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Why this new horror movie has a rare perfect score from critics — and you need to see it

Before its opening weekend, Jordan Peele's comedy-horror film "Get Out" has managed to get the high honor of being 100% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

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It’s very rare, even close to unseen, for a wide-release movie to get a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes just a day before its release. A score of 100% means that every critic who has seen the movie so far gave it a positive review.

Even some of the movies you’d expect to have a perfect score don’t have one. This honour is primarily reserved for classic films including “Citizen Kane,” “All About Eve," “Singing “in the Rain,” and “North by Northwest.”

But before its opening weekend, Jordan Peele’s comedy-horror mashup film “Get Out” has managed to move up the ranks and earn this high honor, with 78 100% positive reviews counting as of this writing.

"Get Out" addresses issues of race in the United States in ways that are uncomfortable, gruesome, and at times also uncomfortably funny. It's especially timely given the current political climate. The sketches on Peele's Comedy Central sketch show "Key & Peele," which ended in 2015, often addressed racial issues and blended comedy with the horror genre but never to an extent as serious as his directorial debut, which according to what critics are saying so far, is working out beautifully.

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(Warning: Mild spoilers for "Get Out" below.)

See what the critics say about the 100% fresh "Get Out":

It proves a point about race. Powerfully.

As a black man, the protagonist of "Get Out" is nervous about meeting his white girlfriend's family. His anxiety turns into straight-up terror as he discovers a conspiracy that has to do with black people disappearing.

“[Peele] has created a work that addresses the myriad levels of racism, pays homage to some great horror films, carves out its own creative path, has a distinctive visual style — and is flat-out funny as well,” Richard Roeper wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times.

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But it’s still it’s a crowd-pleaser.

Despite its social commentary, "Get Out" still provokes what movie audiences crave, including jump scares and nervous laughter. This isn’t one of those movies you want to see in an empty theater once it's been out for a couple of weeks. With an empty theater, it just won’t be as fun and exciting. The movie incites audience reaction that adds to the whole experience.

“This one really should be seen with a crowd,” Michael Phillips wrote in the Chicago Tribune.

It’s hilarious. (Really.)

It's actually scary.

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The comedy is just a breath of fresh air from the terror and the intensity of the movie. Many critics agree that it's a genuinely scary horror movie, combining a lot of elements that work really well together.

"All told, this is a sharp, funny, brave movie that strikes the perfect balance between humor and horror. It's the year's first must-see," Newsday said.

"It is not only the best horror film since 'Under the Skin,' but a subversive and often hilarious commentary on race as well," the Boston Globe said.

It's not what you think.

"Get Out" isn't critiquing what or who you think it's critiquing.

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It has great performances.

With a cast including Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford, and Allison Williams of "Girls," we'd expect nothing less. But the film's breakout performance is from its star, Daniel Kaluuya.

“Whitford and Keener in particular are having a ball, letting something a little sinister bubble up in their outwardly friendly behavior. But it's Kaluuya who stands out most,” the Arizona Republic wrote.

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