Get Out Sunken Place

2017Reaction image / cultural metaphor / catchphraseclassic

Also known as: The Sunken Place · Sunken Place

The Sunken Place is a meme and cultural metaphor drawn from Jordan Peele's 2017 horror film *Get Out*, where it describes a dark void that traps the consciousness of hypnotized Black characters. After the film's release, "the Sunken Place" became widely used online shorthand for Black people perceived as out of touch with or working against their own community's interests, with Peele himself popularizing that interpretation on social media.

horror film metaphor memesjordan peele memesawards show memessocial justice memeshorror memes

Overview

In *Get Out*, the Sunken Place is a hypnotic state where a person's consciousness sinks into a dark, paralyzing void while their body is controlled by someone else1. The scene shows Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) falling through blackness, watching reality shrink to a tiny screen above him as tears stream down his face. That visual, a Black man trapped and silenced while appearing outwardly calm, gave the internet a perfect metaphor.

The meme typically uses stills or GIFs from the hypnosis scene, or simply invokes "the Sunken Place" as a label applied to Black public figures who make statements perceived as dismissive of racism or overly aligned with white conservative politics.

Jordan Peele wrote and directed *Get Out*, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2017 and hit theaters on February 24, 20171. The film was made on a $4.5 million budget and grossed $255 million worldwide1. The Sunken Place scene became the film's most iconic and memed moment almost immediately after release.

Peele conceived the Sunken Place as a metaphor for the silencing of Black voices. Within weeks of the film's release, he began using the phrase on Twitter to comment on real-world situations, applying it to public figures and political moments. This gave the online community a clear template: if a Black person appeared to be siding against Black interests, they were "in the Sunken Place."

Origin & Background

Platform
Jordan Peele's *Get Out* (source material), Twitter (meme spread)
Creator
Jordan Peele
Date
2017

Jordan Peele wrote and directed *Get Out*, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2017 and hit theaters on February 24, 20171. The film was made on a $4.5 million budget and grossed $255 million worldwide1. The Sunken Place scene became the film's most iconic and memed moment almost immediately after release.

Peele conceived the Sunken Place as a metaphor for the silencing of Black voices. Within weeks of the film's release, he began using the phrase on Twitter to comment on real-world situations, applying it to public figures and political moments. This gave the online community a clear template: if a Black person appeared to be siding against Black interests, they were "in the Sunken Place."

How It Spread

The meme took off on Black Twitter in early 2017, right alongside the film's theatrical run. Users began posting the Sunken Place scene with captions directed at celebrities, politicians, and public figures. The format ranged from simple text posts ("\_\_\_ is in the Sunken Place") to edited images placing specific people's faces into the falling-through-darkness visual.

The film's massive commercial success, becoming the tenth-most profitable film of 20171, meant the reference point was nearly universal. *Get Out* received nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor at the 90th Academy Awards, and Peele won Best Original Screenplay1. That awards-season visibility kept the meme in circulation well into 2018.

By mid-2017, "Sunken Place" had moved beyond meme pages into mainstream political commentary. Pundits and journalists used it in opinion pieces. The phrase became a go-to shorthand on platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit whenever discourse about racial politics heated up.

Platforms

RedditTwitterTikTokInstagram

Timeline

2017

Get Out Sunken Place first appears online

2017

Gains traction on social media

2018

Reaches peak popularity

2019-01-01

Get Out Sunken Place reached mainstream popularity and media coverage

2020-01-01

Brands and companies started using Get Out Sunken Place in marketing

2022-01-01

Get Out Sunken Place entered the broader pop culture conversation

View on Google Trends

How to Use This Meme

The Sunken Place meme works in a few common ways:

- Label format: Simply call someone or something "the Sunken Place" or say they're "in the Sunken Place." This is typically applied to Black public figures making statements perceived as disconnected from Black community interests. - Image reaction: Post a still or GIF of Chris falling into the void, often with a caption describing a frustrating situation where you feel trapped, silenced, or powerless. - Broader metaphor: Use it for any situation where someone appears conscious but unable to act, or where surface-level calm hides internal distress. This version extends beyond racial commentary into general relatable humor about feeling stuck.

The tone ranges from pointed political critique to lighthearted self-deprecation ("me in Monday morning meetings" over the sinking GIF).

Create Your Own

Cultural Impact

*Get Out* put Jordan Peele on the map as a filmmaker and injected horror-as-social-commentary into mainstream conversation1. The Sunken Place became one of the most recognized metaphors to come out of a 2010s film, functioning as political vocabulary rather than just a movie reference.

Peele's Oscar win for Best Original Screenplay made him the first Black writer to win in that category1. The cultural weight of the film gave the Sunken Place meme an unusual level of legitimacy. Unlike most memes, it was regularly used in serious editorial contexts, not just shitposts.

The phrase appeared in discussions about Kanye West's political statements in 2018, various celebrity endorsements, and broader debates about racial identity and public performance. The American Film Institute and National Board of Review both named *Get Out* one of the top ten films of 20171.

Fun Facts

The entire film was shot in just 23 days1.

Principal photography took place in Fairhope and Mobile, Alabama1.

The film made $255 million on a $4.5 million budget, a return rate of over 5,500%1.

The teacup-and-spoon hypnotic trigger from the film also became a minor meme, with the clinking sound used in edits1.

Daniel Kaluuya was nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars for the role, and the film also received Best Picture and Best Director nominations1.

Derivatives & Variations

Kanye West edits:

After Kanye's 2018 political comments, Twitter flooded with memes placing him in the Sunken Place scene[1].

Meeting/work edits:

The sinking GIF repurposed for relatable office humor, captioned with workplace frustrations.

Political figure edits:

Various Black politicians and commentators edited into the void during contentious news cycles.

"Get Out" as verb:

"Get Out" itself became shorthand advice in interracial relationship discourse, referencing the film's plot about Chris visiting his white girlfriend's family[1].

Frequently Asked Questions

References (1)

  1. 1
    Get Outencyclopedia

Get Out Sunken Place

2017Reaction image / cultural metaphor / catchphraseclassic

Also known as: The Sunken Place · Sunken Place

The Sunken Place is a meme and cultural metaphor drawn from Jordan Peele's 2017 horror film *Get Out*, where it describes a dark void that traps the consciousness of hypnotized Black characters. After the film's release, "the Sunken Place" became widely used online shorthand for Black people perceived as out of touch with or working against their own community's interests, with Peele himself popularizing that interpretation on social media.

horror film metaphor memes jordan peele memes awards show memes social justice memes horror memes

Overview

In *Get Out*, the Sunken Place is a hypnotic state where a person's consciousness sinks into a dark, paralyzing void while their body is controlled by someone else1. The scene shows Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) falling through blackness, watching reality shrink to a tiny screen above him as tears stream down his face. That visual, a Black man trapped and silenced while appearing outwardly calm, gave the internet a perfect metaphor.

The meme typically uses stills or GIFs from the hypnosis scene, or simply invokes "the Sunken Place" as a label applied to Black public figures who make statements perceived as dismissive of racism or overly aligned with white conservative politics.

Jordan Peele wrote and directed *Get Out*, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2017 and hit theaters on February 24, 20171. The film was made on a $4.5 million budget and grossed $255 million worldwide1. The Sunken Place scene became the film's most iconic and memed moment almost immediately after release.

Peele conceived the Sunken Place as a metaphor for the silencing of Black voices. Within weeks of the film's release, he began using the phrase on Twitter to comment on real-world situations, applying it to public figures and political moments. This gave the online community a clear template: if a Black person appeared to be siding against Black interests, they were "in the Sunken Place."

Origin & Background

Platform
Jordan Peele's *Get Out* (source material), Twitter (meme spread)
Creator
Jordan Peele
Date
2017

Jordan Peele wrote and directed *Get Out*, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2017 and hit theaters on February 24, 20171. The film was made on a $4.5 million budget and grossed $255 million worldwide1. The Sunken Place scene became the film's most iconic and memed moment almost immediately after release.

Peele conceived the Sunken Place as a metaphor for the silencing of Black voices. Within weeks of the film's release, he began using the phrase on Twitter to comment on real-world situations, applying it to public figures and political moments. This gave the online community a clear template: if a Black person appeared to be siding against Black interests, they were "in the Sunken Place."

How It Spread

The meme took off on Black Twitter in early 2017, right alongside the film's theatrical run. Users began posting the Sunken Place scene with captions directed at celebrities, politicians, and public figures. The format ranged from simple text posts ("\_\_\_ is in the Sunken Place") to edited images placing specific people's faces into the falling-through-darkness visual.

The film's massive commercial success, becoming the tenth-most profitable film of 20171, meant the reference point was nearly universal. *Get Out* received nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor at the 90th Academy Awards, and Peele won Best Original Screenplay1. That awards-season visibility kept the meme in circulation well into 2018.

By mid-2017, "Sunken Place" had moved beyond meme pages into mainstream political commentary. Pundits and journalists used it in opinion pieces. The phrase became a go-to shorthand on platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit whenever discourse about racial politics heated up.

Platforms

RedditTwitterTikTokInstagram

Timeline

2017

Get Out Sunken Place first appears online

2017

Gains traction on social media

2018

Reaches peak popularity

2019-01-01

Get Out Sunken Place reached mainstream popularity and media coverage

2020-01-01

Brands and companies started using Get Out Sunken Place in marketing

2022-01-01

Get Out Sunken Place entered the broader pop culture conversation

View on Google Trends

How to Use This Meme

The Sunken Place meme works in a few common ways:

- Label format: Simply call someone or something "the Sunken Place" or say they're "in the Sunken Place." This is typically applied to Black public figures making statements perceived as disconnected from Black community interests. - Image reaction: Post a still or GIF of Chris falling into the void, often with a caption describing a frustrating situation where you feel trapped, silenced, or powerless. - Broader metaphor: Use it for any situation where someone appears conscious but unable to act, or where surface-level calm hides internal distress. This version extends beyond racial commentary into general relatable humor about feeling stuck.

The tone ranges from pointed political critique to lighthearted self-deprecation ("me in Monday morning meetings" over the sinking GIF).

Create Your Own

Cultural Impact

*Get Out* put Jordan Peele on the map as a filmmaker and injected horror-as-social-commentary into mainstream conversation1. The Sunken Place became one of the most recognized metaphors to come out of a 2010s film, functioning as political vocabulary rather than just a movie reference.

Peele's Oscar win for Best Original Screenplay made him the first Black writer to win in that category1. The cultural weight of the film gave the Sunken Place meme an unusual level of legitimacy. Unlike most memes, it was regularly used in serious editorial contexts, not just shitposts.

The phrase appeared in discussions about Kanye West's political statements in 2018, various celebrity endorsements, and broader debates about racial identity and public performance. The American Film Institute and National Board of Review both named *Get Out* one of the top ten films of 20171.

Fun Facts

The entire film was shot in just 23 days1.

Principal photography took place in Fairhope and Mobile, Alabama1.

The film made $255 million on a $4.5 million budget, a return rate of over 5,500%1.

The teacup-and-spoon hypnotic trigger from the film also became a minor meme, with the clinking sound used in edits1.

Daniel Kaluuya was nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars for the role, and the film also received Best Picture and Best Director nominations1.

Derivatives & Variations

Kanye West edits:

After Kanye's 2018 political comments, Twitter flooded with memes placing him in the Sunken Place scene[1].

Meeting/work edits:

The sinking GIF repurposed for relatable office humor, captioned with workplace frustrations.

Political figure edits:

Various Black politicians and commentators edited into the void during contentious news cycles.

"Get Out" as verb:

"Get Out" itself became shorthand advice in interracial relationship discourse, referencing the film's plot about Chris visiting his white girlfriend's family[1].

Frequently Asked Questions

References (1)

  1. 1
    Get Outencyclopedia