The best Jordan Peele movies are part of an exciting new breed of horror. Elevated, smart, and tapping into deep-rooted fears, he’s three for three so far.
After forging a successful career in comedy, primarily in the long-running comedy series Key and Peele, you’d have thought Jordan Peele would go on to make a name for himself as a comedy movie director. Turns out, Peele had a much darker side and his twisted mind has delivered three of the best horror movies of recent years. Here’s how they stack up.
The best Jordan Peele movies:
- Us
- Nope
- Get Out
3. Us (2019)
While this list is from ‘worst to best’, even the ‘worst’ of his movies is still mostly brilliant. As the follow-up act to Peele’s blistering debut, Us was always going to have a difficult task on its hands to live up to such great expectations and it does lack some of the the subtlety of its predecessor.
Nevertheless, this is still an enthralling and entertaining study of the uncanny and the concept of the outsider. Doppelgangers are always terrifying, and Peele makes the most of that idea. And if you are a fan of one of the best TV series ever made, The Twilight Zone, you’ll love the premise of Us even more; it’s straight from the Rod Serling playbook.
Lupita Nyong’o absolutely kills it in the lead role(s) too, and should most definitely have received Oscars recognition. We could write an essay on the many ways The Academy neglects horror (in fact, we will), but Nyong’o is one of the worst examples from recent years, along with Toni Collette’s incredible performance in Hereditary.
2. Nope (2022)
With a sterling reputation in place, expectations were even higher for Peele’s latest movie, and wouldn’t you know it, he duly delivered, as we explained in our Nope review. Peele reunites with Get Out star Daniel Kaluuya for one of the best science fiction movies in recent years, and the result is mind-blowing.
In typical Peele fashion, Nope is full of surprises and clever symbolic references as the filmmaker once again offers his audience a thought-provoking cinematic spectacle. That’s not to mention some great references to the cinema of the past, including the classic Akira and one of the best anime ever made: Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Nope is bigger and bolder than his previous films and is proof that Peele can handle large-scale storytelling, as well as more confined scripts. He has shown he can do with it a tiny canvas before, and now he has shown how comfortable he is with a larger scope and budget. There’s nothing this man can’t do.
1. Get Out (2017)
To be fair to the other two movies on this list, neither of them could ever capture the magic of sitting down to watch the very first Peele movie, not knowing anything about the experience to come. When Get Out hit cinema screens, audiences went in pretty much blind and were stunned by his razor-sharp social commentary and incredible plot twists.
With Peele’s fantastic script, Daniel Kaluuya on top form, and searing imagery, Get Out is a provocative and powerful depiction of the Black experience in modern-day America. Its biting take on post-Obama race relations found real nuance in its depiction of the insidious racism that can be present even in the most outwardly liberal circles.
Get Out is so good, in fact, that it earned four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and Peele actually won the award for Best Original Screenplay. We remember watching on the night and, for a while, it felt like he might even pull off a Best Picture upset on the strength of all the love in the room. Not bad for a big-screen debut.
Now, the wait begins until we get some new movies from one of our favorite directors. We can’t wait to see what he does next!
For more director rankings, check out our list of the best Steven Spielberg movies and the best John Carpenter movies of all time. Meanwhile, find out why Jordan Peele needs you to watch this record-breaking Stephen King movie and read our deep dive into whether it’s fair to call Nope a horror movie.