The Black Men As The Victims Of Biases In The Horror Film Get Out

The horror movie genre unravels viewers minds and gets fear from within in us, that we did not know previously existed and breaks our perception of everyday life. Because of this, horror movies have tropes that reflect standard human fears. Horror movies give us a look at the society, ideas, and the significance of people, but people are hell-bent on racism and violence. In horror movies, humanity considers people that are white, are the ones that should be acknowledged and be the primary focus of the film; however they steer away from minority characters.

The Film, Get Out forces audiences to feel fear for the black character (Chis Washington) and take another perspective on a group of white characters that can be the villains. Jordan Peele in his debut film brings to life a number of things that are issues of modern America. The things he managed to include in the film are the restriction of horror movie tropes, slavery, and the importance of eyes being used through the camera lens. This film is a telling a story of a black male that sees modern racism in America and the different types of racial discrimination black people face. The black men in society see themselves as the victims of biases in the movie industry, violence against women and being used for there physical traits.

Horror movies often do not have African American males or females in the leading roles, especially surrounded by a majority of white cast members. As a lover of horror films, I am used to watching horror films with a white woman that is the protagonist or a useless love interest. Women are often the innocent and helpless victims when it comes to this movie genre but Get Out turns these common tropes on its head. Chris Washington, the protagonist of the film is a black male. Often we see black characters in these films exist solely for the purpose of keeping the white leads alive longer. The black characters in films also get barely any screen time let alone dialog and they often get no character development. In Get Out, Chris is a quick-witted and observant person when it comes to the odd surroundings of the Armitage family and their creepy friends. Chris´s girlfriend is a stereotypical white female lead Rose Armitage is a cunning racist who tricks black males into falling in love with her. Rose and her family trap the black people and replace their minds with elder white people who want younger and stronger bodies. Which leaves the black characters in a type of purgatory. This film exploits the fact that women are often victims of black males or male minorities. Chris is a black male, who is in danger because of white women being intentionally evil. This film scrutinized the horror genre cliche´s throughout the runtime.

In the first couple of screenshots when the film begins, you can see images of Chris´s photography and how he sees the world. They are black and white prints of people that live in Brooklyn. The prints show the diverse scope of people and can be described as sincere and raw. The audience may have taken this as a hint to lets us know that Chris is indeed a photographer and is a very well respected one. As an audience member watching the film, I can see that Chris is in a sense, a trained observer and it will be crucial for him in later parts of the film. The film is based on people’s literal views on one another and the opening sequence is tied into this. This connects because the film gives us different ways of seeing. The camera lens that Chris uses for photography is critical because he notices a lot more things that are weird and odd to him. For example, when he observes Georgina playing with her hair in the upstairs room. This gives Chris the impression that Georgina is insane and reassures him something is off about the family. Chris also would have not seen Logan if he was not using his camera and realizes something is strange about him. The eyes of everyone in this film is amplified, how will Chris use his trained observation skills for his potential survival. As a black man, Chris is more outspoken and vocal about his creepy and odd surroundings.

Get Out is a horror movie but it's also a film about American slavery. There are three scenes in the movie that stuck out to me. The first one is when Chris and Rose leave the Armitage´s party because Chris feels uncomfortable. While they are away Dean Armitage is having an auction on who will buy Chris. Chris´s life and soul are being sold without his consent and knowledge as were the black slaves back in the South during the 1700´s and 1800ś. The second is the scene when Andre Hayworth is walking in a white suburban neighborhood and is attacked and taken. Later in the film, he reappears but he is a completely different person. We later realize that he was taken captive to be lobotomized. He now has a white man in his mind and he no longer has a say in what he does as a person. He is now owned by the white person he was bought by, a puppet for a white person to use as they please. Toward the end of the film, Chris is captured by the Armitage family who ties him to a chair in the basement. He is then confronted by the man that had bought him at the auction, Jim Hudson. Jim tells Chris that he and black people are disposable and white people find black people's bodies more superior. The Armitage family along with those who buy the black people are thieves. They lure them in, show them off and sell them as if they were cattle. Society often makes black people feel as if they're just useful for physical purposes and nothing else.

During the entire film, race is the core of all the problems soon to come. Get Out explored American racism in the modern era. We typically see racist characters harass, discriminate against, and take violent actions toward characters of a different race. In Get Out what we actually get is white characters that feel inferior toward the black characters in the film. The Armitage family and their friends do not look down on Chris but they treat him as if he does not belong. The type of racism this film explores isn't the typical kind that leads to harassment and violence but more so of an alienated type. The Armitage family only see the black characters in the film in a superior way because of their physical attributes. I found that concept interesting because this film is about modern racism but it also goes back to the slave trade in the 1700´s. The wealthy white people during that time used black men for physical labor and the black women for cooking and cleaning. Which are the roles of Georgina and Walter play at Armitage family home.

Get Out uses its characters, scenes and physical traits of the characters to bring to light an ongoing problem. Chris, as the black protagonist experiencing these horrors, we are more or less are seeing racism black people face in America through his eyes and how it affects him as an individual.