The Initiative Post

Jordan Peele, possibly the most prominent horror writer and director in the world, particularly when discussing the ‘post-horror’ genre. Peele’s films, including ‘Get Out’ (2017) and ‘Nope’ (2022) are two of the main reasons I decided to preference this studio in the first place. The writer and director consistently implements post horror elements into his films, particularly considering ongoing racial issues in the United States.

‘Get Out’ was a genre changing film when it first came out in 2017. Donald Trump had just been elected President of the United States, and countless protests and discussions where being had at the time in relation to racism and the discrimination of African Americans. Although the movies main story line follows the blatantly racist Armitage family, who lures in African American men to sell to their wealthy associates, Peele also litters the film with subtle suggestions of micro-aggressions and a lingering racism in the United States which many people deny the existence of. The setting of the film being in a remote country residence, the Armitage houses massive pillars (referencing slavery plantations in the Deep South), and Dean Armitage constantly referencing African American athletes and their ‘biological advantages’, all point to over-arching racial issues still prevalent in America. Deer hunting is used as an effective motif in the film to draw similarities between the hunting of the animal to the constant threat and danger Chris (and African Americans in the over-arching message of the film) is under. We see Chris and Rose hit a deer on the way to the house, as well as hear Dean express his desire to rid the whole countryside of the “pest”, later seeing the deer head hanging directly over Chris as he lies trapped underneath the Armitage house. Peele’s attention to detail in codes such as Mis en Scene, location, and dialogue all slot perfectly with the idea of post horror and the genres emphasis on holding deeper meanings. Even the constant use of the colour red, where the Armitage’s and their house guests are seen wearing the colour consistently, while Chris is often seen wearing blue, is a direct reference to the political parties in America, their perceived stances on racial issues, and the following effects they have on even more subtle racial issues. Overall, the focus on such an important issue is a prime example of how horror has evolved to not only display a quality story with all the elements of classical horror, but also how it can now be used to comment on contemporary issues and topics.

‘Nope’ is the most recent film in Peele’s oeuvre, and follows the story of a brother and sister attempting to capture proof of a UFO that has been terrorising their Hollywood horse stable and surrounding ranches. Although this film also explores deeper themes in relation to exploitation, and spectacle, one of the main factors which singles this out as an outstanding post-horror film is its use of sound. Seeing as the movie focuses on the issue of spectacle and peoples obsession with commercialising tragedy and violence, the movie refrains from direct visual horror, and instead uses sound to provoke mental imagery of the horror occurring off screen. This is noticeable in the Gordy scene when a man is dismembered off screen by a domesticated chimpanzee, but most prominently in the scenes involving the UFO. The UFO typically hides behind clouds in the sky, and only attacks when it is being looked at. Peele uses the echoing sound of the crafts victims to signify when the craft is approaching its targets. The scene where OJ turns his back to the craft, which hovers directly behind him is a great example of how peele effectively uses sound to strike fear into the audience in a manner that is not of traditional horror ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjIuwUo5BDE ) . Sure, victims screaming is typically heard in horror films, but it is not usually the source of fear, rather the result of it.

This is one of my favourite movie scenes, also from Nope, where a crowd of people paying to see the alien ship suck up trained horses are instead the chosen target of the ship. An interesting fact is that Peele combined the screams of people on roller coasters, with the directed screams of actors told to imagine the most horrifying thing they could think of. This also ties into Peele’s idea of spectacle and the enjoyment many people seem to get as a result of others struggle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EchHwdXVT3I