Get Out addresses real-life issues, and it inevitably raised the question of whether it's based on a true story or what inspired the story of Chris.

Summary

• Get Out is a mix of real-life horrors and fantasy, inspired by ongoing social issues like racism and discrimination.
• The movie explores the theme of slavery in an unconventional way, depicting the Order of the Coagula's obsession with Black people.
• Director Jordan Peele drew inspiration from movies like Rosemary's Baby, The Stepford Wives, and The Silence of the Lambs for various aspects of the film.

Although Get Out has some fantasy elements, Jordan Peele took inspiration from real life to tell the story of Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) and the worst weekend of his life at the Armitages' home. In 2017, Jordan Peele left comedy aside to present his directorial debut Get Out, a psychological horror movie that was a critical and commercial success. Get Out followed Chris, a young Black photographer dating Rose Armitage (Allison Williams), a young white woman who invited him to her parents’ house in Upstate New York for the weekend.

Upon arriving at the Armitages’ house, Chris began to notice strange things happening around him, and he ended up uncovering a dark and deadly family secret. Get Out has been praised for its direction, story, the performances of its main cast, and its social commentary, as its main theme is racism, though represented in different ways. Like with many horror movies, Get Out raised questions about the inspiration behind its story and whether it’s based on a true story (even if just partially) or not, and the answer is a bit complex.

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Get Out Isn't Technically Based On A True Story

Get Out’s story is a mix of real-life horrors and a touch of fantasy, the latter seen in the brain transplant that the Order of the Coagula subjected their victims to in order to extend their own lives. However, there isn’t a specific event that inspired Peele to write Get Out, and instead, it was based on ongoing social issues, mostly racism and discrimination. Get Out is critical of modern racism, as the Armitages and their friends insist on not being racist and constantly express their admiration for Black culture, celebrities, and athletes, while also asking Chris about the “advantages” of the genes of Black people – and it’s through all this and more that they show their racism.

The members of the Order of the Coagula were obsessed with Black people, to the point of wanting to literally be them. The Order saw Black people not as humans but as devices, and by taking over their bodies, Get Out represented slavery in an unconventional and completely unexpected way. Real-life situations of racism, such as several high-profile police shootings of Black people, influenced and impacted the movie to the point of changing the original ending Jordan Peele had planned for Get Out.

Jordan Peele's Inspiration For Get Out Explained

Jordan Peele not only got inspiration from real-life horrors and daily racism, but he was also inspired by a variety of movies. Jordan Peele told Far Out Magazine that two of his biggest inspirations for Get Out were the movies Rosemary’s Baby and The Stepford Wives. Not only is Rose’s name derived from that of Rosemary’s Baby title character, Rosemary Underwood, but her grandfather’s name, Roman, comes from the character Roman Castevet. In addition to this, both Get Out and Rosemary’s Baby deal with cults, with their respective protagonists being used by the cults to fulfill their own, twisted goals.

The influence of The Stepford Wives in Get Out is a lot more evident, with both dealing with a dangerous group taking control of the lives and bodies of others. In Get Out, it’s the Order of the Coagula and their brain surgery on Black people, and in The Stepford Wives, it’s the Men’s Association who murder their wives and use their likeness to create submissive androids. Another movie that inspired Get Out is The Silence of the Lambs, from which Peele drew inspiration for Chris and Missy’s (Rose’s mother) interactions during the hypnosis session, reminiscent of Hannibal Lecter getting into Clarice’s head.

Source: Far Out Magazine.