HIM tells the story of Cam, a young quarterback on the edge of stardom, who spends time training with his childhood idol, Isaiah White. What starts as mentorship quickly turns into something darker, with rituals, rules, and demands that go far beyond football. Director Justin Tipping keeps the movie sharp and stylish, with bold visuals and a pulsing score by Bobby Krlic. While the story sometimes runs ahead of itself, the film’s mix of sports and horror makes it unique, unsettling, and tough to forget.
Cast: Key Performances & Character Chemistry
Marlon Wayans as Isaiah White
Marlon Wayans surprises here. Best known for comedy, he leans fully into menace as Isaiah, a retired football hero who treats his home like a temple. Wayans brings weight and intensity, selling Isaiah’s speeches about sacrifice and glory with a preacher’s rhythm. At times, the script stretches believability—he’s more cult leader than coach—but Wayans keeps it grounded with sheer commitment.
Tyriq Withers as Cam Cade
Tyriq Withers feels authentic as Cam, mostly because he moves like a real athlete. You believe in him in every sprint, drill, and wobbling moment of recovery. He plays Cam as a young man torn between fear of failure and the temptation of shortcuts. Opposite Wayans, he gives the movie its heart. You keep rooting for him.
Julia Fox as Elsie
Julia Fox doesn’t get much screen time, but she makes her mark as Elsie, Isaiah’s partner. She plays her as a part influencer, part prophet, and always in control of her own image. Fox has a dry, biting delivery that works perfectly here, giving the role a sense of someone who knows the power of appearances.
Tim Heidecker as Tom
Tim Heidecker plays Tom, Cam’s agent, with an everyday sleaziness that feels all too real. Unlike the dramatic rituals happening in the desert, Tom is the kind of villain you actually meet: smooth-talking, smiling, and always framing bad news as an opportunity. Heidecker doesn’t go big; he keeps it quiet and matter-of-fact, which makes him even more believable.
Jim Jefferies as Marco
Jim Jefferies brings a dark comic edge as Marco, Isaiah’s personal doctor. He’s the guy with the syringes, patches, and pills, always insisting it’s “just to help” while looking the other way. Jefferies plays him with a shrugging, sarcastic tone that underlines the film’s bigger point: the system doesn’t care what’s ethical, it just cares what keeps the player on the field. He manages to add humor without deflating the tension, which is no easy trick.
Plot & Story: What Worked and What Fell Flat
At its core, HIM is a sports horror story. The plot starts out simple: Cam, a rising young quarterback, goes to train with his childhood idol, Isaiah White. What should feel like mentorship quickly mutates into something darker. Justin Tipping turns routine training into ritual—each drill staged like a test of faith, each bruise like an offering. The atmosphere builds dread slowly, blurring the line between discipline and cult initiation, and keeping you hooked on just how far Cam is willing to go.
Where it falters is in the final act. The film sprints through key twists that deserved more space, and some of the cult horror imagery tips into shock value rather than narrative payoff. Still, the central arc—ambition curdling into obsession, fame becoming a trap, and the body treated as both weapon and sacrifice—lands hard. The horror doesn’t just come from the rituals; it comes from watching how easily pressure and blind devotion can consume someone whole.
What Worked
- The mix of sports training with horror-style ritual is fresh and inventive.
- Wayans and Withers create a tense, believable push-pull dynamic.
- The film looks and sounds incredible, with strong visuals and a pounding score.
- It says something real about the cost of chasing glory in American sports.
What Fell Flat
- The ending feels rushed and underdeveloped.
- The cult angle sometimes stretches believability.
- Supporting characters could’ve been given more depth, especially the women in Cam’s world.
Visuals, Sound & Direction
The film looks slick and dangerous. Cinematographer Kira Kelly shoots the desert like it’s both an arena and a battlefield, with bright lights turning drills into something almost ceremonial. Justin Tipping leans on slow motion, drone shots, and bold color contrasts to make training sequences feel larger than life. It’s stylish —every choice adds to the mood.
The sound is equally important. Bobby Krlic’s score rattles your chest with low synths and unsettling tones, and the sound design emphasizes every breath, crunch, and hit. When the rituals kick in, the mix swells into a full-on nightmare. Even when the script gets messy, the film always looks and sounds like a big swing, and that keeps it watchable.
Core Themes
Cam, a young quarterback on the edge of stardom, goes to train with his childhood idol, Isaiah White. At first, it looks like classic mentorship—hard drills, motivational speeches, a chance to level up. But things quickly twist: Isaiah runs his compound like a cult, with strict rules, eerie rituals, and promises of passing down his “GOAT bloodline.” Cam gets pulled deeper, torn between wanting success and realizing he’s losing control of his own body and choices. His agent pushes contracts, Isaiah demands loyalty, and even the doctor keeps him running on patches and injections. The further Cam goes, the more he has to ask: is he chasing his dream, or sacrificing himself for someone else’s power?
That’s where the core theme lands. HIM shows football as more than a sport—it’s treated like religion, complete with sermons, sacrifices, and blind devotion. The plot uses Isaiah’s cult-like training to underline how athletes are often treated as products: their bodies enhanced, used, and discarded. Isaiah’s blood is literally transfused into Cam, and the cult by the Saviors’ owners ties directly to a magical/satanic line of “GOAT” quarterbacks. The finale involves a gory massacre with strong occult imagery. Cam’s journey isn’t just about winning games; it’s about whether ambition is worth losing your identity for. The film argues that chasing glory always comes with a price—and in HIM, that price is blood, loyalty, and maybe even your soul.
There’s also a theme of exploitation: whether by Isaiah, who demands loyalty under the guise of mentorship, or by Tom, who sells Cam’s future to the highest bidder. Even Marco and Elsie show how easily influenced and how image feeds the cycle.
The movie insists that ambition, when left unchecked, isn’t just dangerous—it’s dehumanizing.
Quick Facts
- Director: Justin Tipping (Kicks, Flatbush Misdemeanors)
- Cast Highlights: Marlon Wayans, Tyriq Withers, Julia Fox, Tim Heidecker, Jim Jefferies
- Runtime: 114 minutes
- Genre: Sports Horror / Psychological Thriller
- Score: Bobby Krlic (a.k.a. The Haxan Cloak)
- Cinematography: Kira Kelly (Queen & Slim, Self Made)
- Premiere: 2025 Tribeca Film Festival
- Studio: Monkeypaw Productions
- Tagline: “Glory demands sacrifice.”
Why You Should Watch
- A fresh twist on sports dramas – Instead of the usual underdog triumph, this one turns training into ritual and mentorship into obsession.
- Strong performances – Marlon Wayans surprises with real menace, while Tyriq Withers grounds the film with raw authenticity.
- Stylish direction & sound – Justin Tipping’s visuals and Bobby Krlic’s score make drills feel like ceremonies and rituals like nightmares.
- Sports meets horror – Think Friday Night Lights colliding with Hereditary: familiar sweat and grit pushed into unsettling territory.
- Sharp commentary – Beyond scares, the film digs into how ambition, fame, and exploitation eat athletes alive.
- Unpredictable vibe – It’s bold, weird, and not afraid to alienate you—a movie that lingers long after the credits.
Potential Cons
- The ending undercuts the buildup with rushed reveals.
- The cult symbolism sometimes leans more toward style over substance.
- Supporting characters outside Isaiah and Cam feel thin.
- The blend of sports and horror won’t land for everyone—it’s too odd for purists of either genre.
- Some viewers may find it more experimental than entertaining.
FAQ
Is HIM actually scary?
More unsettling than jump-scare scary. It’s eerie, not gory.
Do I need to like football to enjoy it?
Not at all—the movie uses football as a metaphor, but it’s about obsession and control.
How does Marlon Wayans do in a serious role?
Surprisingly great. It’s one of his strongest performances in years.
Is it based on a true story?
No, but it riffs on real issues in American sports—pressure, exploitation, and sacrifice.
Who should skip it?
If you want a straightforward sports movie or a conventional horror flick, this probably isn’t for you.
