We examine the influences and inspirations for Jordan Peele’s Us, including those he hides in plain sight.
After all, hesrebootingThe Twilight Zoneand didUsjunket interviewswhile dressed as Jack Nicholsons Jack TorrancefromThe Shining.
Perhaps the best place to start is among the more amusing and on-the-nose.
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In an opaque way, one can also see it inspiring Peele in much subtler ways here.
Eventually they find themselves dragged below into the tunnels (not unlike C.H.U.D.
victims) by pirates.
It is in those tunnels where the adventure really begins.
Instead her double is a misunderstood threat who ruins the original Adelaides life.
BothGooniesalso conclude aroun the beach.
The Lost Boys
Here is one we initially missed, butUproxxdid not!
They even takeover a carousel.
There is a reference toThe Lost Boysshooting by the carousel, Peele said.
Jaws
Another very open influence is Steven SpielbergsJaws.
However, it is more than just a shirt.
He points to her with a sickening roar indicative of the Body Snatchers in this movie.
She further leaps to suppose there is a parallel dimension where we all have doubles.
While discussing the episode withRolling Stone, Peele previously said,Its terrifying, beautiful, really elegant storytelling.
And it opens up a world.
It opens up your imagination.
They realize it works because they clone an animal, albeit a cat here instead of a rabbit.
These are all the same top hat that has been replicated countless times by Teslas machine.
In the very first shot before the story begins, we are told what the movie is about.
The Shining
Finally, one last reach might be the emphasis on twins being creepy fromThe Shining.
This is in direct reference to the Hands Across America campaign of 1986.
Our TV editor Alec Bojalad explores the significance of Hands Across America further right here.
So there you have it: all the influences we caught on first viewing.
Did we miss anything?
Let us know in the comment section below or hit me up on Twitter here.
