I have been a huge fan of horror movies for as long as I can remember. I vividly recall the very first horror film I ever watched; “The Ring”, and I remember my older sister terrifying me and calling me on the phone, leaving me a very cryptic “seven days” message. Ever since then, I have been completely enraptured by the genre and the adrenaline-pumping rush these movies always give me. A few of my favorites include “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and “The Shining”, constantly keeping me on the edge of my seat, no matter how often I watch them. No matter what the horror movie, there is one emotion I can always expect to feel, which is fear.
However, there is a whole new age of horror films on the horizon that movies such as “The Witch” and “Hereditary” have introduced audiences to. Jordan Peele has followed the footsteps of these movies before him, and has given his newest film “Us” a similar tone and feeling. It’s all about that feeling like you’re watching something that you really shouldn’t be. This new era of horror has made me feel something that I never imagined I would enjoy feeling so much during a movie, something I wouldn’t imagine I’d ever enjoy feeling at all; complete uncomfortableness.
In “The Witch”, it’s the scene at the very end when the goat begins speaking as the devil and the young women float up into the air. In “Hereditary”, it’s when the mom is eerily hovering in the upper corner of her sons bedroom. That uneasiness that physically gives you the chills and makes you feel like you might be literally cursed after watching a scene so bizarre and unnerving. No cheesy jump scares, no loud and eery music, but something so much more chill-inducing. In Jordan Peele’s “Us”, it’s practically every single time the character Red is onscreen.
Red was quite literally created to make us as viewers feel uncomfortable and like we should turn away, but at the same time physically unable to tear our eyes from the screen. In the movie, the Wilson family learns that there is a family of doppelgängers on the hunt and hungry for their blood. Although this family looks identical to them, they do not sound or act much like them in the slightest. In fact, the only twin who is able to talk is that of Red, who speaks in a voice that is horse and painful to hear. This voice, accompanied by the strange, sporadic movements she makes whenever she walks, as well as the uniform giant scissors and red jumpsuits “the tethered” all wear, is a recipe for a strange and uncomfortable, but extremely entertaining and enjoyable experience.
It must be said that “Us” is not a fantastic movie just because it plays into this new era of uncomfortable horror, but because of the amazing acting and scenes that were so brilliantly shot and directed. For example, my favorite scene is towards the end when Adelaide and her tethered Red are fighting below in the tunnels. During this scene, Red is using her dancing skills to move around Adelaide and to swiftly and gracefully avoid her punches and attack her with skill. While showing the fight, flashes of both Adelaide dancing up above and Red dancing down below are mixed in and the parallels between their movements are shown. It is extremely graceful and entrancing to watch, and very much adds to the depth of both of these characters.
Something must be said about the amazing score for this movie as well, written by Michael Abels. The music is both haunting and beautiful, creating the perfect ambiance for the film. It is one of the few film scores that I actually want to download and listen to in my free time.
“Us” is a movie that I want to watch again and again, knowing that I will pick up on some new, little detail each time that I do. Not only does it gives viewers that sense of “modern horror” uncomfortableness, but proves to be an excellent and original movie all around.
My Little Corner 