An innovative subversion of the horror genre, Us is another inventive and unnerving Jordan Peele masterpiece.
Lulling the audience into a false sense of security - thanks to a soundtrack that begins with classic 90s hip-hop anthems like Luniz ‘5 on It’ - everything is laid out to give the appearance of a normal bickering family trying to block out real life; and the first 30 minutes is more comedic than scary.
As they arrive at their beach house expecting to unplug and unwind with friends, it doesn’t take long before things start to take an unusual turn...
The atmosphere is gradually transformed by the jarringly eerie orchestral score, unnerving camera angles and a force-to-be-reckoned-with performance from Lupita Nyong’o (the breakout star of 12 Years A Slave), who carries the entire movie and will do anything to protect her children.
Meanwhile dad Gabe (played brilliantly by Black Panther’s Winston Duke) is oblivious to all the strange occurrences and skeptical about what it could mean.
What starts like a The Strangers style home invasion quickly turns into something far more sinister as a blood-thirsty doppelgänger family - each carrying a pair of scissors, creepy smiles on their faces and blank stares - arrive enraged out of jealousy.
While there’s plenty of chaotic bloodshed and nasty deaths to satisfy horror fans, Us doesn’t play out like your typical genre movie. Instead, the labyrinth of twists and turns are genuinely unexpected, leaving the audience with plenty to think about after the credits roll.
Us is now showing at The Light Cinema in Wisbech. For screening dates, times and tickets visit www.wisbech.lightcinemas.co.uk/us
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