Jordan Peele’s latest critically-acclaimed film, Nope, took aim at the Hollywood industry and our fascination with spectacles.
While the main plot of the thriller movie involved an attempt to capture a shot of ‘Jean Jacket’ — a supernatural, man-eating creature initially thought to be a UFO — an important subplot that predates the events of Nope is the incident on Gordy’s Home: a fictional comedy series starring a monkey who went on a violent rampage and mauled several castmates.
While Jupe (Steven Yuen) survived the event as a child star, it had a profound impact on him growing up, and ultimately influenced the grisly fate he met at the hands of Jean Jacket in the monster movie. At one point, right before he sets off the chain of events that lead to him, his family, and dozens of spectators getting devoured, he has a flashback to the moment Gordy had his rampage before gently approaching a terrified Jupe under the table and holding his fist out to his to fist-bump: his trademark move.
In the original cut of the horror movie, we see Gordy wandering around the deserted set. But another version of the scene, which is available as an extra feature for those purchasing the movie in Digital HD, shows the chilling sequence stripped of any external CGI: leaving just Gordy actor Terry Notary smeared in blood as he tries to replicate the monkey’s movements.
Seeing a human actor going through the motions of this violent scene makes Nope all the more terrifying, and is one of several extra features and deleted scenes bundled with Nope’s Digital HD release.
Meanwhile, if you want to dive deeper into Jordan Peele’s cinematic world, check out our guide to the best Jordan Peele movies.