Internet theorists have been having a field day with Get Out. People love pouring over the incredibly successful social horror film, concocting theories that range from entirely plausible to entirely silly. One of the goofier ones is the idea that Get Out takes place in the same universe as Being John Malkovich, with Catherine Keener, who stars in both films, as the link between them. Both movies are about body snatching and the theory claims that Keener's two characters are actually one and the same. Director-writer Jordan Peele happens to love the theory, and whether it was intentional or not, he considers it to be true.
Um, wow. I love this theory, I have heard this theory. It was definitely not lost on me that I was able to get Catherine Keener in her second like weird perspective, living in someone else's brain movie. We joked about that and I'm a huge fan of the movie Being John Malkovich. I also sat down with [Malkovich director] Spike Jonze a couple months ago, told him this theory myself and he chuckled. So as far as I'm concerned, it's true.
Reddit is swimming with internet theories about popular movies, and Get Out just happens to lend itself beautifully to even the craziest of ideas. In a video for Vanity Fair, Jordan Peele went through some of these fan theories, either debunking or confirming them to the masses. While Peele thought some of these theories were brought on by "the power of marijuana," he gets a real kick out of the one where Get Out is a secret sequel to Being John Malkovich. Both movies involve a cabal of elders seeking eternal life through body stealing and Catherine Keener stars in the two movies. Though her characters are seemingly unrelated, the theory posits that her Malkovich character joins with the elders and changes her identity in order to further experiment with gaining extended life, eventually leading to the hypnosis-brain surgery seen in Get Out.
It's hardly a perfect theory, but it's enough for Jordan Peele. The similarities between the two movies were not lost on the director and he once told Spike Jonze (the director of Being John Malkovich) about the internet theory. It got a chuckle out of Jonze, which Peele is taking as a blessing and a confirmation that their movies are connected. That's a win for the Internet!
Now that awards season is underway, we can expect to hear a bit more from Get Out. The horror film has already scored some notable wins and nominations, but only time will tell if it has enough momentum to make it to the Academy Awards. Stick with CinemaBlend and we'll be sure to keep you updated with new information. In the meantime, check out our 2018 movie list for all your theater plans.
