It’s that time of year in Tennessee when the leaves change colors — from bright reds and fiery oranges to golden yellows — covering the landscape in stunning fall hues. We are patiently waiting for cooler temperatures and more signs of autumn’s arrival, which will mark the beginning of the entire fall season. We’ve already experienced a brief week of faux fall, with cooler mornings and crisp evenings, giving us a small taste of what’s to come.
But until then, football games are already underway, bringing the season’s excitement to weekends across the state. While it’s not quite chili weather yet, it’s spooky season, so what could be better than a sports-themed horror movie to set the mood?
Sports horror is a genre I’ve heard of often, though I haven’t really explored it much. I’m not particularly into sports movies in general (Sorry, Rudy), since I’m not very sporty myself. However, when you combine sports with horror elements, the story immediately grabs my attention, adding an exciting twist that sparks my curiosity.
Written and directed by Justin Tipping, Him tells the story of rising football star Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers). The movie begins with Cam as a young boy watching his hero, Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), of the San Antonio Saviors, suffer a severe injury on the field. Cam’s dad tells him, “That’s what a real man looks like,” setting the tone of toxic masculinity.
Fast forward to the present, and Cam is making it big in the NFL. That is, until he is suddenly attacked by a mascot-like figure, leading to a possible brain injury.
Isaiah offers to train him and help him get back on his feet. As the boot camp continues, things become increasingly strange, and Cameron isn’t sure what he signed up for.
My expectations from watching parts of the trailer and the poster were that this would be Ari Aster’s Midsommar, but set in the NFL. I feel misled by the marketing because the cult content I was primarily promised appears at the end of the film.
Marlon Wayans as Isaiah is outstanding. I often think of Scary Movie or White Chicks when I see him, but he can also convincingly play a more serious role. There are comedic moments that made the theater laugh, but as a sadistic, narcissistic maniac, he completely owns this role.
Tyriq Withers as Cameron is another standout. He almost embodies the Aaron Hernandez persona. Hernandez is the football star I listened to a podcast about. He was known for being sensitive and soft-spoken, but he went on to commit murder and ultimately suicide, possibly because of a CTE injury. Withers portrays a man descending into madness similarly, but we don’t quite understand why until the climax of the film.
This movie looks absolutely fabulous, stylistically. The cinematography and color palette are breathtaking. I was reminded of Midsommar because the colors really stand out. I love Tipping’s direction, which makes for a super stylish film.
The soundtrack is a loud, bass-heavy hip-hop party. I felt like College Lana, wanting to jump up and start dancing. Some parts felt like a music video because of the editing style. I thought that was a fun detail. The score definitely boosted the tension, which helped. There are a few jump scares, but most of them are cheap. There is one scene where a fan sneaks into Isaiah’s house that really creeped me out. I felt disappointed that scenes like this weren’t explored further.
Moreover, the pacing and storytelling are the film’s weaknesses.
It is divided into chapters and the days when the boot camp occurs. Each chapter is titled with a word that reflects what Cam is learning that day. I liked how this looked on screen, but it slowed down the momentum. The first real bloodshed Cam witnesses is disturbing, yet the story doesn’t heighten the dread I would expect.
Don’t get me wrong, some of the imagery is incredibly surreal. I described this film as a “fever dream” because there are images that look like X-rays. You can see the players bump heads and their brains literally shake from the impact. It reminded me of a podcast I recently listened to about CTE, or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, which is a degenerative brain disease caused by multiple brain injuries. Unfortunately, it’s very common in the NFL and other sports, particularly in aggressive play.
I almost saw this as a metaphor for CTE and how far people will go to chase a dream or make their families proud. Is the personal sacrifice worth it to make others happy?
The theme of this movie is heavily emphasized from the start, primarily through Cam’s father’s toxic masculinity. Then, Isaiah continues to preach about “football, family, then God.” I appreciate the allegories and metaphors to a degree, but this was almost too obvious.
The narrative is fragile. Many questions remain unanswered. The script is generally messy. I was engaged enough that I didn’t notice the 90-minute runtime because I was captivated by the visual elements. When the final act began, I thought, “Finally!” But even then, it’s a bit confusing what all these characters had to do with the main plan. I’m still confused about it.
But hey, it still looked pretty cool!
I have one last gripe… Tinsel Larry was heavily used to promote this film. He only appeared in a few scenes, and hardly at that. I’m upset about it. But I might still dress up as him for Halloween… stay tuned for that.
Overall, I give Him three out of five stars. I had a good time, and I think it’s worth watching. Will I see it again? No. But I believe Tipping has potential; he just needs to tighten the script and narrative. Monkeypaw Productions created this and gave it that Jordan Peele vibe. All the elements are there, but when the story is weak, the whole project suffers.
So, folks, this game started strong with a feeling of Peele’s signature style, but the offense stalled in the second half. Tipping shows promise as a rookie quarterback — but needs to improve his playbook.
Watch Him now exclusively in theaters.