10 Brilliant Movies That Surprised Everyone

Prior to 2017, you probably recognised Jordan Peele from his comedy, or not at all. Fans of his sketch show Key & Peele knew that he had a tremendous visual palette a cinephile background, so may have been excited about seeing his feature debut Get Out, but the buzz was by no means massive.

It gained a little attention on the festival circuit, but the moment it was released, word of mouth turned it into a major hit, and in doing so made Peele one of the most important voices around.

Get Out tackled the ever-vital conversation on racism in a particularly bold way, taking aim at quasi-progressive characters whose views were just as backwards as those with more obvious prejudices. It fit a complex conversation into a movie with mainstream aspirations.

It was also a whip smart horror among so many schlocky or jumpy franchise movies. The film’s scares burrow under your skin, coming from the actors’ performances, as well as the core concept that reveals itself slowly.

It’s a movie with a lot of thought and weight behind it that can equally be enjoyed as a straightforward horror. Like the best scares, no one saw this one coming.