Should I watch Get Out?

February 4, 2018 5:07 PM

I like movies, and Get Out has gotten rave reviews and an Oscar nomination. I want to watch it, but I haven’t because I don’t like horror. At least, I don’t like/ can’t watch most horror movies. Without spoilers, can people give me a recommendation of the type of horror I’d be dealing with, and whether I should watch it?

For reference about what I can and can’t watch: Suspense as distinct from horror is great (I love Hitchcock movies). The Shining was good. The Exorcist felt silly, but it was mostly fine. The Ring was on the edge of watchable, but I didn’t particularly enjoy it and wouldn’t want to watch something like it again. Evil Dead 2 was sufficiently camp that I could watch with friends in college.

On the other side of the divide: Torture porn like Saw is not OK. I have tried to like Eraserhead and Blue Velvet because David Lynch, but they are too creepy for me. I don’t like gory stuff as a rule. Never watched Deliverance because I’m pretty sure I’d freak out. I had persistent recurring nightmares from the three episodes of Black Mirror that I watched, particularly Fifteen Million Merits, to the point that I am nervous about watching something with Daniel Kaluuya in it. (The iconic image from Get Out with him crying totally creeps me out.)

So...is it worth it to watch Get Out for someone who doesn’t like horror movies?

posted by alligatorpear to Media & Arts (18 answers total)

Best answer: Borderline. I’m about the same as you — yes suspense, no gore fest. And it was mostly a fantastic suspense movie. But there were, maybe three minutes I had my eyes shut peeking occasionally to see if it was safe to start watching again. I thought it was good enough to be worth it (I thought it was spectacular) but it was near my limit.
posted by LizardBreath at 5:13 PM on February 4, 2018 [4 favorites]

Best answer: Watch it. The horror isn't Exorcist-like... nor like the Ring... It also isn't torture porn.

I saw it, not realizing it was a 'horror' movie until I read the Wiki page about it. There was some blood in it, but not... I'd like to say it's not gratuitous.

The horror in Get Out is a bit more creepy than it is outright terror.
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 5:13 PM on February 4, 2018 [3 favorites]

Best answer: There's no gore (well maybe a tiny bit, but it's definitely no torture-porn-type stuff at all). There is a little blood but more fight-scene type blood. It is definitely more in the psychological horror than the other kind. Given your list of movies I think it matches your yes movies much more than your no movies.
posted by brainmouse at 5:14 PM on February 4, 2018 [3 favorites]

Best answer: If you were ok with The Exorcist and The Shining, I'm pretty comfortable saying that you’ll be totally fine with Get Out. There are two mildly gory scenes, but for one of them you’ll definitely see it coming and you’ll be able to hide your eyes if you want. And imo, Get Out is a better movie than either The Shining or The Exorcist.
posted by holborne at 5:14 PM on February 4, 2018 [7 favorites]

Best answer: Hitchcock-like suspense throughout. Scenes of characters crying, screaming in terror. Hypnosis/dreams. Discussion of brain surgery. Stabbing and shooting, blood is seen but not gratuitously. Violence is graphic but minimal. A deer that got hit by a car. There are jump scares but they work with the overall suspense of the film.

Most of the horror is conceptual but there are physical struggles and discussion of surgery. I can’t watch horror either but I could handle it. If you watch it with someone else, with a pause button, you’ll be OK. It’s worth it.
posted by blnkfrnk at 5:15 PM on February 4, 2018 [2 favorites]

Best answer: It's fine. I've got delicate sensibilities as well and it was just fine on the gore front for me. Creepy? yeah, it will be. But unless you have some very specific triggers (I Do! I would enumerate them but...spoilers, darling) it all clocks in well under shining o'clock.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 5:16 PM on February 4, 2018

Best answer: I just can’t do horror anymore but if I must see a horror movie (sometimes one looks that good, so sue me) then I wait for it to come out on DVD, watch it on a nice sunny blue day around noon, and then follow it up with some overly cheerful non-horror movie (like a Disney movie). Typically works out fine.
posted by Autumnheart at 5:24 PM on February 4, 2018 [3 favorites]

Best answer: I think of Get Out as more in line with The Stepford Wives or Rosemary's Baby than The Ring or Saw. There are a few jump scares and a few minutes that are gory though. I think it's worth trying based on movies you have enjoyed. You can always bail out if you're not enjoying it, after all.
posted by GilvearSt at 5:33 PM on February 4, 2018 [4 favorites]

Best answer: My 71 year old mom watched it, not knowing it was a horror movie. Somehow, she'd gotten the impression that it was based on a true story about Black Lives Matter activists. Obviously, it turned out to not be that. She hates horror movies but loved Get Out.
posted by Fuego at 5:47 PM on February 4, 2018 [19 favorites]

Best answer: I, like you, generally don't like horror films and have zero desire to see gore/torture. Get Out has some violence and blood towards the end, but definitely no gore or anything super-graphic. If you're OK with The Shining, you will absolutely be fine with Get Out. It's pretty much on par with that level of suspense/creepiness.
posted by O9scar at 5:51 PM on February 4, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I generally don't even consider watching horror movies but I've enjoyed this three times. And I think/hope this will solve your Kaluuya problem-- it's a pleasure to root for him in this.
posted by acidic at 5:53 PM on February 4, 2018

Response by poster: Thank you all! This has been reassuring and very helpful. My husband already got the DVD from Netflix, and I will go ahead and watch it with him.
posted by alligatorpear at 6:02 PM on February 4, 2018 [6 favorites]

Best answer: I hate horror movies of pretty much all kinds. They stick with me and here I am 10 years later now thinking about the grudge before I go to sleep.

I think that Get Out would probably be fine, however I’m a white woman. The scary parts of the movie would never happen to me (which is obviously part of the commentary of the movie). If you are a black man (or woman) and concepts from horror movies really stick with you, perhaps it might be worth a pass. However, even for those who really shy away from horror I think that it’s very watchable and should be seen by as many as possible because it is simply that fantastic.
posted by raccoon409 at 6:04 PM on February 4, 2018 [3 favorites]

...then go tell us what you think in FanFare!
posted by amanda at 7:12 PM on February 4, 2018 [5 favorites]

I not a fan of horror but I loved Get Out. It’s not a slasher movie. There were a couple times where I sat up or jumped in my seat but I found it thrilling/exciting more than terrifying. I have also been really uncomfortable as the only minority in a group of white people and the film really resonated with me a few times.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 2:37 AM on February 5, 2018

I feel like people may be underselling the violence in the movie? This is not Saw level stuff, but this is definitely a step above the things you have said you were comfortable with. It's more violent than the Exorcist, and there is no camp comedy to get you through it like Evil Dead. I like Common Sense Media for situations like this. They are very specific as to what you can expect to see in a movie, which I find helpful. They say this about the violence:

Violence isn't constant but is really brutal when it happens, with fighting, bashing with blunt objects, kicking, stabbing, guns, shooting, and lots of blood. There's also a gory surgery scene and a deer that's hit by a car and shown injured and bleeding.

I don't want to talk you out of seeing this great movie, but I do want you to know what you're in for.
posted by Garm at 6:40 AM on February 5, 2018 [3 favorites]

Get Out is far less violent than The Shining, and not as scary. And The Exorcist has a couple of terrifying scenes, like the spider walk down the stairs (which was deemed so disturbing it was cut from the original release), none of which Get Out even slightly approaches.
posted by holborne at 10:30 AM on February 5, 2018

I agree with holborne- Get Out is less violent than The Shining.
posted by oneirodynia at 1:35 PM on February 5, 2018