Jordan Peele’s directorial debut “Get Out,” which takes on racism using the vehicle of horror-comedy, dominated the box office last weekend and racked up a nearly perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Peele, of Key & Peele fame, plans to create four more “social thrillers,” each dealing with a different social demon.
A “social thriller,” as Peele explains it, is a film in which the object of horror stems from humanity itself – albeit in a heightened way.
Peele cites films “Rosemary’s Baby” and “The Stepford Wives” as examples. But relatively recent films such as“The Babadook,” “Funny Games,” and “The Mist,” as well as classics like “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” and “American Psycho” all fit the bill.
We want to hear from you – what are your favorite “social thrillers?” What issues and anxieties do they reflect? And what social issues would you want to see explored via the horror genre?
Guests:
Christy Lemire, film critic for KPCC and host of YouTube’s “What the Flick?;”she tweets
Justin Chang, film critic for KPCC and the Los Angeles Times; he tweets