Him (2025 film): Difference between revisions

Line 62: Line 62:

Outside the compound, a bloodied Cam walks past masked cheerleaders and into the desert.

== Cast ==

==Cast==

⚫

[[File:Marlon Wayans (2018) (cropped).jpg|thumb|Marlon Wayans’ performance as Isaiah White received widespread critical acclaim.]]

* [[Marlon Wayans]] as Isaiah, a quarterback for the San Antonio Saviors

* [[Tyriq Withers]] as Cam, a young football player who is mentored by Isaiah

Line 82: Line 81:

* [[GiGi Erneta]] as Ayn

== Production ==

==Production==

Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie wrote a [[spec script]] initially titled ”Goat”—in reference to the sports term “greatest of all time” ([[GOAT (sports culture)|GOAT]])—and took it out for sale with [[Endeavor (company)|WME]] in April 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |last=William |date=2022-04-23 |title=””GOAT” |url=https://www.tracking-board.com/goat-spec/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220424194217/https://www.tracking-board.com/goat-spec/ |archive-date=April 24, 2022 |access-date=2025-05-10 |website=The Tracking Board |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kroll |first=Justin |date=2024-01-15 |title=Marlon Wayans To Star In Psychological Horror Pic ”Goat” For UniversaAnd Monkeypaw; Justin Tipping Directing |url=https://deadline.com/2024/01/marlon-wayans-goat-universal-monkeypaw-1235791769/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115171449/https://deadline.com/2024/01/marlon-wayans-goat-universal-monkeypaw-1235791769/ |archive-date=January 15, 2024 |access-date=2025-05-10 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |language=en-US}}</ref> In June 2022, [[Monkeypaw Productions]], in a deal with [[Universal Pictures]], bought the script.<ref name=”Pitch” /> At the end of the year, the script was voted onto [[The Black List (survey)|the Black List]] of best unproduced screenplays in 2022.<ref name=”Black List” /> In January 2024, [[Justin Tipping]] was announced as the director with [[Marlon Wayans]] starring,<ref name=”Tipping-Wayans” /> and later [[Tyriq Withers]] joined the cast.<ref name=”Withers” /> In February, [[Julia Fox]] joined the cast.<ref name=”Fox” /> The film was retitled ”Him” with the setting of its release date in September 2025.<ref name=”Release Date” /> [[Principal photography]] was completed by November 2024.<ref name=”FirstLook” /> The production budget had a [[Film budgeting|net cost]] of $27 million.<ref name=”deadline-budget”>{{cite web |title=Him |url=https://deadline.com/tag/him/ |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |date=19 September 2025 |quote=Him was made for a net $27M. |access-date=September 20, 2025 |archive-date=September 18, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250918055114/https://deadline.com/tag/him/ |url-status=live}}</ref> It was filmed on location in and around Albuquerque, New Mexico. [[Spaceport America]] was used as an exterior location.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Encinias |first1=Joshua |title=Albuquerque Locations Manager has a Field Day with New Flick “HIM” |url=https://www.santafenewmexican.com/pasatiempo/albuquerque-locations-manager-has-a-field-day-with-new-flick-him/article_db6447dd-aafc-4550-ac85-d571a7d7bddb.html |website=Santa Fe New Mexican |date=19 September 2025}}</ref>

== Music ==

==Music==

[[Bobby Krlic]] had composed the score for the film by April 2025.<ref name=”Krlic” /> The film’s soundtrack was released on September 19, 2025.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gomez |first1=Dessi |date=20 September 2025 |title=‘Him’ Soundtrack: All The Songs In The Jordan Peele-Produced Horror Film |url=https://deadline.com/2025/09/him-movie-soundtrack-songs-1236550143/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250921203022/https://deadline.com/2025/09/him-movie-soundtrack-songs-1236550143/ |archive-date=September 21, 2025 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref><ref name=”:0″>{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Aaron |date=September 4, 2025 |title=Guapdad 4000 & Tierra Whack Share New Songs from the ”Him” Soundtrack |url=https://uproxx.com/music/guapdad-4000-tierra-whack-him-soundtrack-tracklist/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250904185153/https://uproxx.com/music/guapdad-4000-tierra-whack-him-soundtrack-tracklist/ |archive-date=September 4, 2025 |access-date=September 11, 2025 |website=Uproxx |language=en-US}}</ref> On September 4, 2025, “Swim” by [[Guapdad 4000]] and [[Mavi (rapper)|Mavi]], and “Tip Toe” by [[Tierra Whack]] were released as singles from the soundtrack.<ref name=”:0″ /> “Blitz” was released by [[Jean Dawson]] as the soundtrack’s third single on September 10, 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=DeVille |first=Chris |date=September 11, 2025 |title=Jean Dawson Shares New ”Him” Soundtrack Single “Blitz”: Listen “Him” was released by denzel curry as the soundtrack’s fourth single on september 18th. |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2322709/jean-dawson-blitz/music/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250921202912/https://www.stereogum.com/2322709/jean-dawson-blitz/music/ |archive-date=September 21, 2025 |access-date=September 11, 2025 |website=[[Stereogum]] |language=en}}</ref> The soundtrack’s fourth single, “Him” by [[Denzel Curry]], was released on September 18, 2025.<ref name=”:1″>{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Abby |date=2025-09-18 |title=Denzel Curry – “Him” |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2323458/denzel-curry-him/music/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250921191452/https://www.stereogum.com/2323458/denzel-curry-him/music/ |archive-date=September 21, 2025 |access-date=2025-09-19 |website=[[Stereogum]] |language=en}}</ref> The soundtrack released on September 19, 2025, alongside the film.<ref name=”:1″ />

== Release ==

==Release==

”Him” was first released in Mexico on September 18, 2025, and was theatrically released on September 19, 2025, by [[Universal Pictures]].<ref name=”Release Date” />

== Reception ==

==Reception==

⚫ ⚫

{{As of|2025|09|28|df=US}}, ”Him” has grossed $20.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $454,000 in other territories, for a worldwide total of $21.2 million.<ref name=”BOM” /><ref name=”NUM” />

In the United States and Canada, ”Him” was released alongside ”[[A Big Bold Beautiful Journey]]”, and was projected to gross $15–18 million from 3,100 theaters in its opening weekend.<ref name=”Variety-Proj”>{{Cite web |last=Rubin |first=Rebecca |date=September 17, 2025 |title=Box Office: ‘Him’ Targets $15 Million Debut, Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell’s ‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey’ Aims for $10 Million |url=https://variety.com/2025/film/box-office/demon-slayer-top-box-office-him-big-bold-beautiful-journey-1236520793/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250917162354/https://variety.com/2025/film/box-office/demon-slayer-top-box-office-him-big-bold-beautiful-journey-1236520793/ |archive-date=September 17, 2025 |access-date=September 16, 2025 |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref> The film made $6.5 million on its first day, including $2 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $13.5 million, finishing second behind holdover ”[[Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle|Demon Slayer]]”.<ref name=”opening”>{{cite web |date=September 21, 2025 |last1=D’Alessandro |first1=Anthony |title=Demon Slayer’ Tackles ‘Him’ For No. 1 With $17M+, ‘Big Bold Beautiful Journey’ Bombs With $3M+ – Sunday AM Box Office |url=https://deadline.com/2025/09/box-office-demon-slayer-him-big-bold-beautiful-journey-1236549266/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250919154200/https://deadline.com/2025/09/box-office-demon-slayer-him-big-bold-beautiful-journey-1236549266/ |archive-date=September 19, 2025 |access-date=September 21, 2025 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |quote=Him won Friday with $6.47M and a C- CinemaScore }}</ref>

=== Critical response ===

===Critical response===

⚫

[[File:Marlon Wayans (2018) (cropped).jpg|thumb|Marlon Wayans’ performance as Isaiah White received widespread critical acclaim.]]

{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|31|3=173|consensus=Fumbling the ball well before the red zone, ”Him” has style to spare but botches its promising concept with rookie execution.|ref=y|access-date=September 20, 2025}} {{Metacritic film prose|39|33|ref=yes|access-date=September 18, 2025}} Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of “C–” on an A+ to F scale.<ref name=”opening”/>

Line 108: Line 107:

Speaking about the negative reviews, Marlon Wayans said: “I respect critics. Their job is to critique. I respect their work. It shapes our industry. But an opinion does not always mean it’s everyone’s opinion. Some movies are ahead of the curve. Innovation is not always embraced and art is to be interpreted and it’s subjective. I’ve had a career of making classic movies that weren’t critically received {{sic}} and those movies went on to be classics. So don’t take anyone’s opinion just go see for yourself.”<ref>{{Cite web |last=Oganesyan |first=Natalie |date=2025-09-21 |title=Marlon Wayans Addresses Negative ‘Him’ Reviews: “Art Is To Be Interpreted And It’s Subjective” |url=https://deadline.com/2025/09/marlon-wayans-negative-him-reviews-critics-1236551954/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250922182718/https://deadline.com/2025/09/marlon-wayans-negative-him-reviews-critics-1236551954/ |archive-date=September 22, 2025 |access-date=2025-09-22 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

== References ==

==References==

{{Reflist|refs=

Line 131: Line 130:

}}

== Notes ==

==Notes==

== External links ==

==External links==

* {{Official website|https://www.himmovie.com/}}

* {{IMDb title|20990442}}

2025 film by Justin Tipping

Him is a 2025 American horror film^[a] directed by Justin Tipping, co-written by Skip Bronkie, Zack Akers, and Tipping, and produced by Jordan Peele‘s Monkeypaw Productions. The film stars Marlon Wayans, Tyriq Withers, Julia Fox, and Tim Heidecker. Its plot follows the trials of a young up-and-coming football player (Withers) training at the isolated compound of an aging, nearly retired quarterback (Wayans).

Him was first released in Mexico on September 18, 2025, and was released in the United States by Universal Pictures on September 19, 2025. The film received generally negative reviews from critics and has grossed $21.2 million worldwide.

Young Cameron “Cam” Cade watches his favorite football team, the San Antonio Saviors, win the league championship. His joy turns to distress when his quarterback idol Isaiah White suffers a violent, possibly career-ending injury while scoring the winning touchdown. Cam’s father tells him that real men are willing to make sacrifices.

Years later, Cam’s father has died and Cam is now a rising football star. Encouraged by his family and girlfriend, he trains for the league combine. While practicing late on an empty field, Cam is attacked by someone in a goat costume, causing a head injury that endangers his career.

Motivated by his agent, Tom, Cam plans to attend the combine to pursue the Saviors’ quarterback role, despite risking permanent brain damage should he sustain another injury. While overstimulated due to his concussion, Cam lashes out at his brother and Tom, ultimately refusing to participate in the combine. Tom later reveals that Isaiah is considering retirement and has offered to train Cam for a week at a remote desert compound to prove himself a worthy successor. Cam accepts and travels there, encountering crazed Isaiah fans led by Marjorie, who try to intimidate him out of replacing their hero.

At the compound, Isaiah puts Cam through disturbing challenges, including a practice drill where a football machine repeatedly hits a player in the face. Cam secretly receives shots of Isaiah’s blood, which he is led to believe is an energy booster, and experiences frequent hallucinations of masked figures, which he attributes to the concussion.

While in a sauna, Cam is attacked by Marjorie and overpowers her. Isaiah arrives and emotionlessly kills her, to Cam’s consternation. As Cam tries to leave, Isaiah’s wife Elsie apologizes and seduces him. Cam wakes the next morning to Isaiah holding him at gunpoint, demanding to know if Cam and Elsie slept together. Isaiah ridicules Cam for feeling guilty about his girlfriend, saying winners are remorseless.

Elsie invites Cam to a secret party to meet the Saviors’ owners. Upon arrival, Marco, the team doctor, whispers to Cam to “run” before leaving. The owners offer Cam a strange red liquid, which he drinks, unaware that it is Isaiah’s blood. A disoriented Cam finds Marco’s severed head in a plastic-lined room. Elsie comforts him as he loses consciousness. Cam later wakes up in an ice bath at Isaiah’s compound, connected to an IV of Isaiah’s blood. He rips out the IV and grabs a jagged trophy, aiming to kill Isaiah and escape.

Cam finds Isaiah watching a video of cheering fans. Isaiah reveals he is part of a line of manufactured “Greatest of All Time” (G.O.A.T.) players who gain enhanced abilities from ritual blood transferred down a lineage. Isaiah tells Cam they must fight to the death with one G.O.A.T. transfusion victor. After a struggle, Cam bludgeons Isaiah to death with a helmet.

Cam leaves the room and steps onto a football field, where he finds Elsie, the Saviors’ owners, and Tom, all wearing animal masks. They present him with a contract to sign, revealing that Cam’s father arranged for him to be the next G.O.A.T. They explain that the earlier masked attack was orchestrated to lead Cam to the Saviors.
Cam refuses to sign the contract and, in a violent outburst, kills all the owners, Elsie, and the masked attacker—who is revealed to be Isaiah and Cam’s trainer, Malek—using a hammer and sword. However, he spares Tom, who is subsequently dragged into a pentagram and destroyed by an unseen force.

Outside the compound, a bloodied Cam walks past masked cheerleaders and into the desert.

Marlon Wayans as Isaiah, a quarterback for the San Antonio Saviors
Tyriq Withers as Cam, a young football player who is mentored by Isaiah
Julia Fox as Elsie, a social media influencer and Isaiah’s wife
Tim Heidecker as Tom, Cam’s manager
Jim Jefferies as Marco, Isaiah’s personal doctor
Maurice Greene as Malek, a trainer and a horned fanatic
Indira G. Wilson as Yvette, Cam’s mother
Gerone McKinley as Drew
Heather Lynn Harris as Jasmine
Don Benjamin as Cam Sr., Cam’s father
Guapdad 4000 as Murph, Cam’s cousin
Richard Lippert as the Saviors Owner
Naomi Grossman as Marjorie, a crazed fan of Isaiah
Tierra Whack as Adrienne, Cam’s girlfriend
Chase Garland as Ced
Norman Towns as Willis
GiGi Erneta as Ayn

Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie wrote a spec script initially titled Goat—in reference to the sports term “greatest of all time” (GOAT)—and took it out for sale with WME in April 2022.^[6]^[7] In June 2022, Monkeypaw Productions, in a deal with Universal Pictures, bought the script.^[8] At the end of the year, the script was voted onto the Black List of best unproduced screenplays in 2022.^[9] In January 2024, Justin Tipping was announced as the director with Marlon Wayans starring,^[10] and later Tyriq Withers joined the cast.^[11] In February, Julia Fox joined the cast.^[12] The film was retitled Him with the setting of its release date in September 2025.^[13] Principal photography was completed by November 2024.^[14] The production budget had a net cost of $27 million.^[15] It was filmed on location in and around Albuquerque, New Mexico. Spaceport America was used as an exterior location.^[16]

Bobby Krlic had composed the score for the film by April 2025.^[17] The film’s soundtrack was released on September 19, 2025.^[18]^[19] On September 4, 2025, “Swim” by Guapdad 4000 and Mavi, and “Tip Toe” by Tierra Whack were released as singles from the soundtrack.^[19] “Blitz” was released by Jean Dawson as the soundtrack’s third single on September 10, 2025.^[20] The soundtrack’s fourth single, “Him” by Denzel Curry, was released on September 18, 2025.^[21] The soundtrack released on September 19, 2025, alongside the film.^[21]

Him was first released in Mexico on September 18, 2025, and was theatrically released on September 19, 2025, by Universal Pictures.^[13]

As of September 28, 2025^[update], Him has grossed $20.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $454,000 in other territories, for a worldwide total of $21.2 million.^[4]^[5]

In the United States and Canada, Him was released alongside A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, and was projected to gross $15–18 million from 3,100 theaters in its opening weekend.^[3] The film made $6.5 million on its first day, including $2 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $13.5 million, finishing second behind holdover Demon Slayer.^[2]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 31% of 173 critics’ reviews are positive. The website’s consensus reads: “Fumbling the ball well before the red zone, Him has style to spare but botches its promising concept with rookie execution.”^[22] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 39 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating “generally unfavorable” reviews.^[23] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of “C–” on an A+ to F scale.^[2]

Peter Debruge of Variety gave the film a positive review and wrote, “Amid the thrills, Him gets you thinking about the sport and all that it demands, potentially making monsters of our heroes in the process. But as the saying goes: Don’t hate the player, hate the game.”^[24]

IndieWire‘s David Ehrlich gave the film a C-, stating, “Him knows that it’s silly as hell, but it has no idea how to balance that against the ostensible seriousness of its social critique, which is how you wind up with leaden dialogue sandwiched between moments of broad satire.”^[25] In a negative review for RogerEbert.com, Robert Daniels gave the film a 0.5 out of 4 rating, and wrote, “HIM wants to deliver psychic shocks, but the film doesn’t know what approach to take. The demonic scenes that seem to be inside Cam’s head—a glittering mascot wielding a sledgehammer often lurks in the shadows—oscillate between being internalized and externalized with no real logic backing up the switches. We see medicines injected by Isaiah’s personal trainer that are meant to increase Cam’s performance, but the body horror of watching the needle pierce Cam’s skin falls flat because we don’t know what’s in the vials or their actual effect. The film, for good measure, even tries to insert a Jesus motif whose religious importance is ham-fisted, rushed, and not all that original.”^[26]

^ “Him (18)”. BBFC. September 9, 2025. Archived from the original on May 6, 2025. Retrieved September 17, 2025.
^ ^a ^b ^c D’Alessandro, Anthony (September 21, 2025). “Demon Slayer’ Tackles ‘Him’ For No. 1 With $17M+, ‘Big Bold Beautiful Journey’ Bombs With $3M+ – Sunday AM Box Office”. Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 19, 2025. Retrieved September 21, 2025. Him won Friday with $6.47M and a C- CinemaScore
^ ^a ^b Rubin, Rebecca (September 17, 2025). “Box Office: ‘Him’ Targets $15 Million Debut, Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell’s ‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey’ Aims for $10 Million”. Variety. Archived from the original on September 17, 2025. Retrieved September 16, 2025.
^ ^a ^b “Him“. Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved September 28, 2025.
^ ^a ^b “Him – Financial Information”. The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved September 28, 2025.
^ William (April 23, 2022). “GOAT“. The Tracking Board. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
^ Kroll, Justin (January 15, 2024). “Marlon Wayans To Star In Psychological Horror Pic Goat For UniversaAnd Monkeypaw; Justin Tipping Directing”. Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 15, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
^ Kroll, Justin (September 19, 2025). “Marlon Wayans Him Movie Performance Earns Critical Praise as Career Best”. FilmBuzzr. Cite error: The named reference “Pitch” was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
^ Guy, Zoe (December 12, 2022). “The 2022 Black List Has a Britney Biopic, Four Seasons Total Landscaping Drama”. Vulture. Vox Media. Archived from the original on December 12, 2022.
^ Kroll, Justin (January 15, 2024). “Marlon Wayans to Star In Psychological Horror Pic Goat for Universal and Monkeypaw with Justin Tipping Directing”. Deadline Hollywood.
^ Kroll, Justin (January 24, 2024). “Tyriq Withers To Star Opposite Marlon Wayans In Universal And Monkeypaw’s Psychological Horror Pic Goat“. Deadline Hollywood.
^ Kroll, Justin (February 21, 2024). “Julia Fox Joins Universal and Monkeypaw’s Psychological Horror Pic Goat“. Deadline Hollywood.
^ ^a ^b D’Alessandro, Anthony (May 9, 2024). “Universal Sets Fall 2025 Release Of Monkeypaw’s Him Starring Marlon Wayans”. Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation.
^ Breznican, Anthony; Canfield, David; Ford, Rebecca (November 21, 2024). “Meet the Movies of 2025: First Looks With Witherspoon, Pattinson, Hathaway, Gladstone, M3GAN, and More”. Vanity Fair.
^ “Him”. Deadline Hollywood. September 19, 2025. Archived from the original on September 18, 2025. Retrieved September 20, 2025. Him was made for a net $27M.
^ Encinias, Joshua (September 19, 2025). “Albuquerque Locations Manager has a Field Day with New Flick “HIM”“. Santa Fe New Mexican.
^ “Bobby Krlic (The Haxan Cloak) Scoring Justin Tipping’s Him“. Film Music Reporter. April 2, 2025.
^ Gomez, Dessi (September 20, 2025). “‘Him’ Soundtrack: All The Songs In The Jordan Peele-Produced Horror Film”. Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 21, 2025.
^ ^a ^b Williams, Aaron (September 4, 2025). “Guapdad 4000 & Tierra Whack Share New Songs from the Him Soundtrack”. Uproxx. Archived from the original on September 4, 2025. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
^ DeVille, Chris (September 11, 2025). “Jean Dawson Shares New Him Soundtrack Single “Blitz”: Listen “Him” was released by denzel curry as the soundtrack’s fourth single on september 18th”. Stereogum. Archived from the original on September 21, 2025. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
^ ^a ^b Jones, Abby (September 18, 2025). “Denzel Curry – “Him”“. Stereogum. Archived from the original on September 21, 2025. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
^ “Him“. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
^ “Him“. Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
^ Debruge, Peter (September 18, 2025). “‘Him’ Review: From Concussions to Contracts, Jordan Peele-Produced Thriller Shows That Football Can Be a Lot Scarier Than Most People Realize”. Variety. Archived from the original on September 18, 2025. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
^ Ehrlich, David (September 18, 2025). “‘Him’ Review: Justin Tipping’s Football Horror Movie Is One Fumble After Another”. IndieWire. Archived from the original on September 19, 2025. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
^ “HIM movie review & film summary (2025) | Roger Ebert”. RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on September 18, 2025. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
^ Oganesyan, Natalie (September 21, 2025). “Marlon Wayans Addresses Negative ‘Him’ Reviews: “Art Is To Be Interpreted And It’s Subjective”“. Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 22, 2025. Retrieved September 22, 2025.

^ While the film contains elements of sports, the film is not a traditional sports story as it contains no actual games.

Must Read

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply