Director, writer, and producer, Jordan Peele can only be described as a multi-talented mastermind. Once a co-host of his own hilarious skit-show Key & Peele on Comedy Central, he has now become one of the most profound and groundbreaking horror film directors of our generation. Many found this shift to be shocking; how does one go from making people cry tears of laughter to tears of terror? But, for Peele this was not much a shift at all, he is a major horror film fanatic and even debates that the only difference between horror and comedy is the music.

Peele is biracial, and portrays the turmoils of being black in America through his works in both horror and humor, as he did in his infamously chilling movie Get Out and many of his skits in Key & Peele. After Get Out Peele expressed that because there is a lack of black representation in both horror films and films in general, he wanted to make his films surrounded by black main characters. Many were excited about this push for black representation in films, and started anticipating the next work from Peele.

Most could not fathom Peele making another successful film that would break cinematic barriers as Get Out did last year. Yet, many knew Us would be the thriller of the year when the trailer debuted last year on Christmas day. With headlining actors Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave) and Winston Duke (Black Panther) as parents of their family of four being terrorized by their red-suited, scissor-wielding doppelgangers with a slowed down and haunting version of the classic song “I Got 5 On It” by Luniz. The trailer had many hidden symbols in it, and everyone rewatched it continuously to find out what the movie could be about; many even formed their own weird conspiracies. Among the hidden symbols that were spotted in the trailer, were the abundance of shadows, inkblot tests, horror references, rabbit imagery, and double imagery.  

Because of how racially charged Get Out was, fans wondered if Peele would follow the same theme in Us.

“[It’s] very important for me was to have a black family at the center of a horror film,” Peel said. “ It’s also important to note that this movie, unlike Get Out, is not about race. It is instead about something I feel has become an undeniable truth. That is the simple fact that we are our own worst enemies.” With these words, fans were fully warped in.

Us has been out for a few weeks now, and people are still raving about it; many have gone to see it more than once. The acting is exquisite, and when realizing that the family of four had to also play their doubles, it makes one have a lot more respect for the actors.  Adelaide (Nyong’o) is the main focus throughout the film as she battles her double and protects her family from danger. Her performance as her double, Red, is also gut-wrenching to watch as she moves around in a spiractic ballet-like style and speaks with a croaky voice.

The shots are also gorgeous, if you were to pause the movie at any time, you would see a piece of art. It seems that Peele made sure to pay deep attention to the details and scenery of the film, that way viewers could literally not take their eyes off the screen. Together, acting, imagery, and allusions alike, this film will go down in horror history.