Sightlines · reception
How Us was received
2019 · Jordan Peele · Us on Sightlines
The arc
Landed in 2019 with a record-breaking opening and instant 'is it better than Get Out?' chatter; the hot takes have cooled into a fairly settled view of it as Peele's messier, more ambitious swing — and for a vocal contingent, secretly his best.
What’s debated
The eternal fight: does the twist ending elevate everything or collapse under scrutiny — and is 'ambitious but overstuffed' praise or a diss?
Its footprint
The eerie slowed-down 'I Got 5 on It' remix became instantly iconic, red jumpsuits and golden scissors took over Halloween, and Lupita Nyong'o's rasping 'we're Americans' line is endlessly quoted.
Where it stands
A pillar of the late-2010s horror boom and a Letterboxd staple — with Nyong'o's dual performance routinely cited as one of the decade's great Oscar snubs.
Did you know? Lupita Nyong'o based Red's strangled voice on spasmodic dysphonia, a real neurological condition — a choice that drew both awards buzz and some controversy from advocacy groups.
Named by the director
- The Shining (1980) — Topped the horror 'homework list' Peele assigned his cast before shooting, for its doppelgänger imagery and dread.
- Funny Games (1997) — On Peele's cast watchlist as a model for home-invasion terror inflicted by polite, inexplicable intruders.
- The Birds (1963) — Cited by Peele on his influence list for its inexplicable, escalating attack on the ordinary world.
- It Follows (2014) — Included on Peele's list for its relentless, ever-approaching menace.
- A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) — On the watchlist Peele gave his actors, for its uncanny domestic horror.
- Dead Again (1991) — A Peele-named influence for its scissors imagery and dual-role structure.
- Let the Right One In (2008) — Part of Peele's assigned viewing for the cast, for horror grounded in a child's-eye intimacy.