Seven years ago, Jordan Peele surprised his fans with his directorial debut in the horror genre, Get Out. Peele was a familiar face to American TV audiences who enjoyed his sketch comedy series Key & Peele, which he starred alongside Keegan-Michael Key. However, the horror film from the director did have some influence from comedy in it.
The inspiration for the story of a Black man uncovering the secrets of his White girlfriend’s family came from Eddie Murphy’s 1983 stand-up special. Murphy’s one funny joke about a Hollywood movie trope was turned into the theme of a full-fledged horror film by Peele.
Jordan Peele’s Get Out Was Inspired By Eddie Murphy’s Old Stand-Up Special
Daniel Kaluuya starred as the young African-American boyfriend Chris Washington opposite Allison Williams’ Rose Armitage in Get Out. Director Jordan Peele created a neatly executed plot with sufficient elements of horror and psychology. Peele’s film was a pleasant surprise for his fans at the time, since he was known for his brilliant comedy sketches.
It is known that the duo of Key & Peele can turn any social issue into a very funny sketch. Peele proved that it can be done the other way around too. He took inspiration from one classic stand-up special from none other than Beverly Hills Cop star Eddie Murphy. The legendary actor rose to fame as a stand-up comic, SNL cast member, and a movie star.
During his 1983 special Delirious, Murphy shared one joke that became Get Out‘s plot. He called out the stereotypes in the horror classics of the time like Poltergeist and The Amityville Horror. He shared that these films threw the logic out of the window when White characters stayed in the haunted house to get to the bottom of the issue.
Murphy asked, “Why don’t white people just leave the house when there’s a ghost in the house?”. He also went on to explain what he, as a Black man, would do in the situation. Murphy shared that if he suspects the presence of a ghost in his property, he would immediately try to flee from the house. He yelled in the voice of a ghost, “Get Out!”
The Black people trying to avoid grisly fate during a supernatural/horror situation became the theme of Peele’s film. The film went on to collect $255.4 million against a small budget of $4.5 million, making it a massive hit (via Box Office Mojo).
Jordan Peele Acknowledged Eddie Murphy’s Influence On His Film
Jordan Peele confirmed that he took inspiration from Eddie Murphy’s stand-up when he appeared on the red carpet of the film. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Peele shared that Get Out was an homage to the 1983 special. Peele remarked that it was “one of the best bits of all time.” He shared:
Eddie Murphy was explaining the difference of how a white family and a Black family would react in a haunted house.
Peele received the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the film, along with nominations for Best Picture and Best Director. After Get Out, Peele went on to produce two more critically acclaimed films in the same genre, Us (2019) and Nope (2022).
Get Out is available to watch on Hulu as of today.
