Category: Horror, Sport, Thriller
Written By: Shamar (Vibez) Binns Date: 10/22/25
HIM
Before getting into this review, I want to clarify one important detail: HIM was produced by Jordan Peele, not written or directed by him. His name was heavily featured throughout the marketing, which may have caused some viewers to expect his signature style of psychological horror and social commentary. The film was actually directed and co-written by Justin Tipping, whose creative vision deserves to be judged separately from Peele’s involvement as a producer.
The idea of combining football with psychological horror immediately caught my attention. Sports already involve pressure, sacrifice, obsession, competition, and the expectation to push your body beyond its limits. Those themes create the perfect foundation for a disturbing story about what athletes are willing to endure to achieve greatness. HIM introduces fascinating ideas about fame, masculinity, legacy, exploitation, and the business surrounding professional football, but it never explores them as deeply as it could have.
Justin Tipping deserves credit for creating a bold and visually distinctive sports-horror movie. His direction presents football as something almost religious, transforming athletes into idols and the pursuit of greatness into a dangerous form of worship. Through disturbing imagery, brutal training sequences, and exaggerated symbolism, Tipping attempts to examine how players are physically and mentally consumed by the institutions profiting from their talent. The film’s visual language effectively captures Cameron’s deteriorating mental and physical condition, even when the screenplay does not provide enough development to support every idea.
Tipping’s strongest work is found in the film’s atmosphere and visual presentation. The cinematography and production design are easily among HIM’s greatest strengths. The isolated training facility feels luxurious, futuristic, and threatening at the same time. The lighting, colors, shadows, medical imagery, and football symbolism constantly suggest that something is wrong. Even when the story becomes confusing, Tipping knows how to create memorable and unsettling images.
However, his direction occasionally becomes too focused on symbolism and visual style. Certain scenes appear designed to shock the audience without always contributing enough to Cameron’s emotional journey. The movie contains several interesting messages about toxic masculinity, the commodification of Black athletes, and the demand for players to sacrifice their bodies for success. Unfortunately, those themes sometimes become buried beneath the film’s increasingly chaotic horror elements. Tipping clearly has something meaningful to say, but the execution does not always communicate those ideas clearly.
The performances are also strong, especially Marlon Wayans, who delivers one of his most grounded and compelling performances to date. Tipping’s decision to cast an actor best known for comedy was a smart choice because Wayans brings an unpredictable energy to Isaiah White. He is charismatic, intimidating, inspirational, and dangerous, sometimes within the same scene. His character makes it difficult to determine whether Cameron should trust, admire, or fear him.
Tyriq Withers also commits fully to the demanding role of Cameron Cade. He handles the character’s physical transformation well, but the rushed screenplay does not give him enough time to develop Cameron’s psychological journey. The movie tells us how desperately Cameron wants to become the greatest, yet it does not spend enough time showing the emotional reasons behind that desire or the internal conflict created by everything he experiences.
Where the film struggles most is in its pacing and character development. Cameron is supposed to undergo seven days of intense football training, which gives the story a perfect structure for gradually increasing the physical and psychological pressure. However, by the second day, the movie throws Cameron and the audience directly into chaos. The escalation happens so quickly that the story loses its opportunity to build genuine suspense.
Cameron also accepts the increasingly disturbing behavior around him far too easily. He witnesses situations that should cause any reasonable person to question everything, yet he continues moving forward without enough resistance or emotional processing. If Tipping had allowed more time for smaller warning signs, uncomfortable conversations, and subtle changes within the training environment, Cameron’s eventual breaking point would have felt much more believable and impactful.
The movie could have used each day to represent another stage in Cameron’s transformation. The training could have begun normally before becoming increasingly physical, manipulative, and spiritually disturbing. That gradual progression would have helped the audience understand why Cameron remained committed while showing how his ambition was being weaponized against him. With stronger pacing and development, HIM could have become one of the greatest sports-horror movies ever made.
I also wanted to see more actual football. The sport is central to Cameron’s identity and the film’s themes, yet much of the story takes place away from a real game. A complete football sequence in which the psychological horror followed Cameron onto the field could have been incredible. The pressure, violence, crowd noise, and hallucinations could have blended together as Cameron struggled to separate reality from the nightmare surrounding him. That might have given the movie a more powerful and unforgettable climax.
In the end, HIM is visually stunning and well acted, with an original concept and a standout dramatic performance from Marlon Wayans. Justin Tipping demonstrates a strong visual imagination and presents several meaningful ideas about sacrifice, masculinity, and the exploitation of athletes. Unfortunately, the rushed storytelling, uneven tone, predictable cult elements, and lack of meaningful football action prevent his vision from reaching its full potential. HIM has the body of a great sports-horror film, but it never develops the complete game plan needed to win.