Justin Tipping’s Him aims high, blending a rise-to-glory tale with creeping body-horror and occult dread. It follows Cam Cade, a gifted college quarterback whose career looks solid until a brutal assault derails it. The arrival of Isaiah White, Cam’s former idol, offers a chance to rebuild through a shadowy training retreat at a lavish estate.
Wayans delivers a dynamic, sometimes ferocious performance, shifting between mentor and predatory cult-leader as the tension escalates. Cinematography by Kira Kelly pushes the visuals into kinetic territory, turning training halls into almost religious spaces and bathing rooms in candlelit menace. The look nods to early MTV-era adrenaline, giving the film a glossy, pulse-quickening surface.
What works
The atmosphere and character-driven moments land most consistently. Some sequences stage power dynamics with unsettling clarity, and the pivot to ritual horror lands with impact when it stays focused on psychology and control rather than pure spectacle.
What falters
Where it stumbles is in its broader message. The script proposes a critique of sports culture, the exploitation of Black athletes, and the price of glory, but often retreats into murky occult plotting that leaves the thesis underdeveloped. Julia Fox’s influencer figure lands as a misfire, undermining the sharper satire.
The tonal shifts can feel abrupt, pulling you out of the flow. When the movie leans into its finale, it unleashes a bold, bloody sequence that is visually striking, even if the narrative threading remains incomplete.
Verdict
Him is a daring mainstream horror that proves it can push style and performance. It doesn’t fully realize its stated ambitions, yet Wayans’s electric presence and Tipping’s fearless framing keep it engaging and memorable.
Source: Original article
