The Stream: Slow, repetitive, and takes too long to get to anything gruesome.

The Big Screen: Marlon Wayans and Tyriq Withers really going for it.

The Final Bill: A stylish psychological thriller with a clever premise fails to bring it all together.

– Trip Fontaine
Director: Justin Tipping
Writers: Justin Tipping, Zack Akers, & Skip Bronkie
Stars: Tyriq Withers, Marlon Wayans, Julia Fox, Jim Jefferies, Tim Heidecker
Genre: Horror, Sport
Rating: R for strong bloody violence, language throughout, sexual material, nudity and some drug use.
Runtime: 1 hour 30 minutes
Production Companies: Monkeypaw Productions, Universal Pictures
Platform: In theaters September 19, 2025
Notable Trailers: One Battle After Another, After the Hunt, Shelby Oaks, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, Predator: Badlands, The Strangers: Chapter 2, Roofman

Hey, Streamers! It’s nearing spooky season, so a variety of horror movies will be coming to theaters over the next month. This weekend’s new release, Him, is billed as one of those from Jordan Peele’s production company, but it’s really more of a psychological thriller set in the world of pro-football directed by Justin Tipping. In Him, Cam (Tyriq Withers), a top prospect for being drafted into the professional football league, is recruited for a weeklong training session with his idol, Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans). When strange occurrences begin happening at Isaiah’s compound, Cam has to decide what he’s willing to sacrifice for his dream. Blood and goat hijinks ensue.

First of all, it has to be specifically stated that this movie is not by Jordan Peele. He did not write or director it, so if that’s your draw, please don’t be fooled. Jordan Peele’s production company is involved, but I don’t know how much beyond that Mr. Peele had input. Nevertheless, Him does have some hallmarks of a Jordan Peele movie. It has an interesting concept by being a cross between a sports movie and a horror movie. The production is very slick. The cinematography, propulsive music and interesting edits make the movie very stylish. Marlon Wayans and Tyriq Withers seem to understand their characters and have a strong connection between the two of them. Julia Fox has an interesting role, and she brings her strange vibe to the movie, which is very much appreciated. All of these elements should come together and make an appealing movie, but too bad the plot lets them down.

In my opinion, the premise of Him does not develop into anything more than an interesting premise. There are a lot of ideas touched upon, but none that are satisfyingly fleshed out. There are themes about toxic masculinity, exploitation, and extreme sacrifice which are interesting foundations for a horror movie like this, but they never coalesce into a focused idea. In fact, the movie gets a bit repetitive as it cycles through its story over and over again. What could be disturbing moments are few and far between and take too long to get to. There’s nothing scary enough to make this movie justify a horror movie label, so I refer to it as more of a psychological thriller. It’s a shame, but Him is less than the sum of its parts.

Ultimately, Him is a decent psychological thriller/sports horror movie with a clever premise, but it fails to make the most its storyline. Despite how stylish this movie is, the plot is repetitive and takes too long to get to the gruesome stuff. Marlon Wayans and Tyriq Withers have great chemistry and make seeing the film worthwhile. Grab a bowl of popcorn and catch a matinee.