Him Review: Jordan Peele presents a strange mix of sports movie and horror

Him combines genres in a unique way by mixing sports movie with horror, but in telling a tale of football’s dark side, those opposing forces frequently make uneasy bedfellows.

Having conquered the comedy world through his Key & Peele sketch show, Jordan Peele has quickly become one of the biggest names in horror, by writing and directing Get Out, Us, and Nope.

But he’s also been developing up-and-coming voices in the genre, producing the likes of Candyman, Monkey Man, The Twilight Zone, and Lovecraft Country.

Him falls into the latter category, with Peele producing, while Justin Tipping directs from a script that Tipping developed with Zack Ackers and Skip Bronkie. But while it’s full of interesting ideas, Him ultimately fumbles the narrative ball, while you’ll see the ending coming a mile off.

What is Him about?

Universal Pictures

Him stars a fully committed Tyriq Withers as Cameron Cade, an American Football player who has it drummed into him from a young age that real men are tough and make sacrifices for the game, with his father repeating the mantra “no guts, no glory.”

Marlon Mayans is equally as committed as Cam’s hero Isiah White, a footballing prodigy who the San Antonio Saviors have built a dynasty around, winning eight championships in the process.

But White is aging out of the sport and feeling insecure about his position as football’s GOAT, while Cade is the new kid on the block, with seemingly limitless talent.

Meaning Him’s early scenes set up a battle for supremacy on the football field that will pit age against youth… until tragedy strikes.

Isiah makes an offer Cam can’t refuse

Universal Pictures

It happens while Cam is training by himself, late at night, when someone dressed as a team mascot hammers him on the back of the head.

Cam survives the attack, but it could take years for his brain to recover from the trauma, while another hit like that could end his career.

With the character struggling mentally, he misses his opportunity to sign for the Saviors, and all seems lost for the sport’s Number 1 prospect.

But then White comes calling with an invitation – train with him for a week, to show what he’s got, and let the healing begin.

It’s an offer Cam can’t refuse, but also where Him turns decidedly weird, as the boot camp is at White’s compound that seems more like a Bond villain’s lair; and that lair is surrounded by obsessed fans who treat him like a deity.

When football turns ugly

Universal Pictures

Inside it’s even stranger, with little furniture, lots of creepy art, and skulls all over the place. White wants “radical detachment” from his new pupil, so no phone, no porn, just football.

Demands to which Cam agrees, as “just football” is all he wants. But it’s a brutal brand of sport played under Isiah White’s watch, where by day two, players who behave like disciples are happy to take balls in the face until they bleed.

Weird becomes sinister at this point, setting up the central mysteries of the movie – why has Isiah White invited Cameron Cade to his home, what is going under his roof, and why does he keep disappearing to “watch some tapes”?

Those mysteries intrigue for the first hour of the movie, with clues coming courtesy of a dodgy doctor with a big mouth, and frequent references to sacrifice and blood. While the water is muddied by visions and hallucinations designed to throw us off the scent.

But by days four and five, it all feels a bit repetitive, with White saying and doing strange stuff, Cam getting confused, White saying and doing more strange stuff, and so on.

Then when the truth is finally revealed in the final few reels, the revelations are likely what you thought from the start, making for a somewhat frustrating viewing experience.

Is Him good?

Universal Pictures

His is a movie with much on its mind, concerning sport being the new religion, and athletes the new gods. The film is deeply critical of American Football, touching on the hot topic of brain injuries, and focusing on the racial tensions between those who run the sport, and the people who play it.

All of which is thought-provoking, but tackled in the most superficial way. That’s because Him is also a horror movie, and so thoughtful drama is frequently forced off the screen by violence and body horror.

Which is why combining scares with sport might have been a fool’s errand for Tipping and Peele, as when it leans into the former, Him plays like Society or The Substance, with stuff to say about age, class, and in this instance, race.

But when it all goes a bit Karate Kid 3 – the very worst of the Karate Kid movies – those interesting ideas fall to the wayside, meaning the movie never quite becomes the sum of its parts.

Him score: 2/5

Him is an ambitious celluloid experiment, featuring some startling visuals, and fine turns from Tyriq Withers and Marlon Wayans. But it’s also a film that proves not all genres should be combined.

Him hits US screens on September 19, 2025, and UK screens on October 3, while you can head here for our list of the best horror movies ever, and best sports movies of all-time.