"Him" (2025) Film Review-The realities of making the grade in professional sports gets a cultism-driven, horror film makeover

“WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO SACRIFICE?!!!!” “EVERYTHING!!!!!” This is but one of a multitude of highly emphatic questions, and subsequent answers, being asked in the newest feature film from one of the current masters of horror, Jordan Peele (“Get Out“, “Us” and “Nope“). I must give Peele credit in that he continues to push the boundaries of specific genres and their associated tropes in order to provide what ends up amounting to subtly then jarringly intense, yet still character and story-driven, cinema that speaks more to indie stylings than mainstream.

While the film itself is guided this time out by writer/director Justin Tipping, with Peele serving as the producer, there is simply NO denying Peele’s presence looming in the background and in all we are witness to as the narrative unfolds. It is focused on the arena of professional football, a young quarterback phenom Cam (Tyriq Withers), his idol Isaiah (Marlon Wayans) whom he gains access to train with, and the utter de-evolution of all elements associated with the grooming, driving ambition, overt competition, mental and physical trials, and striving for greatness…and possibly selling your soul…that’s thrust upon players, old and new.

What I feel is the most initially surprising facet of how this film is executed is that there’s a very slow burn approach to things to start, feeling more like an intense drama than anything directly horror related. But bear with it, as when things even BEGIN to go unhinged, believe me, they GO unhinged. Suddenly, we’re being presented with the actualities of every ounce of pressure and expectation, even from childhood, placed on players to the point of absolute obsession to BE the G.O.A.T., especially quarterbacks in football. HOW this is all portrayed is what gives the film its potency of messaging, even if purposely exaggerated for us.

It IS the aforementioned slowly escalating stream of situations depicted that, again, helps deliver the all-out insanity that occurs in the third act its punch and, frighteningly enough, MEANING. The volatility of the atmosphere as things wind up is palpable and engaging, at least it was for this critic, and WORTH the admittedly quite bloody payoff the film’s finale gives to us after all the previous madness already unnerved us. Yes, it’s extreme. But it is almost MORE freaky in the portrait of not only the players, but the pro sports BUSINESS itself..fandom, money, power…and dumping anyone who dares get in the way of your greatness.

In many respects, it’s like we are seeing a horror film version of “Any Given Sunday“. Wayans is a force of nature in his role as veteran QB Isaiah White, the current G.O.A.T. and who chooses to take young rising star Cameron Cade under his wing. However, when things start to become apparent that Cam is truly going to take over Isaiah’s spot, the OG goes to every possible extreme to both mold yet dismantle him, to degrees that manifest from mundane to murderous. Wayans’ sheer, unfaltering magnitude of magnanimity to malevolence is just stellar and wholly disquieting as it should be!

Withers is likewise a portrait of deeply fluctuating emotional stages through his performance as Cameron Cade, the “new star” QB in the game who has idolized Isaiah his whole life and now gets to train with him. However, the more he gets immersed into the “football is EVERYTHING” mentality, it starts to challenge his own principles while still driving him to want the G.O.A.T. title. Will he be able to endure the ever-growing severity of mindset he’s getting exposed to? Or will it push him over the edge? It’s a fantastic performance for Withers, and his character proves to be a highly interesting foil for Wayans’ disturbed veteran QB.

There are some excellent supporting turns here as well, including Julia Fox as Isaiah’s social media influencer and completely “out there” wife Elsie, Tim Heidecker as Cam’s overzealous agent Tom, Jim Jefferies as Marco, the team’s derisive doctor, and Naomi Grossman as Marjorie, one seriously demented fan leading a cult-like group who worship Isaiah. With its blatantly off-kilter exposition on idolization and the cost of being the best, “Him” is still a more than worthy contender to take on as part of this amazingly prolific year of newly original horror film offerings and a testament to Peele’s continued skillsets.