3/3/2017 15EasterEggsfromGetOutNotCarrieBradshaw

ABOUT ME / WORDSMITH / FASHION STORYTELLER / SOCIAL ENTHUSIAST / FASHION F

FEBRUARY 27, 2017 BY JESSICA WILKINS 2 COMMENTS SOCIAL ENTHUSIAST

15 Easter Eggs from Get Out

http://notcarriebradshaw.com/15eastereggsfromgetout/ 1/9
3/3/2017 15EasterEggsfromGetOutNotCarrieBradshaw

Photo: Universal Pictures

Black cinema is in the midst of a revival, with black writers and directors creating stories

that are re ective of the black experience. The latest of such lms is Jordan Peeles highly

anticipated horror/comedy Get Out. The lm received 100 percent positive reviews from

Rotten Tomatoes, which is a rare occurrence. According to the LA Times Get Out

alsotopped the box o ce with $30.5 million in ticket sales.

Get Out was actually one of the previews that played before Moonlight , and I was instantly
intrigued by the premise. The quick version of the plot is that Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) is

going to meet his white girlfriend Roses parents for the rst time. Chris is understandably

apprehensive, as we all tend to be when meeting our SOs parents for the rst time.

Another layer of anxiety is added to this already tense situation when Chris learns that

Rose has not revealed to her parents that he is black. Again, these are all pretty mundane

fears that any of us would have. Upon arriving at the house, Chris almost instantly senses

that something isnt quite right with this white family. He quickly learns that his suspicions

are more than accurate.

http://notcarriebradshaw.com/15eastereggsfromgetout/ 2/9
3/3/2017 15EasterEggsfromGetOutNotCarrieBradshaw

Truth be told, I have never really been one for scary movies, especially the kinds that can
actually happen, or that will make me afraid to live alone. For example, I can handle

Nightmare on Elm Street far better than I can handle Saw or Final Destination . Because of
my aversion to the genre, I never realized how underrepresented black people are in

horror lms, rather I knew, but didnt understand the social implications of it, or the ways in

which it re ects what white America thinks of black men. What makes Get Out special is

that it shits on the trope of the random black dude in the scary movie. As writerFrederick

McKindra put it in his well written Buzzfeed piece, Get Out and the Purge franchise nally

make black men the protagonists of horror lms and center their real-life terror of living in

suburban America. He goes on to say that for the rst time we get to see a fully

developed black character be scared, instead of scary. Dude. That oored me, because I

never realized the truth in that. Because black men are viewed to be so dangerous IRL, a

fully developed black character is rarely a orded the opportunity to die in a way that

matters. The black character typically has such an arbitrary role to begin with, so when

they are randomly killed o , it never means much when they die in the grand scheme of

the lm. Likewise because black skin has been weaponized in real life, black victims are

rarely ever actually seen as victims. It is always presumed that we are somehow

responsible for our pain, or even our death. Think back to the many senseless deaths of

young black men that weve seen, and white Americas initial reaction was to victim blame.

It is interesting (to say the least) that even in horror lms wherein there are fantastical

monsters and creatures, it is still so very unlikely that a black character can be a multi

dimensional person, thus a real victim with real implications in the plot. That is the beauty
in Chris character. He gets to be the focus of the lm, and thus a real victim.

The lmss director,Jordan Peele said he wanted to make a movie viewers would need to
see twice. Whether he did that as a matter of artistic merit, or just to lure people into

purchasing a second ticket, dammit he succeeded. After seeing the movie, my friends and
I sat a restaurant for literal hours dissecting the many talking points, and highlighting the
things we noticed that we couldnt discuss in the theater. I really have to go back to see

the movie for a second time, because I just know theres something I missed. In the

http://notcarriebradshaw.com/15eastereggsfromgetout/ 3/9
3/3/2017 15EasterEggsfromGetOutNotCarrieBradshaw

meantime, here are 15 things I peeped during and after viewing one. There are spoilers. If
you have not seen the movie, stop right here, and come back later.

1. Chris used the cotton stu ng in the arm of the chair he was strapped to, to plug his
ears so that he wouldnt be subdued into the nal stages of the transformation. This is

notable given the role that cotton picking played in the enslavement of black people.
His arms and feet were bound, much like a slave would be shackled, and cotton

ended up saving his life. The irony there is just awe inducing.
2. Upon arriving at the Armitages house, Rose and Chris share with Roses parents that

theyd hit a deer. This prompts Roses father Dean to talk about how deer need to be
eradicated, because of how they are ruining the ecosystem. This is coded language

for how he actually feels about black people, and the need to control their role in the
ecosystem. It is also important to note that when going to the sunken place Chris

was much like a deer in headlights during hypnosis as he was paralyzed, and unable to
do anything to save himself. The irony is that he ended up using the antlers of a
taxidermied deer to kill Dean.

3. After Rose and Chris hit the deer that seems to come out of nowhere, Chris is
compelled to go nd it, and see if its okay. We later nd out that this is because Chris

feels that he abandoned his mother when she was struck by a car, and ultimately died.
He feels a deep sense of guilt that he is the cause of her eventual death, because he

thinks he couldve somehow come to her rescue. This is also why he went back to
save Georgina after accidentally hitting her with his car.

4. Dean reveals very early the source of the familys hatred towards black men during the
tour of the house. It stems from his father losing to Jesse Owens in the 1936 Olympics

which were held in Nazi Germany. Jesse Owens victory was a clear challenge to
Hitlers belief that German Aryan people were the superior race. Deans father clearly

felt overshadowed by this physical and political victory, spawning an extreme sense of
jealousy and hatred for black mens physical ability. We later see in the video Chris is

forced to watch that Deans father was the mastermind behind the whole
transformation process.

http://notcarriebradshaw.com/15eastereggsfromgetout/ 4/9
3/3/2017 15EasterEggsfromGetOutNotCarrieBradshaw

5. Chris uses a ball to subdue Jeremy, thus escaping that room, and the next phase of

transformation. Often times black men are taught that the only way to escape a bad
environment is through physical prowess, by excelling as an athlete. In this case, a bal

actually did save a black mans life.

6. While Chris is in the basement of the home presumably undergoing the torturous

transformation hes been lured there for, Rose is casually listening to (Ive Had) The
Time Of My Life, and looking up NCAA top prospects on her tablet. Her physical
posture shows her indi erence, yet the song re ects that she is very much pleased

with her actions both previous and current. This not only shows how white women can
be complicit in crimes against black people (this past election for example) but also

that the family only saw the value in the physical capabilities of black bodies. This is
an overriding theme in the premise of the movie in that there is no value placed on the

minds of the black men chosen, only the physical or artistic talents (Chris was a
photographer, Andre was a jazz musician). However, the quick thinking of both Chris

and his only friend in the movie are what ultimately save them.
7. The trigger for Chris hypnosis was the tapping of a teaspoon on a tea cup, a very

subtle means to a horri c end. Often timesacts of racism are very subtle, and there is
a feeling of paranoia when you notice them, and even more so if you call them out.

However, you know what it is when you see it. This is why the lead actor Daniel
Kaluuya likens racism to being in a real life horror lm in his interview with Vulture

There is an assumed paranoia associated with accusations of racism. The same

paranoia that the lead characters in most horror lms experience when they try to

explain some supernatural occurrence.

8. Everything comes together when Chris discovers the photos of Rose with all of the

other black men she dated. All of the black men chosen were dark skinned.
9. Chris clue that something was o with the other black people at the house was their

inability to recognize social cues associated with black culture. When he tried to dap
Andre up at the party, Andre misses the cue. When Chris mentions that he didnt want
to be a snitch to Georgina, she isnt familiar with the term. Obviously not all black

people in the world know these social norms; therefore, those werent what solidi ed

http://notcarriebradshaw.com/15eastereggsfromgetout/ 5/9
3/3/2017 15EasterEggsfromGetOutNotCarrieBradshaw

for Chris that these people werent in essence black. It did, however give him pause,

for him to know something was awry. He wasnt in the presence of black people who
he could connect with, which can also feel alienating. Think of starting a new job, and

trying to connect with the few other black people there, and them not fully
understanding you. You feel isolated.

10. At the entrance of the house there are two pillars with symbols that look like the Greek
letter Omega. Omega is the last letter in the Greek alphabet, and is often referred to

as the end. We sometimes refer to God as being the Alpha and the Omega, the
beginning and the end. Going into the Armitages home signi ed a possible end for

Chris.
11. The father, Dean mentions in one of his many monologues during the lm, the

cleansing power of re, and how it reminds us all of our own mortality. Dean ends up
setting re to the entire house when falls after Chris stabs him with the deer antlers.

The very thing he hopes to eradicate (black men and deer) are what kill him.
12. Chris had just escaped the house by justi ably killing everyone in it. After everything
that he had gone through to survive, when he saw the police lights of the car, his rst

inclination was still to put his hands up to show that he wasnt a threat. In spite of all
that happened, he knew that he would still be presumed to be the villain that came to
attack a white family.

13. Chris is rescued by his friend Rod. This isnt a common theme in the horror genre. As
writerFrederick McKindra points out, black characters in horror lms rarely have any
real connection to the world outside of their white friends. Typically that character has
no one to rely on to be their saving grace, so this was a welcome departure from that

common theme.
14. The sunken place is similar to the actual paralyzing state of being when you are unable
to defend yourself against racism in certain settings like the workplace. The hypnosis
is a satirical/extreme example of the psychology associated with enduring racism of

all kinds. You are aware that it is happening, but the need to keep your job, or not go
to jail prevents you from being able to react. The mind of the actual black person was
trapped in the sunken place, and while they were aware, they were unable to react.

http://notcarriebradshaw.com/15eastereggsfromgetout/ 6/9
3/3/2017 15EasterEggsfromGetOutNotCarrieBradshaw

15. The rst song we hear at the beginning of the movie is Childish Gambinos Redbone
Director Jordan Peele was very intentional in choosing this song for the intro to the
movie. Well, rst of all, I love the Stay Woke [lyric] thats what this movie is about.
wanted to make sure that this movie satis ed the black horror movie audiences need

for characters to be smart and do things that intelligent, observant people would do,
Peele toldHipHopDX.

SHARE:

RELATED POSTS

2 COMMENTS

ALICIA
March 1, 2017 at 2:53 am

Wonderful review! Only one thing the characters name is Andre Hayworth
not Andrew =)

JESSICA WILKINS
March 1, 2017 at 9:07 am

Thanks. So weird, because IMDB has it as a totally di erent name. Just

listened to Jordan Peeles interview say it was Andre.

http://notcarriebradshaw.com/15eastereggsfromgetout/ 7/9
3/3/2017 15EasterEggsfromGetOutNotCarrieBradshaw

LEAVE A COMMENT

Name (required)

Mail (required)

Website

LEAVE A COMMENT

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

NEXT POST

DONT THINK ABOUT IT TOO MUCH

http://notcarriebradshaw.com/15eastereggsfromgetout/ 8/9
3/3/2017 15EasterEggsfromGetOutNotCarrieBradshaw

2016 copyright PREMIUMCODING // All rights reserved

http://notcarriebradshaw.com/15eastereggsfromgetout/ 9/9