Jordan Peele’s “HIM” isn’t just horror - it’s a sports film with a soul pact

In the age of remakes and endless sequels, it takes something genuinely strange to cut through the noise. Enter “HIM” - the latest nightmare-fueled production from Jordan Peele, directed by Justin Tipping. It’s a film that asks: What if chasing athletic greatness didn’t just cost you your body... but your soul, too?

On the surface, “HIM” is a horror movie. The full trailer was released on Wednesday and gives us a glimpse of an elite college quarterback spiraling into something far more sinister than a slump. But beneath the blood, shadows, and eerie locker room lighting, there’s something more provocative brewing. “HIM” is also a sports movie - just not the kind that ends with a championship speech and a Gatorade shower.

This is “Friday Night Lights” with a demonic twist. “Whiplash” in cleats. It’s a new genre of athletic horror.

When football meets folk horror

Instead of a story of perseverance, “HIM” explores what happens when the line between ambition and obsession disappears. Our protagonist doesn’t just want to be the best. He needs to be the GOAT, no matter the cost. And that price is steep. The kind you pay in flesh, mind, and something even darker.

Jordan Peele’s fingerprints are all over this: an intense focus on identity, a creeping sense of inevitable doom, and the slow realization that what you’re watching isn’t just horror - it’s commentary. And in this case, it’s about the high-pressure crucible of college athletics: the rituals, the expectations, the dehumanization that comes with being a brand before you’re even a man.

With Justin Tipping (director of “Kicks” and “Flatbush Misdemeanors”) behind the camera, “HIM” leans into surreal visuals and psychological tension. But what makes it hit hardest is how familiar the pain feels, especially for anyone who knows what it’s like to be told your worth is based on your performance.

“HIM” is a haunting look at what we ask young athletes to sacrifice on the altar of greatness.

How “HIM” fits into Jordan Peele’s cinematic universe

Jordan Peele doesn’t do jump scares. Since “Get Out”, his work has been less about monsters and more about systems - racism, classism, spectacle - and how they twist people into terrifying forms.

In “HIM”, the monster might not even be supernatural (at least not entirely). Much like “Us” and “Nope”, the real horror comes from what people are willing to do to be seen, to be respected, to be remembered. The quarterback at the heart of “HIM” feels like a cousin to Daniel Kaluuya’s photographer in “Get Out” - someone swallowed by a system designed to exploit him.

Visually, “HIM” already hints at familiar Peele trademarks: creepy symmetry, uncanny silence, and flashes of violent, ritualistic imagery. But there’s a new ingredient here - the intense pressure of organized sports. That setting gives “HIM” its own identity, even as it fits neatly into Peele’s growing list of social horrors.

Real-life parallels: when the game demands too much

While “HIM” takes the athlete’s descent into horror to its most extreme form, its themes aren’t at all fantasy. College quarterbacks are among the most glorified and scrutinized figures in American sports. From Heisman hopefuls to draft busts, the psychological toll is enormous.

We’ve already seen real-world athletes break under this pressure:

• Johnny Manziel, whose talent was undeniable but whose need to perform (and escape) led to mental health struggles and derailed his career.
• Marcus Mariota, once labeled the “perfect prospect,” who later admitted to losing himself in trying to meet impossible expectations.
• Even Caleb Williams, ahead of the 2024 draft, made headlines not just for his play, but for how he carried the weight of a brand and fanbase on his back.

In “HIM”, the horror is exaggerated, yes. But the core fear - What if I give everything and it still isn’t enough? - is all too real. The film will hit theatres in the U.S. on September 19.

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