With just two films, Jordan Peele has cemented himself as a major genre talent, one we will continue to talk about for years even if he opts to never sit in the director's chair again for another horror movie (which would be a damn shame, for the record). Get Out's out of nowhere success - and eventual Oscar win for its screenplay - was the sort of lightning in a bottle thing that rarely happens in any genre, let alone horror, and while the Oscars are too far off to know whether or not Us will get nominated for anything, it pretty much made the exact same amount of money at the box office - both films will be sitting near the top of those charts for a long time, I suspect.
But for all of their thought-provoking ideas and the discussions that they inspire, they're also both solidly entertaining thrillers that work even if you want to ignore all of the big ideas Peele is bringing to the table. And if you DO want to engage with those elements, you'll find the films to be quite rewatchable as well (in fact, Us is the only movie I saw twice in theaters this year), making both of their Blu-rays a must own for any horror fan's collection. Now, few if any of you have Us yet since it doesn't hit shelves until next Tuesday (on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD formats), but if you've been waiting for Get Out to be on sale or something*, now's your chance to get both films for free, courtesy of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment!
Interested? Sure you are! And to win the pair of discs, it's easy - just email bmdcontests@gmail.com and tell me the name of your favorite horror movie that had more on its mind than just scares and thrills, and had something to say about the time it was made. Night of the Living Dead? A standard reply, but obviously a good one. Something more recent like The Purge films or Undocumented? Maybe something more obscure like Society or The Stuff? No wrong answers, of course - but alas I can only pick one (and you have to be in the US! Sorry, Canada - take solace in the Raptors win?). Include your full name and mailing address in the email, and I'll be picking one on Monday the 17th. Good luck!
*As of right now it's only five bucks at that handy link below. Just sayin'!