Jordan Peele’s “Us” is a brilliant nerve-racking modern American nightmare with a plot twist that boggles the mind.

The horror revolves around the story of Adelaide Wilson (Lupita Nyong’o), who vacations in Santa Cruz with her husband Gabe (Winston Duke) and her two children. She grows paranoid from unforeseen coincidences make her reminisce a traumatic experience from her childhood.

The Wilsons are left to fight for their lives when an unknown family of their own doppelgangers terrorize them.

“Us” is a fresh take on the horror genre by factoring rare occurrences of jump scares, which allow for the film to rely on its creepiness from the doppelgangers’ actions.

The film also builds up a social and politically driven message that is revealed bit by bit throughout the plot, which can be seen through subliminal messages in modern day culture.

The finale of the film reveals a plot twist that is unexpectedly brilliant and offers freedom of interpretation. When the film presented this twist, the audience gasped in realization and we experienced the full thrill of it all.

Peele’s incredible directing style combines horror themes along with modern references in the film. These hidden references of different religious practices, the government and Michael Jackson’s song “Thriller” stand out based on modern culture.

Nyong’o’s leading phenomenal performance makes the film stand out with an identity. The antagonist’s monologue towards the end of the film, also played by Nyong’o, was definitely the highlight of the film, as it pooled the missing pieces of the film together.

The range of the family and the doppelganger’s acting and the intense horror sequences really make the film what it is; an intense psychological mind riddling masterpiece. I applaud Peele for taking risks in yet another modern creep-fest, and it’s definitely a thriller worth seeing.

5/5