Anmol Ahuja
Jordan Peele seems to be a directorial force like no other as his second film as director, ‘Us’ (starring Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke) intrigued me as much as, if not more than, his previous outing ‘Get Out’. ‘Us’ delivers the unexpected, intelligibly mixing genres, transcending conventional storytelling boundaries and yet delivering a strong message about race and identity. Soon after its release, ‘Us’ had both the audience and the critics raving about it, with many calling it a masterpiece.
In case you loved Us, just like I did, I would like to present to you a list of films similar to ‘Us’ that you can watch as my recommendations. The below listed psychological horror and home invasion thriller films are similar to ‘Us’ in a lot of aspects. With that said, here’s the list of best movies similar to ‘Us’ that are our recommendations. You can watch several of these movies like ‘Us’ on Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime.
10. Mother! (2017)
Among Aronofsky’s most divisive works perhaps, but nowhere deserving of all the hate that it got, simply on account of how acutely and deftly it’s made. Even its naysayers would agree with me when I say that ‘Mother!’ is a finely ‘made’ film, one that may not fully deliver on its engaging premise. The plot follows a young woman played by Jennifer Lawrence (named mother) whose life undergoes an upheaval when a man and woman, named as such, come to stay at her place, one that is transformed into an Edenic haven by her husband from a burnt down ruin. If that sounds strange to you, you have no idea what the rest of the film holds for you. From a giant beating heart inside the house to a powerful crystal at the centre of the plot, Aronofsky’s imagery and allegories are endless as with his other films, even if sometimes you are left wondering as to the point of them in ‘Mother!’.
9. 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)
It is perfectly okay if your feelings about the film mirror Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s state of utter confusion and disbelief in the first half of the film at least. A woman who awakens in a bunker following a freak accident and is told that a chemical apocalypse has taken over the world outside is faced with the quintessential question: in here or out there? Close to 80% of the film is shot inside Howard’s (John Goodman) bunker, making you go through the exact same feelings as Winstead’s character, while the film quickly develops into a bout for survival as she tries to escape from the bunker, until all is revealed in an intelligent finale.
8. The Shining (1980)
Among the subgenre of horror filmmaking set within spatial confines, be it a home, hotel, or a cabin in the woods, I really think ‘The Shining’ pushes more than a few boundaries, and establishes new ones in the process. In fact, I might as well call it a masterclass in constructing a scary scene through spaces, a facet often ignored by modern horror films. Nonetheless, other than inventively utilising spaces to deliver horror, there is much to credit here about Kubrick’s 80s masterpiece including the tense, gripping direction and Jack Nicholson’s eerie performance for the ages. You aren’t really a horror fan if this title doesn’t belong in your library.
7. Scream (1996)
Quite possibly among the very first few films that used satire and comedy with horror. That coupled with the plot of the film marginally involving a home invasion, and we land up in basically the same ballpark as ‘Us’, sans the socio political undertones. A cult classic in every right, ‘Scream’ satirised the very genre it belonged to, and to date, stands a winner in those very genres. I am not a fan of slasher flicks per se, but ‘Scream’, despite all its intended goofiness, is one fun ride from its promiscuous start to its really well done suspenseful finale.
6. The Visit (2015)
Not Shyamalan’s best work by a mile at least, ‘The Visit’ would rather be regarded as a welcome return to form for the director venerated for his signature style twist endings. We get the twist ending alright, along with a tense and twisted atmospherically scary film, especially effective putting the unassuming kids simply visiting their grandparents at the centre of it. A genre mish-mash as the film under discussion, much of the film’s humor is derived from the rather strange dialogue that ensues between the kids and their grandparents, who as it turns out, are involved in some pretty creepy activities as the night falls. ‘The Visit’ is no ‘Sixth Sense’, and one would do well to remember that. However, among the slew of by-the-book horror films that we get every year, ‘The Visit’ ends up scoring somehow on the absurd originality of its premise.
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5. BlacKkKlansman (2018)
Jordan Peele served as the producer of this Spike Lee directorial that also incidentally happened to pick up the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. Lee, who is a frequent collaborator with Peele on several of his projects underlining the racial history of the America’s and what is now popularly called the ‘black’ genre of films, delivers his best work in years. Genre mixing, satire, racial undertones, and a hint of comedy to drive home the message are only some of the similarities and maybe even influences that are reflected in Peele’s work. ‘BlacKkKlansman’ is a razor sharp satire on racism, black culture and white supremacy, one that is hard hitting and hilarious at the same time, which is what precisely makes this film one hell of a rollercoaster ride.
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4. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? (1967)
The film was cited as the basal blueprint for ‘Get Out’, and that alone, safe to say, lands it in the same territory as ‘Us’. Strangely enough, the race issues it tackled back in the day still seem relevant even today. In that, the film may not be as re-watchable on account of it feeling slightly dated, but its sermons seem fresh as ever, especially when delivered through the ever effective medium of comedy. Katharine Hepburn and Sidney Poitier ably carry this socially relevant film on their shoulders. Perhaps a deeper sense of appreciation and relevance for the film may be invoked by taking into account the fact that interracial marriages are still somewhat a taboo well into the 21st century. Imagine when ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner’ came out in 1967, more than five decades ago.
3. The Stepford Wives (1975)
‘The Stepford Wives’ is a delightful satire on the rampant sexism in aristocratic societies, almost sublime too in its representation of the perfect utopia that Stepford is. The plot centres around Joanna Eberhart who relocates to Stepford with her family, only to find that the women and what they do in the day to day seem too perfect to be true. The revelation behind what’s wrong with the wives of Stepford forms the rest of the plot, and the original version released in 1975 is a solid horror-cum-satire strewn across its highly intelligent and interesting premise.
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2. Don’t Breathe (2016)
A rare modern gem in the home invasion genre, ‘Don’t Breathe’ is relentlessly thrilling and builds upon its sturdy and interesting premise to deliver a singularly chilling ride. Unlike ‘Us’ or ‘Get Out’, ‘Don’t Breathe’ doesn’t intermix genres and delivers what is through and through an effective thriller, very much like Sam Raimi’s earlier films, who also happens to serve as the producer of the film. Stephen Lang is perfectly well cast as the blind man whose house the trio of youngsters make the mistake of invading in the hopes of a fortune but end up getting what they bargained for.
1. Get Out (2017)
The obvious one. The comparisons and the pointing out of similarities between ‘Get Out’ and ‘Us’ have been rife ever since the first trailer for the latter dropped. So much so that some keen eyes spotted an eerie similarity in the framing of some shots as well. While ‘Get Out’ was a horror comedy-cum-thriller, Jordan Peele has been quoted as saying that he wanted ‘Us’ to be away from the “genre confusion” that was associated with ‘Get Out’ and has thereby modelled it closer to a “pure” horror film. However, the film is sure to have undertones that comment on the past and oppression that are a spiteful part of the American landscape and history, along with being a spectacular thrill ride. Expect ‘Us’ to spark the same kind of discussions that ‘Get Out’ did two years ago.
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