Get Out’s Sunken Place is a terrifying mind-control trap from Jordan Peele’s 2017 horror film where the victim’s consciousness gets locked in a dark void inside their own head while someone else takes over their body. Watch this video from Screened for a deep dive into how characters try to escape it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHC5cuxeQNk.
In the movie, the hero Chris Washington falls into the Sunken Place after a hypnosis session triggered by a teacup clinking sound from Missy, the family therapist. His mind drops into endless blackness, helpless as he watches his body get used by others. This setup comes from a twisted family plot to steal strong Black bodies for white minds through brain surgery. The original person’s awareness stays alive but powerless, like being buried alive in your skull.
The Sunken Place stands for real-world racism, showing how Black people can feel silenced and controlled in a white world. Jordan Peele drew from that trapped feeling of watching your life get taken over without a say. Check out this breakdown on its symbolism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMhFTBjNQPA. It’s not magic—it’s science fiction horror based on losing your voice and identity, like historical exploitation turned visual nightmare.
Chris snaps out by scratching his nails on the teacup to block the trigger and hurt himself awake, then a camera flash jolts him fully free. But others like Georgina and Walter stay stuck because they’ve been under too long—their old selves faded away. The film hints escape gets impossible the deeper you sink, tying into bigger ideas about fighting back against control systems. For more on why the horror feels so real without supernatural tricks, see this explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ0-mUMPD00.
Sources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHC5cuxeQNk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMhFTBjNQPA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ0-mUMPD00
