Get Out, written and directed by Jordan Peele, is not a comedy but a psychological thriller that–if anything–delves into satirical territory.

The whatever-genre-film-it-is stars Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Caleb Landry Jones, Stephen Root, Lakeith Stanfield and Catherine Keener.  The film kicked off a hell of a year for Caleb Landry Jones, who can also be seen in American Made; The Florida Project; Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri; and a few episodes of Twin Peaks.

Chris Washington (Kaluuya) and his girlfriend, Rose Armitage (Williams), visit the family estate of her family, where they visit her parents Dean (Whitford) and Missy (Keener).  Joining in on the weekend getaway is her brother Jeremy (Jones).  Immediately, Jones comes off as someone who isn’t a nice guy and moreover, he’s the first to treat him much differently than her previous boyfriends–and probably because of his race if one had to guess.

When Chris is seen standing outside for fresh air, someone comes running towards him and the neighbor appears to be staring through the window shows that the film is most likely playing like a conventional thriller.

Who the hell is Logan King (Stanfield)?  Is he some sort of brainwashed victim?  We know that he’s dating an older white woman but looks familiar to Chris.  Is he a friend that’s assumed to be missing? Was he the guy kidnapped at the beginning of the film?

When the film started out with a kidnapping, the immediate thought I had was: how on earth could anybody thing this was a comedy?  It makes one wonder what people are thinking by classifying the film as such.  Having seen many improv shows at Second City, iO, and the Annoyance, comedy was the last thing on the mind in viewing the film over the weekend.

To add further debate into the conversation of what genre Get Out belongs, Michael Abels’ score plays more along the lines of a thriller or horror film, without all the blood and guts that would usually come with a horror film. Toby Oliver’s cinematography plays into the many possible genres of the film. As far as satires go, Chris plays into the concept of “a fish out of water” but the film’s third act shows many elements of the horror genre without the whole blood and guts.  Well, there is some but it’s certainly unlike any slasher films that exist, even Tragedy Girls.

It’s crazy to see a thriller come out from the mind of a creator of Key and Peele but it shows that Peele is more than just a comedian.  This is a film that’s sure to spark conversation about race issues if not the genre debate.

Universal Pictures released Get Out into theaters earlier this year.