Jordan Peele on the humour, horror and privilege in 'Us'

18 Mar 2019

4 mins
'Us' writer and director Jordan Peele and reporter Eden
'Us' writer and director Jordan Peele and reporter Eden

Reporter Eden sat down with writer and director Jordan Peele ahead of his highly anticipated new horror film Us. Fresh from his Oscar®-winning debut Get Out, Us is another strikingly fresh horror movie, and in their interview, Peele discusses the influences that shaped the film, how he created a mood board for it, and the relief that humour brings to horror stories.

Accompanied by her husband, son, and daughter, Adelaide Wilson returns to the beachfront home where she grew up as a child. Haunted by a traumatic experience from her past, Adelaide grows increasingly concerned that something bad is going to happen. Her worst fears soon become a reality when four masked strangers descend upon the house, forcing the Wilsons into a fight for survival. When the masks come off, the family is horrified to learn that their attackers are impossibily familiar to them...

Watch our full playlist of Us interviews, featuring actors Lupita Nyong'o and Winston Duke.

Eden reviews Us

Jordan Peele's new horror Us centres around an idyllic family who are stalked by their own eerie doppelgangers. The highlight of this film has to be the mesmerising and fully committed performances from the whole cast, especially Lupita Nyong'o, who is unrecognisable in her doppelgänger role. 

Us is aesthetically pleasing, and extremely cinematic but odd pacing choices mean that it does not flow quite as well as Peele's instant classic Get Out. One thing is for sure, however, and that is that the film will be completely different upon second viewing as every one of Peele's frames seems to have an Easter egg hiding within it. 

Despite its slightly confused narrative this horror film surprisingly delivers on the laughs, which are often a relief from some of the more intense segments. The complicated narrative means that opinions will seriously differ so I would recommend it to all, as long as you are not easily scared by violence, as there is a rather large amount of blood and a mild amount of straight-up horror.

Although Us doesn't quite live up to the brilliance of Get Out, it is still an enjoyable watch for the performances and aesthetics alone, and as with all of Peele's work, is an interesting social commentary.

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