Jordan Peele: The New Face Of Horror?
With "Get Out" becoming an overnight success in 2017 and "US" being the highly anticipated follow-up to his directorial debut, Jordan Peele has the potential to be a consistently great storyteller of horror for this generation.
Modern-day Hollywood tends to stick with the remakes, sequels, and reboots, as those are the films that are usually guaranteed to make money, even if the films are not well received critically by audiences. But, every once in a while, there will be a gem in the debris that instills some faith that people still want to see new original concepts on the screen.
When you hear horror and Jordan Peele, you would not think the two would ever be synonymous with each other, but then February 2017 came around. The man known for his comedic roles on "Key and Peele"came out with a completely original horror film called "Get Out" that brought multiple new concepts to the table, addressed real-world issues regarding race, and still managed to have a good sense of humor throughout.
"Get Out" did not have to rely on jump scares, monsters, or gore; it was a film that was scary because most of it could actually happen. Peele changed up the formula of modern horror movies, and audiences and critics alike ate it up.
Before "Get Out" was released, Peele made it known in interviews about how classic horror films "The Stepford Wives" and "Rosemary's Baby"served as inspirations for the film. It was apparent from the get-go that this man had a passion for this genre of films that were having an impact on his growing career.
Peele's career was truly growing, and with that came many offers from multiple successful film studios wanting him to work on new iterations of established franchises. But Peele already had his mind set on his own worlds and franchises he wanted to create from scratch. As iconic horror directors Alfred Hitchcock ("Psycho", "Rear Window") and Wes Craven ("A Nightmare on Elm Street", "Scream") had done decades before, Peele wants to create his own horror mythology.
Jordan's horror scripts were already in storage for a rainy day.
The first horror script to come to fruition following "Get Out"is "US", a psychological thriller revolving around a couple, played by "Black Panther's" Lupita Nyong'o and Winston Duke, taking their kids for a nice weekend retreat out to their beach house and coming face to face with a family of murderous doppelgangers.
The teaser trailer for Peele's "US" was revealed on Christmas Day and, like "Get Out", it looks to be another original concept that has never been done before. Rather than a lunatic escapee form a mental institution, Peele looks to be expressing through the family of doppelgangers that the scariest thing out there is truly ourselves.
It is still too early to tell if Peele will be able to capture the same kind of lightning in a bottle twice, but if the trailer and stellar cast is any indication, Peele looks to have another hit on his hands.
Almost immediately after "Get Out" was released, Jordan Peele made it known that he had a whole series of horror films on the docket following his directorial debut. "Get Out" and "US" has made it known that this man is not just putting films out for a quick cash grab but instead wants to establish himself as a horror filmmaker.
Peele's brand of original storytelling imbued with comedy is something that the genre definitely needs to become respected again. You can do dull "Paranormal Activity" and "Purge" films only so many times before it gets stale. Additionally, Peele has signed on as the producer to projects that would revitalize iconic franchises, "The Twilight Zone" for CBS and a "Candyman"reboot/sequel for the big screen.
Peele's influence on the horror world will only become stronger as he gets more projects off the ground. Jordan's "Key and Peele" days may be over, but his horror career is just getting started.
My 10 Favorite YouTubers
They can all teach you something
I've fallen down into the rabbit hole that is YouTube. Lately, I've been finding the videos on YouTube much more entertaining than anything on Netflix or Hulu. There are so many videos out there about literally everything. Some of my favorite videos are murder mysteries or unsolved crime videos. But I also love watching movie commentaries or anything funny. If you like YouTube as much as I do, I highly recommend checking out these YouTubers.
1. Hailey Reese
Hailey is such a light in this world. Even though she talks about paranormal things which can oftentimes be scary, she always brings light and love to the video. Her videos are so informational and spooky. They're so fun to watch and interesting to think about. She is one of the soul siblings, and you will understand what I mean by that if you watch her channel. Also, you get to be a Reese's Peaces, what a cool name!
2. Kendall Rae
Kendall does a lot of different kinds of videos, but some of my favorite ones that she does are the True Crime videos. Many of the stories are sad or disturbing, but she does a fantastic job of being respectful of the families who lost a loved one as well as the person who is deceased. These stories really bring into perspective how messed up people in this world can be, but at the same time the beauty of our humanity and that there are good people in the world.
3. Dylan Is In Trouble
Ah, Dyan. Where to begin. He does a lot of movie commentaries. He has done commentaries on everything from kids movies, rom-coms, horror, and thriller. He apparently went to film school and so he actually analyzes the movies in a critical way. He always points out plot holes and cliches and makes it so entertaining to watch. He also shows the movie as he's watching it, so it's like you get to watch it without actually spending the hour and a half watching it. He's so entertaining to watch and makes me laugh every time, even if it's a serious movie. One of my favorite things is that he calls his followers "troublemakers" and as someone who rarely ever gets into trouble, I like it.
4. Jon Solo
If you're someone who loves Disney movies and fairytales, this channel is for you. Jon goes into the origin stories of various Disney movies, heroes, villains, and other fairytale creatures. It's amazing the amount of research he does in order to find and explain the origins of some of our favorite characters.
5. tiffanyferg
I'm a bit new to her channel, but she covers a range of topics that I think are very important. She talks about beauty standards, the college scandal, minimalism, mental health, and college struggles. As someone who is finishing college and still learning about myself, I really appreciate her analysis of these topics and the advice that she gives.
6. Brandi TV
Brandi is too funny. While I don't condone doing drugs, she does really funny "makeup" tutorials. I feel like I always cry from laughing so hard. One of my favorites is when she does a makeup tutorial for Ursula from the Little Mermaid. So funny. She is such a sweetheart and a pure soul.
7. Loey Lane
Loey is another light in this world. She talks about paranormal things, reads scary viral stories, body positivity, and her own personal experiences. Her makeup is always on point and brings so much light to sometimes dark topics. She is one of the soul siblings too!
8. The Try Guys
Do I even have to give an explanation for these guys? They try everything, and it's hilarious to watch them. My favorite series of theirs is when Keith eats everything on the menu from different fast food places. And they don't waste the food so that's a plus!
9. Alex Myers
Alex is another great YouTuber who does movie and Tv show commentaries, but he animates himself and his dog into the videos. It's very interesting to see, especially because sometimes he will talk about his own personal experiences and its very relatable. Also, his dog is super cute!
10. AndrewTMI
Last but not least, we have Andrew. I love how totally open and honest he is. He is very relatable and honestly hilarious. He is dramatic and that just makes his channel so entertaining. He is the last member of the soul siblings. When Hailey, Loey, and Andrew are together some real spooky stuff happens and it's some of the most entertaining videos to watch.
If you haven't heard of any of these YouTubers, please check them out. They are so great at entertaining and presenting facts. Even though I haven't met any of them, they all seem like really great, genuine people.