Him: A Dark Fusion of Football and Horror
Him blends genres in a way that’s both intriguing and unsettling by combining the world of sports with horror elements. The film explores the darker side of football, yet its competing themes often create an uneasy mix.
Having made a name for himself in comedy with Key & Peele, Jordan Peele quickly rose to prominence in horror with acclaimed titles like Get Out, Us, and Nope. Beyond directing, Peele also champions new voices in the genre, producing projects such as Candyman, Monkey Man, The Twilight Zone, and Lovecraft Country.
Him is a production where Peele serves as producer, with Justin Tipping directing. Tipping co-wrote the script with Zack Ackers and Skip Bronkie. While the film offers some interesting ideas, it struggles to maintain a strong narrative and telegraphs its ending early.
What is Him About?
Him stars Tyriq Withers as Cameron Cade, a talented football player raised with the mantra "no guts, no glory."
The story centers on Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers), an American football star with a fierce drive to succeed. From childhood, he’s been told that toughness and sacrifice define masculinity, echoing his father’s words. His hero is Isiah White (Marlon Mayans), a football legend who led the San Antonio Saviors to eight championships.
As White edges toward retirement, he grapples with insecurity about his legacy as football’s greatest. Meanwhile, Cade, the rising star, appears destined to surpass him, setting the stage for a rivalry rooted in age, talent, and ambition—but tragedy interrupts this pursuit.
The turning point occurs during Cam’s solitary training session when he is ambushed by someone dressed as a team mascot.
Cam survives a shocking attack, but the incident leaves him psychologically scarred. His cognitive recovery is slow, and another similar blow could end his career—prompting White to reach out with an unusual proposal: train with him for a week to prove himself and begin healing.
When Football Turns Strange
White’s private training camp resembles a villain’s lair, populated by obsessed fans who treat him like a deity.
Cam accepts the invitation, but the camp reveals its sinister nature. White’s compound features sparse furniture, creepy artwork, and skulls, emphasizing “radical detachment”—no phones, no distractions, just football. White’s brutal training disorients Cam, and by the second day, players imitate disciples, engaging in violent antics like taking balls to the face until they bleed.
The film amplifies its unsettling atmosphere with questions about White’s true intentions, the strange disappearances, and the mind games at play. Clues emerge through a talkative doctor, references to sacrifice, and blood rituals, all designed to muddy the waters with hallucinations and visions.
As days pass, the repetitive weirdness—White’s strange behavior and Cam’s confusion—dulls the narrative. The climax reveals the twists, but most are predictable from early on, making for a frustrating experience.
Is Him Worth Watching?
Him explores themes like sport as a new religion and athletes as modern deities, touching on racial tensions and physical trauma.
At its core, Him attempts to critique American football—highlighting issues like brain injuries and racial dynamics within the sport. It’s thought-provoking but superficial, hindered by the horror elements that sideline deeper examination.
Merging horror with sports appears to have been a challenging task for Tipping and Peele. When leaning into scares, the film resembles Society or The Substance, delivering visceral visuals and social commentary on age, class, and race. Yet, when it diverges from horror into melodrama, it resembles the weakest moments of movies like Karate Kid 3, diluting its thematic potential.
Final Verdict
Him scores 2/5. An ambitious experiment filled with striking visuals and solid performances from Tyriq Withers and Marlon Wayans, but ultimately failing to harmonize its genre mash-up. It proves that not all combinations create compelling cinema.
Him will hit US theaters on September 19, 2025, and the UK on October 3. For more horror and sports film recommendations, check out our list of the best horror movies ever and the top sports movies of all time.