Justin Tipping’s Him dives into the collision between sport, ambition, and ritual. A promising college quarterback, Cam Cade, is left fighting for his life after a brutal off-field assault, only to be pulled into a secret training circle hosted by his idol, Isaiah White. The promise is a path back to glory, but the line between mentor and manipulator proves dangerously thin.
Tyriq Withers carries Cam’s urgency, while Marlon Wayans unleashes a scorching turn as Isaiah, a former star whose warmth can flip to predatory cold in an instant. Cinematographer Kira Kelly keeps the imagery kinetic—training halls feel like sanctuaries of hyper-masculine devotion, and locker rooms cast long, uneasy shadows that blur the line between sports montage and ritual horror.
What works
The film lands most decisively when it leans into mood and performance. Wayans is magnetic, delivering a performance that’s at once charismatic and unnerving. The visuals spark with energy, echoing MTV-era intensity while building a dreamlike, concussion-tinged atmosphere.
What doesn’t
The narrative sometimes stumbles as it tries to juggle social critique with occult threads. The satire around influencer culture, embodied by Julia Fox, reads as dated and undermines the sharper observations. Tone shifts can feel jarring, pulling you out of the film’s momentum just when tension should be rising.
Still, the movie offers a few striking moments where the ambition pays off—there are scenes that stage mind games and control with chilling precision before yielding to more graphic theatrics. The final act leans into extravagant, bloody spectacle, and while it doesn’t deliver a fully cohesive argument, it remains provocatively bold.
In the end, Him proves how rare it is to see a mainstream horror debut attempt such a charged mix of sports, religion, and body horror. Wayans’s electric presence anchors the piece, and Tipping’s eye for composition gives the material a distinctive pulse. It’s not flawless, but it’s a fearless misfire that’s worth seeing for its audacious ambition and for Marlon Wayans re-emerging as a force.
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