One of the things I like most about Jordan Peele’s movies is how distinctive they are. No one can truly replicate Peele’s style, even a filmmaker hired by Peele himself.
Peele produced the new horror movie “Him” through his Monkeypaw Productions, and he hired director Justin Tipping to helm the football-themed film. Tipping is no Peele, though, and his efforts to make a statement about modern football culture via a Peele-influenced horror story mostly fall flat.
There are some striking and unsettling images in “Him,” but they don’t meaningfully connect to each other or to the story’s themes, and they ultimately amount to very little. As aging football star Isaiah White, Marlon Wayans puts in a strong effort balancing sinister villainy and frantic desperation, but it’s not enough to carry the muddled plot. A filmmaker like Peele, with a clearer and more forceful vision, could have turned this into a powerful horror story about the sacrifices required for athletic glory. Tipping barely gets halfway there.
‘Him’ starts with an intriguing set-up
The movie begins with a flashback to Isaiah’s first national championship, as quarterback for the pointedly named San Antonio Saviors in the movie’s fictional NFL stand-in. As a young boy, Cameron Cade watches Isaiah clinch the victory, then fall down with a seemingly career-ending injury. Cameron’s father uses this example to instill in his son the most important value he holds for football: “No guts, no glory.”
Eight years later, Cameron (Tyriq Withers of “I Know What You Did Last Summer”) is a recent college graduate and top prospect for the professional football draft. Isaiah has come back from that injury to win seven more championships, but rumors swirl that he’s about to retire.
Just before Cameron is set to participate in the Combine, an annual showcase for potential draft picks, he’s attacked by an unknown assailant in a mascot costume, suffering a traumatic brain injury. Still determined to turn pro no matter what the cost, Cameron accepts an invitation to train with Isaiah for a week at his remote compound, after which Isaiah will personally recommend him to the Saviors.
It’s an obvious deal with the devil, and that’s before Cameron even arrives at the foreboding mansion and training center, where he’ll endure a grueling series of tests to meet Isaiah’s approval.
The terrors of ‘Him’ never quite come together
The problem is that while Isaiah’s compound is obviously dangerous, Tipping and co-writers Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie remain frustratingly vague about those dangers — at least until the over-the-top finale. Isaiah is alternately friendly and menacing, engaging in sadistic games designed to turn Cameron into a ruthless game-winning machine.
Some of his techniques are simply more extreme, violent versions of typical football training, while other activities are more esoteric, hinting at a possible occult or sci-fi element to Isaiah’s remarkable success.
Jim Jefferies plays a sports-medicine doctor who injects Cameron with mysterious substances meant to enhance his performance, which may also be messing with his mind. Or maybe he’s just seeing things because he’s still recovering from a serious blow to the head.
Every time the story seems to be kicking into another gear, “Him” dials back, and all of the poorly defined dangers lose their impact. Movies like Peele’s “Get Out” or Ari Aster’s “Midsommar” effectively build tension out of small, escalating threats and incidents, all of which contribute to the mounting terror.
“Him” seems to be making a different point with each set piece, and while Tipping hints at some complex ideas about football’s relation to race and class, they’re never fully developed.
‘Him’ is a stylish but forgettable horror movie
Tipping is good at tweaking familiar-looking commercial-style glossy images to make them horrific, and “Him” is watchable as it puts the pieces in place for something terrible to happen to Cameron. Withers’ screen presence can’t quite match Wayans’, but that works in the movie’s favor for a little bit, as Cameron is overwhelmed by Isaiah’s presence.
Those carefully composed images might have been perfect for a music video or short film, but when it comes time for “Him” to deliver on its promises, Tipping has nothing left to offer. The finale showcases the kind of bloodbath that horror fans might expect, but it’s tonally incoherent, without any narrative or thematic resonance.
Still, Peele deserves credit for platforming young horror filmmakers and attempting to push the boundaries of the genre. Even if “Him” doesn’t succeed in its ambitions, those ambitions are worth celebrating. The follow-through needs more work, though.
“Him” opens September 19 in theaters
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