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‘Us’: The Horror News Network Review

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This review contains spoilers.

Get Out was a smash hit on all metrics. The movie earned $255 million on a $4.5 million budget and it wowed casual fans, horror aficionados, and stuffy critics alike due to its expert blend of tried and true horror tropes and an adept level of social commentary that ties the picture together. Get Out also solidified writer/director Jordan Peele as one of the premiere horror storytellers of our time after a long and successful career in comedy. His well-deserved Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay broke barriers for an institution which typically rewards standard drama storytelling over specialized genre fare, and it drew even more attention to his knack for threading symbolism and allegory through a tightly constructed, self-contained horror story. Throughout the pre-release hype for Us, audiences were constantly reminded that this movie would have an even greater emphasis on horror than Peele’s freshman outing, and the film’s trailers expertly presented the terrifying tropes of the home invasion, the fear of the other, and ghastly sharp objects front and center. All of this build up led audiences to believe that Us would contain- above all- a great horror narrative. What we ended up with- however- is a movie that relies much more heavily on allegory than story, and the story suffers as a result… even in spite of phenomenal performances by a stellar ensemble cast.   read more

Hulu, NEON Win Rights to Distribute Dark Comedy ‘Little Monsters’

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And the undead hits just keep on coming.  Deadline is reporting that streaming giant Hulu has partnered up with distributor NEON in acquiring the rights to the horror comedy Little Monsters.  With a Resident Evil series already announced and the Zombieland sequel finally becoming official, it seems that reports of the zombie genre’s demise may be a bit premature.

Little Monsters, currently buzzing the Sundance circuit, stars Lupita Nyong’o (Black Panther), Alexander England (Alien: Covenant) and Josh Gad (Frozen) and is only the second film to be directed by Australian Abe Forsythe.  Nyong’0 plays kindergarten teacher Miss Caroline, who leads her class on a trip helped by slacker Dave (England).  They must deal with both a persistent children’s television star named Teddy McGiggle (Gad) as well as an ill-timed zombie invasion.  The heat around Little Monsters is a good sign for the zombie sub-genre, as ratings for AMC horror flagship show The Walking Dead continue to decline as the ninth season winds down, and few directors stepping up in the wake of horror icon and creator of the cinematic zombie genus George Romero’s death in 2017. read more

Tim Heidecker Cast in Jordan Peele’s Upcoming Horror Film, ‘Us’

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Us, Jordan Peele’s follow-up to his award winning smash hit Get Out– already sports an incredible cast including Lupita Nyong’o, Elisabeth Moss, and Winston Duke… and today’s announcement makes it even more interesting!

Variety reports that Tim Heidecker has been cast in Us in an unspecified role. Mainstream moviegoers may recognize Heidecker from his appearances in big budget films like Ant-Man and the Wasp and Bridesmaids; but legions of die-hard fans love him for his writing, directing, and acting in cult classics such as Tom Goes to the Mayor, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule, and Decker. His works are often known for their dark and disturbing themes and a sense of humor which can only be described as “an acquired taste.” Heidecker and longtime collaborator Eric Wareheim recently ventured into the world of horror with their ongoing series, Tim and Eric’s Bedtime Stories, which explores everything from slapstick hijinks in a haunted house to the terrors of automated exercise equipment in the digitized world. In addition, Heidecker co-hosts a satirical movie review show with Gregg Turkington called On Cinema At the Cinema, which just completed its tenth season. Surely upon its release, Us will deserve the prestigious rating of “5  bags of popcorn” and several additional ceremonial trinkets, which Peele could display with his Best Original Screenplay Academy Award for Get Out! read more