Peele’s Unnerving Vision in HIM Is A New Kind of American Horror Story

Jordan Peele has made a career out of reshaping horror into something far more than a genre exercise. With Get Out(2017), he set a new bar for socially conscious horror, embedding a chilling story of racial exploitation inside a suburban nightmare. Us (2019) stretched his reach even further, experimenting with doppelgängers, class divides, and an eerie sense of duality. Then came Nope (2022), a sci-fi-horror spectacle that blurred creature-feature thrills with commentary on spectacle, consumption, and the costs of chasing fame. Each of these films showcased Peele’s ability to fold sharp social observations into stories that entertain while also making audiences squirm in recognition.

His latest film, HIM, continues this tradition but pivots toward an entirely new arena in the world of American football. Peele is once again interrogating systems of power, but here he frames his narrative through the underworld of sports entertainment, exposing the rituals, sacrifices, and hidden costs of America’s most beloved pastime. The result is a psychological horror thriller that feels as much a critique of systemic exploitation as it is a supernatural descent into madness.

The center piece of HIM is Tyriq Withers, delivering a breakout performance as, Cameron Cade, a young athlete on the cusp of greatness, tasked with succeeding his predecessor and carrying the weight of both expectation and indoctrination. Much of the film follows his period of isolation before fully entering the sport’s shadowy underworld, a process that mirrors rites of passage found in secret societies but transplanted into the hyper-masculine, hyper-commercialised arena of football. Peele’s decision to turn the NFL into a modern-day Colosseum lends the film an air of inevitability. This is the sport Americans rally behind, yet it becomes the perfect site to expose corruption, control, and sacrifice.

Marlon Wayans is excellent in the role of eight time champion Isaiah White, a performance that feels deliberately restrained, playing a mentor figure whose warmth masks unsettling complicity in the darker side of the industry. Julia Fox, by contrast, embodies temptation itself. Her character is magnetic, pushing the lead deeper into the shadows by seducing him with excess, status, and desire. She is less a love interest than a living symbol of incitement, an embodiment of the dangerous allure that lies just beyond the boundary of discipline and balance. Together, their presence around Withers builds a claustrophobic sense of inevitability, as if his path has already been written by powers far greater than himself.

The film’s symbolism is layered throughout. The narrative leans heavily on Greco-Roman and early Christian references and rituals evoking Sparta, the gladiatorial spectacle of the Colosseum, or even a scene echoing the Last Supper. At times, the symbolism risks being overbearing, but it still serves the film’s grand vision. Peele also weaves in a subtle but poignant commentary on indigenous history, resembling a melting Navajo blanket hints at the erasure and exploitation that underpin even America’s “national” sports. In doing so, Peele reminds us that football, like so many cultural institutions, has roots in systems of power and domination.

Visually, HIM is stunning. The desert training landscapes make saturated colors almost pulsate on screen, creating moods that shift between serene beauty and suffocating sterility. Warm, intimate family moments glow with natural light, grounding the characters in humanity, while training camp scenes turn sterile and over-saturated, evoking the dehumanising process of indoctrination. Peele’s play with shadows and light intensifies these contrasts, constantly reminding viewers that the same environment can feel safe one moment and menacing the next.

HIM also dares to tackle one of football’s most pressing real-world issues beyond the horror, brain injuries and their long-term psychological toll. This thread becomes central to Cameron Cade’s unraveling, merging physical damage with supernatural dread. His visions, paranoia, and moments of disorientation can be read both as hauntings and as the lived reality of a body being sacrificed for entertainment. It’s this grounded commentary that gives the film its gravitas, an anchor that keeps the more surreal imagery tethered to something urgent and real.

The sound design and soundtrack amplify the unease. Peele has always used sound masterfully, but here the emotive records and eerie sonic textures feel inseparable from the film’s momentum. From subtle audio distortions during Withers’ dizzying episodes to thunderous, almost ritualistic drum sequences during gameplay, every sound pushes viewers deeper into the character’s headspace. It’s as much an auditory descent as a visual one. Like his previous work, HIM is ultimately about power, the hidden systems and silent deals that shape lives without consent. The narrative builds toward the chilling realisation that those with influence have orchestrated Cade’s fate all along, leaving him with only two choices: submission or defiance. The message about choice, resilience, and the struggle to maintain humanity even in the darkest circumstances lands with force.

If there’s a critique, it’s that Peele’s symbolism occasionally tips into the heavy-handed. References to saviors, rituals, and ancient spectacle don’t always need underlining. The tonal shifts from moments of humor early on to escalating horror by the final act, may also disorient some viewers, leaving the film genre-blurred rather than genre-defined. False-start jump scares add to this sense of uncertainty. Still, that unpredictability is part of the ride, and the audacity of Peele’s vision makes the imperfections feel like the cost of ambition.

conclusively, HIM is both unsettling and exhilarating. A horror thriller that fuses psychological dread with social critique, and supernatural unease, creating something that feels entirely fresh and enjoyable. It may not be as airtight as some of Peele’s earlier films, but its ambition, performances, and visual power confirm his place as a must watch upon release. The film made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month, sparking immediate debate and praise for its daring vision. The film will hit cinemas in the UK on October 3, after arriving in U.S. cinemas through Universal Pictures the following day, September 19. A wider international rollout through late October and early November. Streaming availability is expected in early 2026.