Jordan Peele hopes viewers "crap their pants" when they see his new horror film ‘Get Out’.
The 38-year-old American actor-and-director is best known for starring in the Comedy Central sketch series ‘Key & Peele’ and for his five season stint as a cast member on ‘MADtv’ but he has turned his hand to directing, making his debut with the satirical thriller – which stars the likes of ‘Johnny English Reborn’ actor Daniel Kaluuya, ‘Girls’ star Allison Williams and ‘The 40-year-old Virgin’ actress Catherine Keener.
The script is based on a young black man who visits his white girlfriend’s family estate where he learns that many of its residents, who are black, have gone missing. It’s not long before he learns the horrible truth when a fellow black man on the estate warns him to "get out".
In an interview with ShortList magazine, Peele admits his main aim was to scare film fans, with any more poignant message coming second.
He said: "I hope they sh*t their pants! It’s the least I could hope for. Despite the nature of the film, I want people to come away from this movie feeling good. I want people to come away from this movie feeling good. I want it to strike a cathartic cord with people, and provide an emotional release. I have no doubt white and black audiences will experience the film very differently, but this movie is actually bringing people together."
He revealed the most challenging aspect of making the film was making race the focal point.
He said: "The ultimate challenge with ‘Get Out’ was making a horror movie where race was the focal point. There’s a lot of pressure – any wrong tone, or wrong choice, and the whole movie comes crashing down."
And he believes that his movie is very timely due to the racial tensions that have been stirred up by new US President Donald Trump.
He explained: "Horror is powerful, because, for me, horror movies and thrillers are about facing our darkest fears and our deepest horrors, and we as a society truly are the worst monster we’ve ever come across. We’re capable of amazing things when we cooperate, but we’re also capable of the greatest atrocities in the world. Naturally, these thrillers have more impact when society has stuff to be scared about. And right now, in the current climate with President Trump, ‘Get Out’ seems to provide a certain catharsis."