Especially now that we’re near the end of the semester, it’s worth thinking about the way that earlier movies and larger movements in the horror tradition have influence on more recent work. Last week, we discussed the Babadook as a kind of revsion of The Exorcist. While early films are influential at points throughout Get Out, none is more crucial overall than Night of the Living Dead. Discuss briefly one scene or moment where you see a particular connection shared between the two movies.
11 thoughts on “Get Out”
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One similarity that I think is most prominent within Get Out and Night of the Living Dead is the plot of a Black protagonist surrounded by White characters interfering with their plans of survival. The survival aspect of this similarity can best be seen in the third act of Peele’s film and the bulk of Romero’s film. Ben and Chris’ situations happen with no intentions, they’re both displaced from their normal environments and are forced to protect themselves and others. This is most obviously seen in Ben as he asserts himself as the leader of a surviving group of uninfected humans in Night of the Living Dead. Chris attempts to help others, but with no other person in the same state of the situation he is in he ultimately fights for his survival alone. This goal for survival is created by their environments. Ben is surrounded by White people who have no idea how to protect themselves and Chris is surrounded by White people who want to use his body for their personal benefits. Both characters are met with constant questioning in these White-centered settings. Whereas Chris is asked about his physique and cultural beliefs, Ben’s quality of leadership is often questioned by his group. At some point in each film, the questioning eventually becomes a threat to their lives that deter them from survival one way or another.
Despite differences in style/genre, era, and objectives, Get out and Night of the Living Dead are films that fit within the contemporary landscape of socially conscious horror, resonating with each other. The ending to Night of the Living Dead is particularly significant for its time; the film concludes with the sole survivor, Ben, an black man, managing to survive the night only to be mistaken for a zombie and shot by a group of white men in a position of authority. This depressing and shocking conclusion challenges the expectations of the audience and serves as a commentary on the racial tensions prevalent during the 1960s, reflecting the real-world fears and prejudices of the era, where even a resilient and resourceful black protagonist faces a tragic end due to ingrained biases of society. Get Out, however, provides a much more cathartic resolution. Chris, the black protagonist, manages to escape the sunken place and protect himself from the deeply racist and deranged Armitage family. Unlike typical horror endings, the film concludes with Chris overcoming these oppressive forces and surviving, adding a layer of empowerment to the film. The film ultimately critiques racial exploitation, but also offers a more optimistic perspective, suggesting a potential theme that resilience and awareness can lead to liberation. I think that this evolution of storytelling can possibly be seen as a reflection of shifting societal attitudes and a desire for more nuanced and empowering narratives surrounding race in the genre of horror.
One possible connection between Night of the Living Dead and Get Out is the way both films use the trope of the final survivor. In Night of the Living Dead, Ben is the only character who survives the zombie attack, only to be shot by a group of men who mistake him for a zombie. In Get Out, Chris manages to escape the Armitage family and their brain-swapping scheme, but he is almost caught by a police car that arrives at the scene. The audience fears that Chris will face a similar fate as Ben, but it turns out to be his friend Rod who came to rescue him.
Looking beyond the large-scale similarities between Night of the Living Dead and Get Out, I noticed a particular connection between the shotgun/rifle scene in each film. It is a dramatic moment in Night of the Living Dead when Ben takes the shotgun from Cooper and kills him. A version of this scene occurs in Get Out in which the white vs. black dynamic takes place both between Walter and Rose and within Walter’s body. As Chris’ flash temporarily brings the real Walter to his body, he takes the rifle from Rose and shoots her in the gut, just like Ben does to Cooper. He then turns it on himself, both ending his own life and that of Grandpa. Walter knows that he will be condemned to the sunken place if he does not end his life, which is a fate worse than death. By killing himself, he saves himself. Alternatively, Ben is unaware that fighting to stay alive will lead to him ending up in the basement, which is a symbolic place of hopelessness that is akin to the sunken place. Both his fate and Walter’s are sealed; the difference is that he does not recognize this.
The connection between “Night of the Living Dead” and “Get Out” can be explored through the theme of racial tension and social commentary. One particular moment that draws a connection is the ending of “Night of the Living Dead” (1968), where the sole survivor, Ben, a black man, is mistaken for a zombie and shot by a group of armed white men. “Get Out” (2017) pays homage to this ending. However in “Get Out”, Chris, a black man, is saved by his black friend instead of being killed by a white cop. Interestingly, there is an alternative ending to “Get Out” where Chris is killed.
Another scene in “Get Out” that echoes the racial tension from “Night of the Living Dead” is the party scene, where Chris, the protagonist, feels increasingly uncomfortable as he becomes the center of attention due to his race. The scene reflects the social discomfort and racial microaggressions that still persist in society.
I found the final scene of Get Out to be a reversal of the end of the Night of the Living Dead. In Night of the Living Dead, the rural policeforce arrives after Ben has survived the night and outlasted the zombies. However, when he is seen by the police/militia he is shot dead. In Get Out, Chris survives the night as well. After he attempts to kill Rose, the police car arrives. It is important to note that he called the police as he was leaving the house. However, despite knowing he is in the right, he and Rose both know that the police will believe her instead of him. As he puts his arms up, she calls out for help. At this moment, Chris is in the same situation as Ben, or so we think. His relief is immense when the car door opens to display “AIRPORT” and Rod steps out. The end plays with the fact that both the viewer and Chris know that nothing good would come from the arrival of the police, it stands to show how the problematic behaviour of the police towards African Americans has become more accepted and visible since 1968.
P.S. – accepted as in the concept that the police have extreme racial biases and that more people now recognize this fact.
I remember discussing how the house in Night of the Living Dead was usual in that by the end of the movie you could take out a pen and paper and make a pretty accurate drawing. When Chris went outside to smoke I was reminded of Night of the living dead because I knew exactly where he was in the house despite only having watched ~30 minutes. It didn’t surprise me when the mom flipped on the light to her study because I knew that was her space and that he would be passing it when he walked through the kitchen.
I think that this spatial aspect of ‘Get Out’ and ‘Night of the Living Dead’ is uncharacteristic of horror movies. Usually when the movie takes place primarily in the house it is shot like a labyrinth, purposefully including shots of rooms that don’t seem to fit in. We see a little bit of this at the end in the basement, but for the most part the Armitage Property is shot with wide Angle, letting us see the entirety of the rooms and hallways.
In the context of the influence of earlier horror movies on more recent works, “Night of the Living Dead” plays a crucial role in shaping the narrative of “Get Out.” A specific connection between the two films can be observed in the dynamic of characters trapped in a confined space. In “Night of the Living Dead,” the 1968 perspective portrays white individuals in a house terrified of the lone black person among them, represented by the character Ben. From a contemporary lens, this horror is reversed in “Get Out,” where the protagonist, Chris, finds himself, like Ben, as a black individual surrounded by white people. In both situations, the lone protagonist (Chris / Ben) is forced to battle the innate racial tensions of the situation while also being kept on their toes by having to guess what their companions are thinking– and especially what they think of them. Furthermore, another similarity I noticed was that both Ben and Chris showcase outstanding resourcefulness, especially in comparison to their white counterparts. Overall, the connection between “Get Out” and “Night of the Living Dead” highlights a thematic consistency in horror narratives that transcends time, with “Night of the Living Dead” influencing the portrayal of racial dynamics in more recent films like “Get Out.”
One of the most standout parallels between the films Get Out and The Night of the Living Dead is the storyline in which a black man is trapped in a house with a bunch of white people. Both Ben and Chris have to constantly has to guess what people are thinking, as well as guess what people are thinking of them. They have to endure slights from their companions, gritting their teeth and giving tight lipped smiles in return. The films not only emphasize Chris and Ben’s blackness, but also emphasize the whiteness of those around them. One of the main clues that let Chris know there was something afoot was Georgina, Walter, and Logan, acting like white people, missing all of the prompts Chris does to try to bond with them as the only other black people present on the Armitage property. Although the themes and commentary of race are much more blatant in Get Out (the director of The Night of the Living Dead consistently denying the racial themes present), both movies offer insight into what its like to navigate predominantly white spaces as a black man.
One point in which I see a connection between “Get Out” and “Night of the Living Dead” are their ending scenes. “Get Out” seems to steer the audience in the direction of thinking a similar ending will play out as in “Night of the Living Dead” with the police shooting the innocent black man. However, “Get Out” instead switches the narrative and has Chris escaping successfully with the aid of the police. I think this connection is very purposeful as the ending to “Get Out” plays on our own assumptions on what we think will happen. These assumptions are influenced by culture and society, but there is also a history with previous horror tradition.