Whether you love him or hate him, there is no denying the importance of someone like Jordan Peele to the horror genre and genre film in general. While he is still fairly new to the scene as a whole, he has made a huge impact very quickly. His first film made a lot of noise, but he really solidified his place in horror with his latest film, Us.
Us – The Movie
I generally use this platform to speak on the films, themselves. I don’t claim to be a professional of any sort and I really don’t even think I use the proper lingo a lot of the time. I do, however, put a lot of energy into trying to express how I feel about things like acting performances, special effects, cinematography, sound design, and more.
With that being said, you can read all of my thoughts on Us by clicking this link. There, you will be able to read exactly how I feel about the film in general. I wanted to take this moment today, though, to speak a bit about the home release of the film, which features a bunch of supplemental material, obviously not available in the movie theaters.
Us – Bonus Material
Us is available now on DVD, Blu-ray, 4K UHD, and Digital HD from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Along with, of course, the film itself, there are a number of behind-the-scenes featurettes.
When the movie first came out, it seemed to create an interestingly polarizing response amongst horror audiences; People either loved it or hated it. I tend to think that one major reason that some people didn’t quite enjoy it is because they were a little bit confused as to what was unfolding before them.
This is where these home release featurettes really come in handy; They allow viewers to get an inside peek as to what writer/director Jordan Peele was trying to achieve, while also giving a glimpse into what it was like for the actors to play multiple characters, the atmosphere on set, etc.
“The Monsters Within Us” takes a look at the broad ideas behind the story of Us. More interesting to me, however, is the featurette entitled “Tethered Together: Making Us Twice.”
“Making Us Twice” takes a deeper look at how exactly certain things were accomplished during the filming of this 2019 horror film. Us features a cast of main characters, a family of four, played by Winston Duke, Lupita Nyong’o, Evan Alex, and Shahadi Wright Joseph. These four phenomenal actors have to not only portray this loving family, but also the “bad guys.” They need to portray the flip side of themselves, the tethered.
This is no easy feat, but they are not the only ones involved in making these evil, underground-dwelling doppelgangers come to life. So many incredibly talented make-up and wardrobe artists were also largely responsible for making this all possible.
In addition to these already mentioned featurettes, the Us home release also features deleted scenes and a whole slew of other material, including interviews and more.
The Verdict
Jordan Peele may be new to the horror genre, but he says he is here to stay. I surely hope this is the case because, to me, he is breathing new life into a genre that really only seems to exist on an underground level, among only the truest of loyal fans.
Peele is not some “poser” trying to cash in on something. He is truly a fan of horror and is doing a great job at making his own place in the genre’s history.
At the end of my full Us film review, I urged everyone to go out and see the film while it was in theaters. Likewise, I am urging you all to purchase a copy of the movie on home release. These are the types of films that need the community’s support, so we can continue to receive such great contributions to the genre we all love so much.
Please, go buy yourself a copy of Us today.
