Review: 'Him' tries to turn horror into satire of football's violence and excess, but the story spins ludicrously out of control

Ambition and avarice collide in “Him,” a highly stylized and ultimately ridiculous horror movie that gives new meaning to the term “sacrificing a goat” (or, in this case, G.O.A.T.).

The protagonist here is Cameron Cade (played by Tyriq Withers), a phenomenal college quarterback who seems a likely top draft pick for the UFFL. (For reasons that become obvious very early, the actual NFL wouldn’t get within a mile of this movie.) Before the draft, though, he’s attacked and given a nasty skull fracture and a traumatic brain injury — jeopardizing his chances at the pros.

Cameron wants to show his determination, and he gets that chance when he receives a personal invite from his idol, legendary quarterback Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans). Isaiah has eight championship rings, and questions swirling around whether he will retire from his team, the San Antonio Saviors. Cameron has worshipped Isaiah since boyhood, and much of Cameron’s fractured relationship with his late father (played in flashbacks by Dom Benjamin) is centered on trying to emulate Isaiah.

Soon Cameron arrives at Isaiah’s compound in the desert, where Isaiah maintains a state-of-the-art practice facility, complete with a shady sports doctor (played by comic Jim Jefferies). Isaiah runs Cameron through some grueling training exercises, which tax the young QB physically and mentally — sometimes leaving him seeing hallucinations that may be a product of overwork, the residual effects of his brain injury, or something more demonic at work. 

Isaiah bans cellphones at his compound, to reduce distractions. But the place comes with its own distraction in Isaiah’s wife, Elsie (Julia Fox), a social media influencer and general-issue temptress.

Director Justin Tipping — who wrote the script with newcomers Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie — quick-cuts through several plot points, establishing the mentor-protege relationship between Isaiah and Cameron, as well as suggesting darker undercurrents. The suggestions aren’t particularly subtle, and it doesn’t take long to see the figurative devil’s bargain being offered between moments where Wayans’ Isaiah is yelling tough-coach insults at Withers’ young Cameron like a particularly brutal coaching session.

The problem with “Him” is that Tipping can’t maintain the thread as he bounces from jump-scare horror to testosterone-fueled commentary about someone has to do — and, more importantly, has to forfeit — to become the “Greatest of All Time.” This is particularly evident in the finale, which aims to be some kind of horror classic but just looks weirdly campy.

What nearly rescues “Him” is Wayans’ performance, a symphony of sports-driven rage masked by bro-code friendliness. Wayans seems to understand the tonal changes necessary here — outwardly charming and slightly humorous, but inwardly bubbling with murder and rage — better than Tipping does.

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‘Him’

★★1/2

Opens Friday, September 19, in theaters everywhere. Rated R for strong bloody violence, language throughout, sexual material, nudity and some drug use. Running time: 96 minutes.