The newest movie produced by Jordan Peele, “HIM,” has hit theaters this past weekend after much anticipation. Starring Tyriq Withers and Marlon Wayans, this sports-horror feature combines the violence of football with supernatural elements and morally corrupt characters.
The film centers on Cameron Cade (Withers), rising star quarterback with the goal to replace the current fictional San Antonio Saviors’ quarterback, Isaiah White (Wayans). After Cade is prevented from participating in the combine due to injury, White – Cade’s idol – invites him to a week-long training camp to see if he has what it takes to be White’s successor. While this training camp might start out seemingly normal, things quickly heat up and become quite the opposite. The events get stranger and stranger as the days go on, with a shocking and insane sequence of scenes at the end that will have your jaw on the floor.
The expert use of sound design has the limited jumpscares packing a huge punch and catching you off guard. The visual effects emphasize just how violent and dangerous the sport can be by focusing on the physical body as well as the mind. The film has Cade, and the audience, questioning what’s real and what’s not throughout its entirety. Predictions and possible explanations can be formed in your head as you watch, but the reveal and conclusion will almost certainly be beyond your wildest imagination.
Overall, the film calls various elements of football and its arguably problematic culture into question: What do you do when your idol isn’t who you thought they were? How far is too far when it comes to accomplishing your dream? Are bloodshed and isolation really worth it for fame and fortune? As Cade wrestles with these questions, so does the audience.
Whether or not you come away from the film agreeing with his ultimate decision at the end, the film is sure to leave its mark as an original and very unique addition to the sports-horror genre.
Junior Emily Myers is a Staff Writer for the College Reporter. Her email is emyers3@fandm.edu.