Quentin Tarantino Described How Jordan Peele Created the Best ‘Ahhhh’ Moment in ‘Get Out’
From Get Out to Us to the highly anticipated Candyman revival, Jordan Peele has solidified his position as a master of cinematic horror. Another film guru, Quentin Tarantino, explained how Peele succeeded in creating a rare ‘Ahhhh’ moment that was shared by countless theater audiences.
Jordan Peele changed the game with ‘Get Out’
Peele became a household name after co-starring in the sidesplitting sketch show Key and Peele. The comic-turned-filmmaker made the leap to horror with his 2017 directorial debut, Get Out.
Get Out is a psychological horror film that delivers a pointed commentary on American race relations along with a very chilling story. The plot centers around a young photographer named Chris. He is a Black man involved in a serious romantic relationship with Rose, who happens to be a white woman.
When Rose invites Chris to her family’s home for the weekend, he is initially nervous about how her parents will react to the interracial romance. But, against the advice of his skeptical friend, he agrees to go on the weekend getaway.
Upon Chris’ arrival, Rose’s parents are friendly, but their perceived tendency to overcompensate unnerves Chris. What’s more, the few Black individuals that Chris sees while visiting Rose’s family appear to be uncharacteristically disconnected from the Black American experience.
A few weird exchanges with friends of Rose’s family add to Chris’ discomfort and provides clues to the audience that something isn’t quite right. As the narrative continues to unfold, Chris discovers that his hosts have sinister plans for him. And the audience is taken on an unpredictable ride unlike any other horror film.
Quentin Tarantino described the first time he watched ‘Get Out’ in a theater
Get Out struck a chord with fans and film experts. Prolific director Quentin Tarantino weighed in on the phenomenon of the film when he joined the conversation on the AMC program, Eli Roth’s History of Horror.
Tarantino, who is famous for making Pulp Fiction among other hits, joined fellow film buffs on the special segment called “Scary Classics for the First Time.” On the show, the experts “describe their terrifyingly memorable experiences seeing some of the most beloved horror movies on the silver screen.” And Tarantino spoke in-depth about Get Out.
“In the case of Get Out, you felt you were in good hands,” said Tarantino. “And as a storyteller, I think one of the most exciting moments that can happen in a movie theater with a bunch of strangers is when you feel them watching the movie to such a degree, like, really paying attention to it. And then something is revealed that clears up a little something. Alright, and that is the moment when [Chris] goes through the old photos.”
The scene that Tarantino brings to mind is the turning point in the film when Chris discovers snapshots of Rose posing with her previous lovers. All of the individuals are Black, and some of them are the same odd birds Chris met during his visit. At that point, the audience realizes that something strange has happened to those people, and probably at the hands of Rose’s family.
“If you saw it on the weekend with a lot of people in the movie theater, the audience does a collective, ‘Ahhhh,’” noted Tarantino. “But, it’s the best kind of collective ‘Ahhhh’ because [Peele] doesn’t tell you everything. There is still a whole lot more to be known. But now you’re getting a sense of where this conspiracy lies.”
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