Us: Horror Genius From Jordan Peele
Jordan Peele’s Us is a slice of cinematic genius, bringing to life the idea of a home invasion movie where you can’t distinguish between friend or foe.
Pic: YouTube / I Got 5 On It (feat. Michael Marshall) [Tethered Mix from US]” by Luniz / Back Lot Music
In many ways, Peele’s ideas revolutionise the horror genre from movies like Saw (2004) where the horror was dependent on the amount of gore, to movies such as Get Out (2017) where the horror comes from what might happen in the future.
What is Us about?
Us is an intelligent horror movie that branches off from the typical ideas of horror. In some ways it can be interpreted as a social commentary of the more well-off America that often forget and neglect their less privileged neighbour.
The movie is an exploration of what happens when you neglect your true self and incite the dangerous and violent parts of your being. It sends a message of the social injustices between the lower, less fortunate class and the middle, better off society.
What is the plot?
Us follows Adelaide Wilson, her husband Gabe and her two children Zora and Jason as they go to live in a beachfront home near where Adelaide faced a traumatic experience in the shape of a hall of mirrors. Haunted by her traumatic past, Adelaide suspects that something is not right and that bad things are coming. Her fears come true as a group of strangers in masks descend on the family, forcing them into a game of survival. When the masks come off and the strangers are revealed to be… doppelgangers of the Wilsons.
Who stars in Us?
Jordan Peele introduces the Wilson family of California. The dad Gabe is played by Winston Duke, a Tobagonian-American actor known for his role in Black Panther (2018) and The Messengers (2015) and the mum Adelaide played by Lupita Nyong’o who acted in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017). The children are played by Shahadi Wright Joseph who plays Zora, and Evan Alex who plays Jason.
What was Peele inspired by?
In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine about his new movie Us, director Jordan Peele mentioned that his main inspiration for Us was the series The Twilight Zone. He said that as a young child he watched an episode in which a woman (played by Vera Miles) thinks she has found her nefarious doppelganger from a parallel universe bent on killing her and taking her place. From that idea, he built around it to create the masterpiece that is Us. Thanks, Jordan!
Please remember, this movie has been rated suitable for audience members aged 15 and over.