Him: A Football Freakshow Full of Frights

It’s Game Time!

Huddle up and pay attention, because an all-new horror movie produced by a modern genre icon has entered the stadium! Him is an all-new, all-original flick centered around the dark side of football. Surprisingly, sports-themed horror films are not very common in the grand scheme of the genre, most of them being released under the radar with very little recognition. However, what helps this film to stand out is how it was produced by Jordan Peele, one of the most recognizable names in horror today. 

Peele is known for directing movies which put an emphasis on psychological fright and unnerving imagery, while finding ways to explore relevant themes and provide social commentary. Key examples can be highlighted in Get Out and Nope, which were not only box office hits, but received massive acclaim from critics and audiences alike. Unfortunately, even with Peele as a producer, this new football-themed outing has not been earning nearly as good of a reception as his previous works.

Despite a decent opening weekend of around $13 million, the film has received predominantly negative reviews from critics, particularly in regards to its screenplay. Even audiences don’t seem thrilled, as the film earned a poor C- grade from crowds polled by CinemaScore. However, I still had hope for this new outing. Though I don’t know much about football, I was enthralled by the trailers and concept for this movie. Plus, I adore Peele’s previous works – especially Get Out – so I was curious as to how this movie could stand out from other recent horror flicks.

Optimistically, I headed to Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas and grabbed myself a ticket on Thursday, Sept. 18. As the credits rolled and I headed back to my car, I was left with one question: was this film a touchdown for 2025 horror, or was it as pleasant as a mid-game injury?

Crowding the Stadium

Him focuses on an up-and-coming football player named Cameron Cade, whose career nearly ends after he is suddenly attacked and injured. Following the incident, he receives an invitation to train with legendary quarterback – and his personal idol – Isaiah White, who lives in a private compound. But once the training begins, Cade finds himself in a nightmarish downhill spiral as the program fades into something more dangerous and he recognizes the consequences of chasing greatness. 

Produced by Peele and directed by Justin Tipping – in his directorial debut – the film features a talented cast including Marlon Wayans, Tyriq Withers, Julia Fox, Tim Heidecker, and Jim Jeffries among others.

I generally had an entertaining enough time with this movie, but I was admittedly expecting it to be much better. The bad doesn’t necessarily outweigh the good, but there are aspects of the film which had potential to be so much more than they actually delivered. The majority of these issues come from the writing, though that’s not to say it is fully without merit. The first half of the movie is written quite well for the most part, doing an effective job at setting up Cade’s conflict and building an intriguing mystery about White’s intentions. 

The atmosphere is psychologically uncomfortable, which establishes an uneasy tone as Cade’s training unravels into something much darker. On top of that, the movie barely used any jumpscares as its primary fright factor – very refreshing after The Conjuring: Last Rites – in favor of this off-putting feel. These factors of the first half played a great role in establishing stakes and raising suspicion, which left me confident the rest of the movie would follow suit. 

However, once the second half rolls around, things begin to fall apart like Cade’s training program in the film, as it suddenly becomes too inconsistent for its own good. Without spoiling anything about the main content, I will say that the film puts a great emphasis on its imagery, maybe more so than its plot structure. Though some of these visuals are pleasing and unique, many of them feel like gimmicks to just get a reaction out of the audience rather than serve a deeper meaning. As a result, the movie loses some of its psychological dread as it tries too hard to be more complex than it actually is. 

This ultimately impacts the otherwise effective tone the movie sets up, trading in the unnerving suspense into something unnecessarily flashier. But the worst of it comes in the ending, which is a complete tonal departure from anything set up beforehand. Without giving too much away, I can say that the movie suddenly takes a more graphic turn and becomes more gore-heavy in a creative decision that comes out of practically nowhere. 

On top of that, it sets up more plot points about the overarching conflict’s past which are interesting in concept, but before they can be properly developed, the credits roll in a conclusion which feels more abrupt than shocking. Though I do respect the merits the script beholds, it becomes disjointed as the runtime progresses, ultimately setting up more questions than it can answer.

Most Valuable Players

Even with the messy script, I cannot deny the talent of the movie’s cast, who are all committed to their roles. They each provide an engaging performance which helped the runtime feel worthwhile, even as the script fell victim to sloppiness. Namely, Withers does a great job as Cade, who provides a great emotional range throughout the film. Whether it be fear of his career’s potential end, concern with White’s training tactics, or determination as he strives to be the best, he provides a great variety of emotions to get viewers enticed in his character. 

But the standout performance for me was easily Wayans as White. Primarily known for his work in comedy – including Scary Movie, White Chicks, and A Haunted House – he plays an effective against-type role as the movie’s antagonist. Wayans puts on a facade of comfort and enthusiasm when he first meets Cade, but slowly grows more and more demented and menacing in the progressing minutes. It ultimately makes for one of the strongest performances Wayans has given in his entire career, and an unforgettable character in an otherwise okay movie.

Cade and White also have the most development in the film, though most of it goes to the former. That said, a decent amount of his growth is reduced to telling the audience directly about his past rather than actually showing scenes about it. I wish the movie included more scenes regarding Cade’s past, as I feel it would’ve helped him feel more relatable or emotionally engaging. But even so, Withers and Wayans did a terrific job as bringing these characters to life, with their performances and range keeping me enthralled the entire time.

In addition to the primary characters, other members of the cast – including Fox and Heidecker – are also enjoyable in their own way, as they provide personal unique energies to their characters, including through occasional humor and quips. Despite my issues with the writing, the cast adds a lot to the film’s engagement factor and all-around memorability, with their performances alone keeping the picture worthwhile even as the script tackled its quality to the ground.

Concussive Creations

As previously mentioned, Him makes use of a plethora of odd imagery, particularly in its second half. But I have to give credit where it’s due: some of those visuals are quite pleasing to the eyes. There are several unique lighting schemes, color palettes, and camera techniques used throughout the feature which at least keep it visually full of variety. In fact, some sequences – particularly ones involving x-ray vision – provide a nice treat which can add an extra impact to the onscreen mayhem. 

I’ll even admit that the cinematography is stunning in most of the shots, as it makes great use of its environments to provide a solid scope. The movie explores different locations with their own flair, ensuring nothing blends in too much with each other. Whether it be the inner workings of White’s compound or the outdoor openness of a desert or football stadium, the camera work greatly showcases Tipping’s talent in directing a shot. 

Unfortunately, the film suffers another fatal flaw in its imagery: it puts an unnecessary emphasis on style over substance. Yes, these sequences and certain visuals may look cool, but what exactly do they do to develop the story? The answer: not very much. Not helping the matter is how some scenes go a bit overboard in their visual structure, feeling more gimmicky than anything else. 

A key example of this comes from a party scene midway through the film. On top of a dark red lighting scheme dominating the area, the sequence also implements strobe lights in a completely unnecessary manner. The lights flash non-stop for several seconds in a creative decision which did nothing but hurt my eyes and make the scene harder to keep track of. Though I can respect some of the movie’s visuals as experimental-but-interesting, others – including scenes like this – did nothing to stick with me or progress the plot, coming off as more random and mindnumbing than profound and impactful. 

A Tumultuous Touchdown

Overall, despite having great performances, beautiful cinematography, and well-constructed first half, Him falls victim to wasted potential through its jarring tonal shifts, confused visuals, and weirdly structured plot. Though I did have a generally serviceable time with this movie, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t leave the theater at least a little bit disappointed. 

If you’re a fan of Peele’s previous works or films full of psychedelic imagery, you might get more of a kick out of this movie than I did. If you’re interested in checking it out, Him is currently playing in movie theaters across the entire country – including the Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas on Route 57. But for me, despite the entertainment value, I still couldn’t help but feel like this movie could’ve been so much more than it actually was. 

Though it may not be as bad as some critics made it out to be, this film’s overall execution fumbled the ball on what could’ve been one of the year’s best horror movies. 

My Rating