By: Myriam Akbar
HIM is a supernatural cult horror film directed by Justin Tipping and produced by Jordan Peele. On a surface level, the plot follows a rising football star named Cameron who goes to remote grounds for an intense mentorship after an injury that could end his career. However within that, supernatural elements and religious allegory are used to examine the obsessive and exploitative nature of American football culture. Following its release, reviews were initially negative in terms of online discourse but became divisive as more people watched the film. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 56% score based on 1000+ verified ratings, impacting the overall reception of the film. Often people use these scores to determine whether they’re going to watch in theaters or wait for streaming–sometimes whether they’re going to watch at all. From what I gathered, viewers had issues with the cohesiveness of the story, lack of scares, relatability to the characters, and multitude of complex themes. On the other hand, most people praised the performances of Marlon Wayans and Tyriq Withers–focusing on their undeniable chemistry as a highlight of the film.
Wayans took to Instagram to address negative criticisms of HIM, while communicating some important sentiments regarding the way we form our opinions on cinema. Using a carousel of images showcasing Rotten Tomatoes scores of his previous films, he writes a caption expressing his respect for critics and appreciation of their role in the industry. However, he also says, “An opinion doesn’t always mean everyone’s opinion. Some movies are ahead of the curve. Innovation is not always embraced and art is to be interpreted and it’s subjective.” He then points out the fact that many of his films weren’t critically received and went on to be classics. “Don’t take anyone’s opinion, just go see for yourself,” Wayans writes.
The significance of his response is that in a world where criticism is essential to the entertainment business, shaping your own opinion is equally important in giving art a fair chance. When reading the comments underneath negative reviews, I saw people claiming that they weren’t going to see the film anymore because they didn’t want to waste their time. Like Wayans stated, art is subjective and to be interpreted in various ways. You can’t do this if you don’t give a film a chance and genuinely engage with the story. It’s never a waste of time to consume art, especially when the intent is to shed light on themes that are often ignored by society; such as toxic masculinity and racism in sports. You certainly shouldn’t neglect your ability to shape your own opinion by taking on someone else’s, considering they are walking into the film with different life experiences and biases. Often with innovation comes misunderstanding, which is why we need to uplift voices that attempt to show us something we might be missing.
Referring to some of the common negative criticisms of HIM, all of them are subjective. Although the writing isn’t perfect from a script writing standpoint, I found the story to be cohesive because you can chart Cameron’s entire journey and everything comes full circle in the end. In terms of the scare factor, horror doesn’t need to make you sleep with the lights on in order to examine what creates fear, shock, or disgust. The film explores Cameron’s fear of losing his career, something he has worked for his entire life. Additionally, he is met with numerous experiences while under mentorship that cause him to question his safety and sanity. I believe the supernatural and cult subgenres are expected to bring jump-scares, terrifying visuals, and extreme violence. However, here they are thematic and allegorical–ruining expectations. Lack of relatability to the characters is the critique I find most puzzling. HIM centers star athletes and other wealthy individuals, characters that aren’t supposed to be familiar to average movie-goers. The way we are supposed to see ourselves in the characters is through the idea that under the right circumstances, we could be subject to the manipulation Cameron undergoes. We get a peek behind the curtain into the lives of the elites, exposing matters of the entertainment industry as it relies on exploitation. Another piece of negative criticism is that there were too many heavy handed themes, confusing viewers on the purpose of the film. While that’s completely valid, the intertwining of themes is actually my favorite part of the film. I think the decision to use cult and supernatural elements is brilliant in examining the sacrifices made to gain success, which pairs cleverly with the religious allegory of martyrdom.
I was able to make these observations and conclusions because I watched the film without considering the reviews of others, forming my own opinions despite anything I saw beforehand. I didn’t allow bias to cloud my judgment and that’s truly how we should all be engaging with art—with an open and honest mind. I think HIM deserved better in regard to its release. I wish more people were accepting of innovation, didn’t rely on expectation as much, and valued the possibility of enjoying a film over how much others didn’t. I do think as time passes, like Wayans said, people will view it as a stand-out of 2025 and see its refreshing nature as a horror film.
Image cred: IMDB.com
