HIM

Film: HIM

Year: 2025

Director: Justin Tipping

Writers: Zack Akers, Skip Bronkie and Justin Tipping

Starring: Tyriq Withers, Marlon Wayans and Julia Fox

Review:

This was a film that caught my attention when I saw part of the trailer. Realizing that this was going to combine elements of horror with football, it piqued my interest. Then it being produced by Jordan Peele added to it as well. Now outside of this information it being a 2025 wide release, I came in blind. I did give it a second watch as part of my end of year round up.

Synopsis: a young athlete descends into a world of terror when he’s invited to train with a legendary champion whose charisma curdles into something darker.

We start this by seeing a boy and his family settling in to watch the championship game for a professional football league. The boy is Cam (Austin Pulliam). His father is Cam Sr. (Don Benjamin). He also has an older brother and mother that are watching with him. The star player is Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans). He leads the team to victory but breaks his hip in the process. Cam Sr. makes his son watch on, showing him that glory comes with pain.

Cam grows up to be played by Tyriq Withers. He went from being a walk-on to a star player and widely considered to be the first person taken in the upcoming draft. There’s a problem though. He’s working out at his former high school and he’s attacked. It leaves him with a wounded head and a concussion. He is pulled every which way by his mother, brother, girlfriend and his agent, Tom (Tim Heidecker). There are now concerns where he might fall in the draft.

That’s when he gets an interesting phone call from Tom. His hometown favorite team is the San Antonio Saviors. Isaiah is still the quarterback and he just won another title. Isaiah is torn between coming back for one last year or retirement. Cam is given an offer to come to a remote place to train with Isaiah. He is elated and agrees. When he arrives, his phone is taken. This is going to be a one week crash course to get him ready. He gets more than he expected as he is pushed to his limits and beyond.

That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the main characters. This is truly a character study of Cam and to a lesser degree of Isaiah. I think the ideas that they explore with both of them are interesting. Definitely storylines that are pushed forward through the media when it comes to the draft or during the offseason. That is an interesting route to go when exploring horror elements. Not everything works. There are slight plot holes, but overall, I think that this was an intriguing film to watch.

Now that I have that set up, let’s start with exploring our main character of Cam. His love for the game and watching Isaiah win championships sparked his obsession with greatness. Though Cam seems like a top draft pick, he wasn't a five-star high school prospect, succeeding only in college. This journey from underdog to doubted prospect resonates with real-life draft scenarios. Then there’s also the title, Him. This is a mantra his father pushed, creating the pressure he now feels. Withers does well as this character who is torn but still portraying this idea that he’s fully invested.

There is something here that I need to flesh out more after the second watch. Cam reveals a story during an interview as he nears the end of the stretch at the retreat. The last conversation he had with his father was Cam Sr. saying how proud of his son he was and Cam told him he was quitting. The guilt of Cam Sr. passing is fuel for Cam to succeed. It isn’t necessarily for him, outside of hoping to provide for his family. Isaiah points out that he needs to find a reason within him, not for those around him. This is an interesting concept to explore.

Isaiah is Cam’s hero. He won his first title and became the returning hero after that injury. His methods to stay on top seem nearly illegal, intense training. His mental state is borderline psychotic, shown by his brutal treatment of free agents who train with him and Cam. Now, near the end of his career, he resists retirement and training his potential successor, though his loyalty to the organization and mentor influences him. Wayans' comedic timing, channeling Patrick Bateman with a constant need to watch film, enhances the movie.

Now there are other elements here. The draft's racist "slave auction" idea is a secondary element. It is more of a looming event to push Cam. Isaiah, the leader of a team named Saviors, is curious with their mascot being a devil. It could be seen as them doing a corrupting ritual by cult members, echoing an "anti-Christ" rise for the "chosen one" Cam. It all culminates in the signing your ‘soul’ over in the form of the contract, which feels Faustian.

Upon rewatching, the players appear as gladiators, risking injury (including CTE) and displaying toxic masculinity for entertainment. Marjorie (Naomi Grossman) leads obsessed groupies outside the compound, mirroring sports hero worship and religious devotion, which Isaiah reinforces by calling the field his 'church'. Finally, there is the predatory nature of legacy, with ownership exploiting desperate newcomers, perpetuating a cycle of abuse and ritualistic sacrifice disguised as ‘glory’.

Then to just adjust one plot hole I originally had. It didn’t make sense to me that a team that just won the championship would be in line to draft the best prospect. There is more going on here that makes sense as you things play out. I do love how they’re playing with the star player dropping, we see this almost every draft where they're projected to go high and fall. There is more going on here that makes sense the deeper into the conspiracy that we get.

That should be enough for the story that I want to go into so let’s finish out with the acting performances. Withers and Wayans excel as the leads. Isaiah corrupting the young quarterback for succession is an intriguing plot point. Julia Fox as Elsie White, Isaiah's wife, makes his later mania understandable. Heidecker is enjoyable as Cam's agent, Tom. The rest of the cast, including Grossman and Benjamin, effectively rounds out the film.

All that is left then is the filmmaking aspects. This is where the film shines. The cinematography and framing are great. It helps build this surreal atmosphere before things get weird. It just builds on it from there. Something else is that Isaiah, Cam or other players will be looked at through an x-ray. This is interesting because we’ll see internal injuries healing or causing physical damage to someone. Not everything here works, it does get a bit maniac as well. Other than that, the sound design and music fit what was needed.

In conclusion, this offers an interesting blend of horror and football, elevated by strong performances from Withers and Wayans. While the narrative occasionally falters with a somewhat manic progression, the film's unique approach to exploring ambition, corruption and the pressures of professional sports largely succeed. The striking cinematography, especially the x-ray visual effects, significantly contributes to the unsettling atmosphere, making HIM a thought-provoking and generally well-executed entry into the genre.

My Rating: 8 out of 10