolism is an incredibly helpful storytelling device, especially in horror. Color symbolism can help the viewer predict where the story will go, explain aspects of the story that are not explicitly spoken about in the film, and provide more unspoken context regarding the director’s vision. The colors that are most prominent in the film are red and white. According to an article from slowburnhorror.com, the color red in horror films represents impending danger, blood, sacrifice, or deep and negative emotions. The color white typically represents a cult-like behavior or mindset, vulnerability, and isolation. In this film in particular, the color white is used to show the relationship between Isaiah and his fans. For one, his last name is White. Towards the beginning of the film, many of Isaiah’s diehard fans are seen on the side of the road in white apparel, and some in white face paint as if they are on their way to a game right then. The color white is very representative of the relationship Isaiah has with those closest to him: they treat him as though he is a god. We see the red symbolism coming into play when we see how jarring Isaiah’s behaviors become. The idea of sacrifice is evident in the story as a young football player will stop at nothing to achieve his dreams.
My overall attitude leaving the theater was the opposite of my attitude going into it. I saw JordanPeele producing this film as his way of endorsing it. As I said before, having his name attached to this project had already cemented this movie into my mind as worthwhile; however, I was underwhelmed. Judging by its box office performance and overall public reception, the nature of my reaction has not been uncommon. IMDb reported an estimated budget of $27 million for the production of the film. In worldwide markets, the film grossed $27,937,151 as of today. This would mean that profit-wise, the film barely broke even. The film also received a 5.1/10234 rating on IMDb, a 31% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 2.6/5 stars on Letterboxd. While I felt the execution of the screenplay fell flat, there were still many redeeming qualities about the film as a whole. The performances from each actor were stellar! I never imagined Marlon Wayans to play a role like Isaiah and was pleasantly surprised with his delivery. The visuals were very noteworthy as well, playing with x-ray technology to emphasize on-field collisions was a clever way of making a statement about how many contact sport players are subject to a lot of danger. It also did an adequate job of showing that the characters’ pains were not just experienced on the outside, but on the inside as well. The aspect I appreciated most about the film was the message it sent about the lengths people will go to reach their goals and what happens when one goes too far. For an average student, these ideas— while exaggerated— are not far off from our experiences when it comes to the pressure of securing a degree. It’s not uncommon to reach a point where we are spreading ourselves too thin. The film serves as a reminder that while we are preparing for the lives ahead of us, working to secure the futures we want for ourselves, it’s important not to compromise on our own well-being to get there.
