Warning: Spoilers for Get Out are in play! If you haven't seen the film yet, and don't want to be spoiled, then bookmark this page and... well, get out until you've seen the movie.
With a film that twists and turns like Get Out, there are bound to be a couple of clues that manage to squeak by even the most observant audience member. It's a credit to the fact that Jordan Peele's film writing/directing debut is so well crafted that you can't help but being sucked into it. However, going back to see the film a second time, there are quite a few clues and themes that make so much more sense upon second viewing.
It's with that spirit in mind that we revisited Get Out, and picked up on eight of the best examples of themes and revelations that the film laid down rather brilliantly. If you're interested in seeing how the film foreshadowed major character events in the third act, you can read out other feature running down just how our character's fates were hinted towards. But for now, let's take a look at some of the most subtle hints towards the film's overall plot.
Rose Fights The Cop
While most of us wondered if Rose Armitage was a loving girlfriend or secret menace to protagonist Chris, there was a super early clue that might have tipped off folks who were questioning everything from frame one. In her scuffle with a local cop trying to ID Chris during their deer strike, it feels like she's white knighting herself in the name of Chris's rights. However, after the film reveals she's actually in on the family business from the ground up, Rose obviously stopped the cop from persisting to see Chris's license for the sheer fact that she doesn't want him reported last being seen with her on the way to their parents. It's so much easier for people to "disappear" if there isn't a paper trail.
Grandpa Armitage's Grudge
Once Get Out's lovely couple reaches the Armitage household, father Dean insists on giving Chris the tour. Whether this is to help his mind take to the Coagula procedure, seeing as the more pre-existing knowledge of the procedure and surroundings, the better, is to be debated. However, there are a couple telling statements that Rose's father drops in their conversation. The first of which is the fact that he says Grandpa Armitage "almost got over" Jessie Owens beating him out for the Munich Olympics. That right there is a double whammy, as that not only suggests that moment was the genesis of the Coagula procedure, but it also clues the audience into good old Gramps being the mind inside "Walter" the gardener.
Grandma's Kitchen
Though, of course, Walter isn't the only member of the family that's still with the Armitages, as Dean flat out tells Chris that his mother loved their kitchen, "so we always keep her in it." As if it wasn't menacing enough to drop this line right before he introduces Georgina, it's basically a tacit admission that Grandma Armitage is walking around in Georgina's body. Though if that wasn't enough, there are two more moments that help set up the third act reveal for both Georgina and Walter: a seemingly throwaway line, in which Dean mentions that they hired Walter and Georgina to "take care" of his parents, as well as Georgina's memorable admission that, "The Armitages are good to us. They treat us like family."
Black Mold
The last clue given in Papa Dean's house tour is the fact that he states the basement has been sealed off due to "black mold." Now, you can read that as a semi-racist statement on the surface, but as with a lot of other dialogue in Get Out, there's a lot more under the surface. Consider the fact that that the Coagula procedure takes place in the basement, which happens to be a process that "molds" the mind of the patient to fit the incoming transplant. Dean Armitage isn't just giving a good reason to stay out of the family's lower level, he's getting cute with his admission that there's a lot of bad stuff happening in this house.
The Sunken Place
Turning to Missy Armitage, and her magical hypnotherapeutic ways, the "sunken place" that Chris goes into is pretty on the nose after learning that when his mother was a victim of a hit and run, he simply watched TV without reporting her missing. Since this memory is Missy's gateway into his psyche, Chris's "sunken place" forces him to watch the world as if it's on TV, paralyzed into inaction, and unable to do anything -- much like the night of his mother's death. This symbolism also extends into the Coagula procedure, as Chris is bound to an armchair and forced to endure their method of initial conditioning/introduction. That conditioning requires Chris to watch TV and not only take in an educational video entitled, "Behold The Coagula," but also a conversation with his prospective personality donor, blind art dealer Jim Hudson.
Rod's Sex Slave Theory
While Chris's best friend, Rod, is a much needed comedic relief to Get Out's rather tense story, he's also a good source for backdoor exposition. It's Rod's detective work that ultimately saves Chris at the end of the movie, but there's another detail he happened to stumble upon, whether he had factual basis or was just paranoid. As it turns out, he was more right about the "sex slave" theory than we initially know, as there are two instances during the Armitage's shindig that touch upon such a theory. Not only is Chris sized up by one woman during the party, who also happens to discretely inquire as to whether the sex is as good as rumored, but Andre seems to have been made into such a slave himself. Remember, he not only talks about "chores" he has to do around the house, but his handler talks about how rarely they ever leave the house.
The Two Sides Of Georgina
Throughout the film, two recurring events could have helped Chris discover the truth much sooner, and it's all thanks to friendly Georgina and both of her personalities. While the "grandma" side of Georgina seems to unplug Chris's phone a couple of times, her dormant personality is presumably responsible for leaving the door open to Rose's closet. We see Georgina struggling throughout the film, as her "vessel's" personality struggles to come to the surface both while serving iced tea to the Armitages and when Chris confronts her about his cell phone being unplugged. Supported by the fact that all it takes is a camera flash to short circuit the results of Missy's hypnotherapy and the Coagula procedure, there's clearly some work to be done before this process is "fool proof."
Georgina's Reflection
The final, and perhaps most subtle, clue to Get Out's central mystery is the fact that Georgina is constantly fussing in front of a mirror. More particularly, we see her in one scene checking her wig in the mirror, as it turns out she needs to hide the scars on her head. By the end of the movie, we see Georgina's scarring as a big, pronounced line in her forehead, putting the final nail into the Coagula's success story. While it's not as pronounced, the fact that Walter's always wearing a hat in the movie helps support this line of thought. Further note to whomever picks up the torch from the Armitages's work on the Coagula procedure: enlist a plastic surgeon to hide those scars.
