Seems an odd thing to say when there are clearly millions of books and movies around the globe. Add to them plays, musicals and television and you'd think there would be more. But most agree that while there are many stories out there, they're actually just all some cross-pollination of each other. *
*If you are interested in reading more about the 7 true stories you can find many articles on the subject with a simple google search or search for Arthur Quiller-Couch who is noted as the first person to suggest the 7 true stories theory.
If you subscribe to this thought process, which I do, it's no surprise that one movie frequently brings to mind another. That's not always a bad thing. As a matter of fact some times it adds to the movies. So I can't say that I was shocked that Get Out reminded me of movies I had seen years ago. The issue for me was that it was such a critically acclaimed film, I was shocked it reminded me of a film that wasn't really what I would call a film to remember.
The social commentary and race aspects of Get Out are the driving force behind why this film was such a hit.
It's a wonderful and important look into the racism that still exists today and on a larger scale hits on our past history with slavery. Add to it the fact that this was Jordan Peele's directorial debut and he is the first black director/writer to reach over $100 million at the box office, the significance of the film continues to rise.
For me, the entire time I was watching this film I was thinking of Skeleton Key (2005). The parallels between them was so striking that I had a hard time watching the movie.
Both movies are classified as horror/comedy and both deal with body snatching couples who are searching for younger, better, stronger bodies to take over. While the reasons behind said body snatching is different in each film, the fact remains the snatchers are looking for host bodies so they continue living on.
In Skeleton Key, the body snatching couple is actually a couple who practiced some sort of magic or hoodoo years before and jump from host body to host body to remain together and young. In Get Out, the body snatching people are basically a cult group who want to change bodies to become younger (or stronger or without disabilities etc.). While their body snatching ways aren't magic, but instead based in science or medicine, the underlying theme is the same. Sacrifice one person or persons so they can live on.
The endings for these two films do differ. The heroine in Skeleton Key is eventually overtaken and we see her in her new body being taken away. The hero in Get Out survives and escapes with his best friend. While he will undoubtedly have nightmares and PTSD for years to come, his fate seems better than that of the above mentioned heroine. Making it to me a less scary movie.
I love watching movies.
I love the escapism and the fantasy and the general ability to zone out and find myself in a completely different world where monsters and princes roam free. But every now and then I find it hard to fully jump into the world of fantasy created by the filmmakers and lose myself in the thought "I've seen this before!"
@ekpickle