Summary
Get Out is considered one of the best horror movies of the 2010s for expertly blending elements of horror and satire, but the film would not have worked to perfection had it not been for its twist villain, Rose Armitage. Rose, at first, seemed like a typical loving and supporting girlfriend who was on Chris’ side through and through. Rose’s facade resonates with the audience so well that it becomes both shocking and heartbreaking to find out that she was playing Chris the whole time, making for one of the best romantic betrayals in movie history.
Rose exposing her true colors makes for a twist that ultimately convinces the audience that she, more than anyone else in the Armitages, needs to be stopped once and for all. She proved to be a downright evil person, much like the rest of her family. More than that, she showed that she sees what she does as a fun game to play. While Rose Armitage is the perfect twist villain, she also lays the foundation for all horror movie twists because of who she pretends to be and how demented her real self actually is.
Why Rose Armitage Was The Perfect Twist Villain
Through the film’s first two-thirds, it felt as though Rose represented the audience. As she and Chris visit her family, something feels off from the very get-go. However, it seemed as though Rose was not only aware of how off-putting everything was like Chris and the audience could but also convinced him that she was on his side on the matter when confirming that such behaviors from her family are abnormal. But then, in arguably Get Out’s most disturbing scene, when Chris wants to leave, it appears Rose wants to do the same before Chris puts the two and two together that she and the Armitages have trapped him with seemingly no way out.
To realize that not only was she in on it from the very start, but she is the most disturbing of the Armitages makes her the perfect twist villain. While her brother Caleb kidnaps innocent Black people in plain sight, Rose seduces them and pretends to be their girlfriend to lure them into a trap like a predator would with their prey. Even worse, her expert manipulation skills prevent her and the Armitages from getting exposed. By then, the film leaves nothing to interpretation: she’s a monster, which audiences did not see coming. That it was such a surprise makes the twist even more of a devastating betrayal for Chris, as well as for the audience. Rose’s true intentions make it all the scarier when it comes to light, bit by bit, what she actually does and how much she enjoys doing it.
How Get Out Lays A Blueprint For Future Horror Movies To Follow
Horror movies are rife with twists and narrative surprises. However, it’s not always a tactic the genre pulls off effectively. Too often, plot twists aren’t so much twists as logical conclusions to the obvious seed-planting of the movie, and foreshadowing is so heavy-handed that audiences see the surprises coming from miles away. There’s no subtlety or gradual build-up; everything is telegraphed from the start. It’s what makes Get Out’s sudden reveal of Rose’s true nature all the more impactful.
This is an effective way to execute horror: Rose is a monster who is hidden in plain sight. Her ability to convince everyone of how normal she is can be truly terrifying to think about because that’s how sociopaths operate. They know how to sell the image to hide their real ambitions. She sold it so well that even when Chris understands his predicament, he still can’t kill her when he has the chance because he still loves her. His escape lends Get Out one of the most satisfying movie endings, but that would not have been the case if the movie had not displayed the kind of sadist he was running from.
