Fear has reached the mind. It is no longer just physical but mental anguish.

How much can the mind take under intense stress? What happens when you’ve reached your mental breaking point, and paralysis takes control?

I’m not much of a horror fan but, my God, Get Out turned me into one. Get Out is a psychological thriller unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It’s a film so tightly packed with suspense that after the first 20 minutes I could not take my eyes off the screen. Every twist and turn comes as a genuine surprise, which transforms this movie into a coveted treasure.

The plot is not limited to insane twists. It dives into places that have never been explored. The writing tinkers with the characters’ minds in ways that not only shocked the audience but created a thrilling story as well. No gap is left unclosed in Get Out. Every decision is made clear by the end of the film, and it presents a level of intricate care most other films fail to achieve. Get Out even utilizes race in an interesting way that guides the story into a deeper cerebral state.

We begin with Chris Washington, (Played by Daniel Kaluuya, who you might recognize from Sicario) a photographer, with a cute girlfriend who is dragging him to her parents house to “meet the family”. Chris shyly asks his girlfriend Rose Armitage, “Do they know I’m black?” Rose shakes it off and tells him not to worry, then the two drive off.

They arrive at a private home set on a plot of land with plenty of privacy, equipped with a set of servants. The awkwardness sets in as Washington’s silence and guarded manor react to Dean Armitage’s (The Father) outgoing storytelling. “I would’ve voted for Obama for a third term if I could.” Dean explains. As the two walk through the backyard Chris realizes that all of the servants are black, and Dean catches on. “I know how it looks,” he explains.

The family sits down to talk and this is where things get interesting. The whole family is staring at Washington and Rose with an intensity that parallels the way lions look at antelope before attacking them. The longer the scene goes on, the quieter it becomes before it’s interrupted by a servant. Just in those few seconds alone you can tell something isn’t right. The film develops an ominous vibe from here on out. The silences, the stares, Washington’s obvious anxiety– they all create a scary experience without anything even happening. Overall the acting is just fine, mainly very creepy and stoic with the exception of Chris and Rod of course. However there are a few moments throughout where peril and fear really shine off of Washington’s face and create a more mesmerizing scene.

There are a few dry moments in the movie, parts that could’ve been scarier, scenes that didn’t need to be there. As thrilling as Get Out is, it didn’t leave me as scared as I wanted to be. Overall though, there’s no outstanding mistakes.

Truly the best way to watch this movie is by knowing nothing about it. There are surprises littered throughout this movie, and all of them deliver. Jordan Peele, the director and writer of the film, has done an excellent job for his directorial debut.

You may recognize the name Jordan Peele. He’s made a name for himself on Key and Peele, a sketch comedy show that pulled Comedy Central back to a place it hadn’t seen since the days of Chappelle’s Show. A good amount of jokes are cleverly laid in Get Out as well. The jokes deliver a subtle comic relief to parts of the movie that break it up into more watchable pieces. Those breaks also give more of an up and down feel which adds to the emotional ride you experience when watching Get Out, and it’s a nice touch. To be honest I had my doubts at first, but Peele stomped them out with this insane movie.

Get Out is absolutely relentless when it reaches it’s peak, and it’s incredibly satisfying to watch. The cinematography in many ways carries the fear to new heights, whether it’s shocking stoicism or literally capturing someone’s mind whilst in limbo, it delivers.

Even if you’re not much of a fan of horror like I was, I highly recommend seeing Get Out. It’s truly a movie that has reached new grounds in film, everything about Get Out was totally different from what I’ve seen before in the genre and I pray this isn’t Peele’s one and only horror movie. 4 out of 5 stars.