Jordan Peele could not have thought in his wildest dreams that his $5m passion project could become a mainstream smash hit. Get Out showcased the best of modern filmmaking, delving into the horror genre with relish.
Now one half of the Key & Peele skit comedy team is ready to join forces with Universal Studios yet again. With the typically-funny-man signing on to direct a brand new thriller. Yet to have a title, Universal gave a short update on their agreement:
"Through extraordinary imagination and fearless humor, Jordan has proven himself to be a game-changer who is driven to tell stories that are as commercially entertaining as they are disruptive and provocative. The entire Universal family takes great pride in his incomparable filmmaking debut, and feel fortunate that this studio will be Jordan's home for many years to come."
Racist Horror Not Inspired By Trump, But Obama Administration
Speaking with Elle about her involvement in Get Out as well as the hit television series Girls, Allison Williams told the publication that it was the new wave of subvert racism that was born from the Obama administration which inspired Peele.
"The movie he wrote as kind of a reaction that Barack Obama had been elected, and he started writing it in his mind, at least, right after the election, because a lot of people in the U.S. were patting themselves on the back assuming that because they had elected Obama, racism was no longer an issue in the country," she recalled. "He wanted to make something that pointed out that even if racism isn’t as obvious as it has been, it can still be really eerie and painful and an issue. I think it’s very much part of what the movie is saying. I also think that the movie is good enough that—I’m not even bragging, I’m bragging for Jordan—I think that the movie is good enough that even if you didn’t see it through that lens you could just enjoy it as a suspense, social, horror film."
Making Scary Movies Not Actually That Scary: Williams
As we hide behind the couch or our fingertips during these horror installments, it is hard to quantify what the individuals in front of the camera are thinking and feeling. For Williams, many of the frightening elements are created in the editing room.
"Weirdly the experience of filming a horror movie is not as scary as it is to watch it—maybe that’s obvious, but I wasn’t sure what it was going to be like," she admitted. "Essentially, so much of the scary moments happen in the editing of the movie, with the sound and camera angles and stuff like that. When you’re actually performing it, or when you’re watching someone else perform it, it’s much less threatening. You can always tell, like, ‘Ooh that’s going to be creepy when it’s done,’ but it’s not like, ‘I was too scared to go to set because I thought I was going to be frightened’—not that kind of thing."
While Get Out has been receiving rave reviews and widespread acclaim, there are many moviegoers who simply cannot stomach a horror movie under any circumstance. What would she say to those people who are sitting on the fence?
"Number one: I don’t think it’s nightmare-y," she argued. "I remember for a year after I saw The Sixth Sense I was checking under my bed, and it’s not like that. There’s a few moments that surprise you and catch you off guard, but it’s not the kind of movie I don’t think that you will have nightmares about. My friends have all told me that’s true."
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