Jordan Peele’s horror movies, much like A24’s, are very quickly beginning to feel like their own sub section of the genre.
After the truly extravagant and harrowing first entry into the peeleverse Get Out we were met with Us. An instalment that although in its own way was still a true masterpiece and one of the best Easter Egg hunts the film world has to offer, felt like a somewhat downgrade.
Leaving us with Nope, the 3rd entry into Jordan Peele’s collection, which very much felt the decider of Peele’s fate amongst the cinema of horror. Ensuring the creative director will either be a horrifically beautiful footnote with one true classic to his name or a true legend in the genre in the same vein as John Carpenter, Wes Craven and James Wan.
Nope had more than a lot to prove and given the lack of information and the premise of UFO, which truly felt like a played out trope with not much blood left in that stone to drain, it was safe to say we entered this screening sceptical. Those scepticisms vanished within minutes of the first scene as it became obvious Peele more than brought his A-game to this horrific sci-fi horror.
As a fan of horror, it was truly humbling to see the beginnings of this generation’s Hitchcock at work. Jordan Peele commands nothing but respect for flipping an old, played out trope into something that’s filled with life and became so hauntingly spine chilling, edge of your seat horror doesn’t even scratch the surface.
Peele-ing Back The Layers
Nope is one of those rare films that genuinely demands to be watched over and over again to truly appreciate all it has to offer, you’ll not only spot something new every time but you’ll come out with a new perspective after each viewing which is nothing short of a mesmerising achievement.
Jordan Peele’s own love for cinema, its origin and evolution, is so clear through all his projects and Nope was no exception, even introducing easter eggs way before you even sit down to watch the film in its title Nope (Let us know once you’ve got it). This love oozes through each scene and plays homage to countless classics but furthers them and reintroduces the horror he grew up with and loved to a whole new audience.
No one in modern day cinema can quite portray suspense the way he does, eliciting a sense of real fear is no small feat. Not through cheap jump scares or over the top gore does he achieve this, but by actually making the tension so unbearable your heart beats faster, the hairs on your arms stand up, and you stay so silent for fear of being heard by the on screen antagonist might hear you. This is what Nope offers.
Head Among The Clouds
Jordan Peele creates a truly terrifying and haunting other worldly being in its antagonist. Much like any wild animal it becomes apparent very quickly, despite humanity’s worst trait to control and conquer, that this is something that cannot be tamed and is not a spectacle in which to behold but one that should be feared.
This is a film that utilises one of the strongest traits any filmmaker can throughout their career, the audience’s imagination. Peele utilises this to its fullest as he exercises great restraint in giving us any clear indication or sight of this patient and precise predator, other than the blink and you’ll miss it flashes across the sky. This of course only enhances the tension as it adheres to that age-old knowledge that fear of the unknown is much more terrifying than anything else.
This restraint more than pays off in the third act as we come face to face with it – whatever it is – and so much like with any Peele movie we are left with more questions than answers, creating an unease when we reach the climatic end that stays with you long after the last credits roll.
Verdict
Peele’s third entry into the horror franchise is arguably not only one of his strongest but one of the most innovative horror entries in recent time. A true masterful blend of suspense and unnerving horror, offering up some of the grotesque and beautiful scenes that make you want to not look and never turn away from the screen all at once. It is rare to find someone who can capture horror in such a fantastical way and Peele has more than proven himself with Nope that he is no one trick pony and is more than earned his spot amongst the legends.
