Genre Research: Us

 I just watched US, directed Jordyn Peele, as a part of my genre research. After researching the codes and conventions for the horror genre, I couldn't help but spot a lot of them in this movie.

This movie used costumes to differentiate between the good guys and the villain's. When the audience sees someone wearing a red jumpsuit, they knew who was the doppelganger. This detail becomes important towards the end of the movie, when the mom's reveal that their roles are switched. Lighting is an important factor in creating the movie's suspense. Dark, creepy lighting sparks fear in the audience because of the potential dangers in the shadows. The actors also don't know what's lurking in the shadows too, so the audience feeds off of the actor's "fear." I also thought the use of minimal make-up in the movie was a different approach, since many horror movies use make-up for ghosts and ghouls. I think this movie wanted to look as real as possible in order for the audience to connect. Making the humans look normal makes the movie arguably scarier because these villains look just like normal people. However, the setting of the movie was a common feature found in horror movies. It took place in a secluded, remote area. This allows the characters to run into conflict without much obstacles. Scissors were the main prop, and the most recognizable feature of this movie. The iconic, long, sharp scissors became a staple of Us and follows the common horror convention: having weapons as props.

The biggest editing feature of this movie was editing the same actor and making them appear to be separate people. The doppelganger villains are what Us is known for. This movie also edits a lot of zoom-ins to show the actors frightened face.

A common shot that appeared in this film were close-ups. Specifically, the close-ups would commonly show tears running down the actor's, Lupita Nyung'o, face. The shot showed her crying with a seemingly straight face. This shows the audience that she doesn't want to show her fear, but it can't but leak out, letting the audience connect with her and feel her intense emotions.

The feature I enjoyed watching the most was the close up of Nyung'o's face. The close-up combined with her brilliant acting left me with chills. I enjoyed the editing of a doppelganger, but I don't think I would use that for my final task. It seems too advanced for my group and I to accomplish! Every single I spotted was utilized brilliantly and contributed to this excellent movie!