Soon after it was released last February, Get Out was labelled one of the best and most important film releases of recent years.
It didn’t take long for the film to acquire an audience, too, as both critics and audiences were entranced by its blend of horror and comedy, and how it bitingly satirized the ignorant racism of liberals. All of which led “Get Out” to a score of 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a gross of $255 million from just a $4.5 million budget.
Those of you looking to watch another film that has the same mixture of suspense and humor as “Get Out” don’t actually have to look too far, because “The Death Of Stalin” has a similar cinematic concoction.
Like “Get Out,” “The Death Of Stalin” even pokes fun at a timely subject, too, as it lampoons the rise of democracy and the political chaos it can create.
Co-writer and director Armando Iannucci pointed out the similarities between “The Death Of Stalin” and “Get Out” to me over the phone last week, noting that both he and Jordan Peele started their careers in comedy, before also explaining that the two movies want to make their viewers constantly feel nervous.
“I wanted to go into it by taking me out of my comfort zone,” remarked Iannucci when I pointed out that “The Death Of Stalin” felt much different to his previous feature film “In The Loop.”
“I knew there was going to be stuff that wasn’t funny, and was dramatic and horrifying. But I felt confident enough about it. It is an anxiety movie, rather than a horror movie. I wanted the audience to feel nervous about what happens next.”
“Like ‘Get Out,’ that’s not really a horror film, it is a panic film. It is funny that Jordan Peele was previously a comedy writer, because comedy is all about anticipation and set-up and build up and then undermining the expectations. The rhythm of comedy is similar to the rhythm of horror.”
You can now judge for yourself whether “The Death Of Stalin” actually bares any similarities to “Get Out,” because the dark comedy is finally in cinemas, and it is causing quite a stir, too.
