Does Jordan Peele Know What a Horror Movie Is?

In a piece I posted about Glass (2019, M. Night Shyamalan) this January I mention how Shyamalan often makes movies that feel drawn out and would have been better suited to fill 20 minutes as episodes of The Twilight Zone.  The same holds true with Jordan Peele. And fittingly Jordan Peele is executive producer and host of a new season of The Twilight Zone this year.

I didn’t like Get Out (2017, Jordan Peele). I love Daniel Kaluuya and the trailer was promising: “When there’s too many white people around I get nervous.” What I went in expecting to be a terrifying horror movie where white people are the monster turned out to be a plot that loses all its potential after it’s explained, with a goofy slapstick TSA agent saving the day. Maybe I missed something but the reveal where the Allison Williams character has lured the dozens of black men into the commune made me question its plausibility; also, what about the women? And it felt like a clever idea trying too hard to propel a social message which wasn’t that compelling. A bunch of racist white people want to enslave some black people while simultaneously poaching their most desirable genetic attributes? So a horror that turns out to really be a sci-fi, with misplaced lowbrow comedy, and a clichéd atmosphere of a really bizarre cult up to no good with an unsettling hypnotism motif.

Us (2019, Peele) is a horror movie that’s not scary. It’s also contrived—the doppelganger fam turns out to be symbolism for the symbiotic underclass of US citizens. Also turns out the government’s to blame (or is it, according to an Old Testament easter egg, God?). Add to all of this the use of upbeat pop hits contrasted against scenes of visceral terror with some moments of broad comedy and it’s back to again losing faith in Peele’s sensibilities.

The first act is great—I love these characters, and cast, especially Lupita Nyong’o. The premise is fun and feels like a horror movie. The second act is bloated with survival thrills from the use of violence as defense against psychopath assailants. But that gets old quick. The third act is a ton of exposition to reveal how these beings came from out of the shadows… yawwwwwwwn. Also, seriously isn’t the first rule of horror still don’t reveal the monster?

Although having watched it opening weekend in a packed theater at night I did enjoy Us as a crowd-pleasing popcorn flick. The audience loved it. But this also made me realize that I don’t care how many “oh hellllll nahs,” “no’s,” “uh uhs,” or other interactions viewers vocalize, unsettling is not the same as scary, nor is bloodlust fueled revenge cheering.

Peele is grating on me. I’m not looking forward to another disappointing big social message comedy sci-fi with unsettling conspirators preying on average good ol’ Americans sold as a horror movie. Sigh.