Unlocking the Enigma: The Astonishing Secrets of the Sunken Place

Highlights

The Sunken Place, introduced by Jordan Peele in "Get Out," is a profound and frightening representation of individuals experiencing a profound sense of disconnection and fear, evoking relatable anxieties associated with emptiness and darkness.

The Sunken Place does not rely on jump scares or eerie characters, but rather ensnares its audience in the realm of uncertainty, enabling them to encounter fear as an emotion rather than a mere response.

Within the movie, the Sunken Place serves as a sinister hypnotic deception employed by the Armitage family to shift a person's consciousness into the physique of a Black individual, reinforcing the notion that White individuals must dominate and manipulate Black people for the sake of societal "safety" and their own selfish advantage.

Jordan Peele has established himself as an exceptional and groundbreaking director in the horror genre since his inaugural film, Get Out, in 2016. With each subsequent movie, he has presented audiences with profoundly terrifying concepts and locations, like the subterranean society in Us and the monstrous extraterrestrial in Nope.

Yet, surpassing the chilling nature of any of these works has proven challenging, especially when compared to his most alarming creation, the Sunken Place, which originated in his debut film. The Sunken Place, with its emptiness and void-like quality, not only captivates viewers visually but also instills an overwhelming sense of fear and isolation comparable to helplessly drifting through the vastness of space.

The Sunken Place, compared to other horror tactics used by Peele, does not rely on jump scares or eerie-looking characters. Instead, it ensnares the viewer in the unfamiliar, causing them to encounter fear in its pure form as an emotion rather than a response. This fear is much more relatable because not everyone has witnessed a ghost or been pursued by a person brandishing a machete, but everyone has experienced extreme isolation and found themselves in a place of utter darkness.

What is the Sunken Place?

Daniel Kaluuya plays Chris, the main character in the film, who goes with his girlfriend Rose Armitage to her parents' secluded home for the first time. As he gets to know her parents, he discovers that her mother, Missy, is a hypnosis therapist. Missy realizes that Chris is a smoker and offers to use her skills to help him quit.

One night, Chris sneaks a cigarette outside, only to be confronted by Missy upon his return indoors. Intrigued by her offer of hypnotic treatment, Chris reluctantly agrees. Seated before Missy, he watches as she stirs her tea, the spoon repeating a hypnotic, oscillating sound as it grazes the rim of the cup. In this moment, Missy delves deep into Chris' past, specifically focusing on his darkest memory: the death of his mother.

As the stirring continues, a gradual paralysis overtakes Chris, locking him in his seat and causing uncontrollable tears as he relives the heart-wrenching moments of his childhood. Just as he realizes his inability to move, Missy taps the spoon against the cup, plunging Chris into the dark and desolate realm known as the Sunken Place. It's as if he is sinking into the depths of his own mind, his body perpetually plummeting, never reaching solid ground. Despite this, Chris can still see glimpses of the outside world through his eyes, although the images shrink smaller and smaller. He is completely stripped of control over his physical form, reduced to a mere observer through his own eyes. This changes, however, when Missy closes his eyelids, plunging him into a void of utter darkness with no knowledge of how to escape.

What is the Sunken Place Used For?

Initially, the Sunken Place appears to be a therapeutic technique that allows the unconscious mind to change certain habits or mental illnesses. Chris realizes this when he no longer feels the urge to smoke after waking up from it.

However, it is soon revealed that the Sunken Place is actually an evil hypnotic deception used by the Armitage family to transfer someone's consciousness into another person's body, specifically a Black individual. This aspect showcases Jordan Peele's ingenuity and cultural commentary. The Armitages and their affluent White acquaintances believe that Black bodies are superior to White ones and view Black individuals as a threat to society. Their solution is to control Black people by literally manipulating their bodies, all under the guise of "protecting" the world.

Not only is it perceived as essential for the advancement of White culture by the Armitages, but it also serves as a means for them to address various physical disabilities afflicting their own bodies, be it an impairment or their impending demise. For example, Chris is auctioned off to the renowned White photographer, Jim Hudson, who had to retire due to blindness. Hence, their scheme entails transferring Jim's consciousness into Chris' body, enabling him to resume his career as a photographer. While Jim would assume complete motor control over Chris' physical form, Chris would remain trapped in the Sunken Place, merely spectating the remaining chapters of Jim's life through his own eyes.

Which Characters Are Stuck in the Sunken Place?

Chris experiences a series of time loops, being trapped in the Sunken Place intermittently. Eventually, he manages to escape this unsettling state. However, even before Chris enters the scene, there are other characters who find themselves ensnared in the Sunken Place. One such individual is Andre King, who becomes a victim right at the beginning of the film. Abducted by Missy, he is confined to the Sunken Place while she transfers her ailing companion into his body.

The Sunken Place also imprisoned Georgina and Walter, inhabitants of Rose's grandparents' bodies. As they reached old age and neared death, they were transferred into the bodies of two individuals whom Rose had previously dated and brought to the house, similar to Chris. Georgina served as the maid while Walter took care of the grounds. During a confrontation, Chris successfully defended himself against Georgina and brought Walter back to his senses using his camera flash. However, once Walter regained his awareness, he made the decision to end his own life.

While Chris managed to escape and restore Georgina and Walter to their original consciousness, Andre remained trapped in the house and did not reappear in the film. It can be assumed that he remained imprisoned for the remainder of his life.