Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions and director Justin Tipping team up to deliver a genre blending sports horror film, HIM. The dehumanizing nature of professional sports makes it easy to harvest horror stories out of real-life situations. The film explores ideas like the dehumanizing nature of modeling was explored in 2024’s The Substance and what people are willing to sacrifice for success in 2014’s Starry Eyes. 

In the opening minutes of the film, you learn Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers) is a young quarterback preparing for the draft. Plenty of experts have him projected to be the #1 pick and possibly the next G.O.A.T. After a violent attack leaves Cade with a head injury that doesn’t allow him to workout at the combine, he’s giving a second chance to prove himself by training with his idol Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans) – the legendary San Antonio Saviors quarterback.  

What starts as a fun opportunity to workout at White’s private compound, quickly turns into a twisted week that makes Cade question what he’s willing to sacrifice to be great. 

HIM is a mixed pot of good, bad, and I guess so.

The best part of the film is the first 45-50 minutes when the characters are introduced, and the plot is being set up. The premise the film sets up is very interesting. It could’ve easily been an episode of an anthology horror show.  Tipping pulls the audience into the crazy whirlwind around Cade and immediate thrust them into Isaiah White’s world full of wealth, confidence, but a lot of crazy. The opening of the film lays the groundwork for a great horror movie that shows the darker side of professional sports.  

The second-best part is Marlon Wayans performance. To be fair, all the performances are good. Newcomer Tyriq Withers is good but it would’ve been great to see him not being confused and disorientated for most of the film. However, Marlon is the driving force of this film. His ability to switch his personalities on a dime is perfect for his character. He’s equal part charismatic and crazy.  

Where the film struggles is in its second and third acts. The opening of the film and the breadcrumbs that follow asks a lot of questions that never get answered. The frenzied directing style of Tipping leaves audiences questioning if Cade is actually experiencing these things or if they’re a product of his head injury or the drugs he’s been ingesting. Sadly, the film doesn’t give a direct answer to a lot of the questions it asks.  

The story moves at a fast pace through the first two acts and never slows down in the third to give some explanations. Who are the weird fans outside the compound? Who are the owners? What force(s) are at play to make this work? Why did a character explode at the end? What does any of this actually mean?

The film is shot beautifully. There are some very good visuals in the film that help drive in the danger Cade is in. Unfortunately, a lot of those shots will be forgotten because the scenes don’t elevate the story in a meaningful way.

HIM is a film that will be riveting and entertaining for some but will leave others scratching their heads trying to process what they watched. Even with the great performance from Marlon and the fascinating premise, the film left a lot on the table. It had the potential to be great but fell short of the mark. It’s an ambitious story that doesn’t carry that ambition all the way through. The film is a compilation of some good individual scenes that ultimately don’t add up to much. Tipping put a lot of heart into this story. The film would’ve been better had they gave audiences another 20 minutes and left it all on the field.  

Grade: C