Why new horror film Us is a "totally new kind of nightmare," according to one of its stars

Jordan Peele blew everyone away with his 'social thriller' Get Out, and it sounds like his new horror film Us is about scare the bejesus out of people too. In a new interview with Total Film magazine, Lupita Nyong'o admitted she got stressed just reading the script, while Jordan Peele calls it his tribute to Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde myth.

"The script was totally surprising, Nyong'o tells Total Film. "I knew it would be something special because Jordan had written it, but it was nothing like Get Out. The storyline was so intriguing. It was a totally new kind of nightmare – and a nightmare it was. I was very stressed-out reading it. I read it in one sitting and I just remember being terrified. So yeah, I was all in."

Nyong'o plays Adelaide Wilson, the matriarch of the family at the center of Us. As you've probably spotted in the trailer, she also plays Adelaide's doppelganger, a creepy figure with a worrying attachment to some serious-looking scissors. 

"The underlying theme I’m going with is that we are our own worst enemy, and the doppelganger is about the monster within,” Peele, tells Total Film. "I think of Get Out as being my Frankenstein and this is my tribute to Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde. I felt that that was the right idea to be working with in today’s day and age; the idea that, though our fears are set on the outsider and the invader, the real enemy is already here and has our faces."

Us will be released on March 22, and the latest issue of Total Film is out now. 

(Image credit: Disney/Total Film)

Subscribe to Total Film magazine now and you’ll never miss an issue (and you'll save money on the cover price). Get the digital version for your tablet or have an exclusive subs cover through your door every month - or save even more with a print/digital bundle! Grab your first issue FREE direct from Apple Newsstand. Or read our Android version on Google Play.

Rachel Weber
Contributor

Rachel Weber is the former US Managing Editor of GamesRadar+ and lives in Brooklyn, New York. She joined GamesRadar+ in 2017, revitalizing the news coverage and building new processes and strategies for the US team.

Latest in Action Movies
Harrison Ford as the Red Hulk in Captain America: Brave New World
“The reveal was a big mistake”: MCU fans pick the twists they wish Marvel movie trailers didn’t spoil beforehand
Robert Downey Jr announces his Doctor Doom casting at San Diego Comic-Con 2024
"He is so dialed in": Robert Downey Jr. is coming up with backstory and costume ideas for Doctor Doom ahead of Avengers: Doomsday
Bullet Train Explosion on Netflix
Upcoming Netflix movie is like the Speed sequel we never got, and it’s coming next month
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers in Avengers: Endgame
The Russo brothers have an idea about Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars runtimes, and one might reach Avengers: Endgame's record
Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm in The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Fantastic Four: First Steps concept art contains an unexpected MCU Easter Egg that could change the Marvel movie completely
Bloodsport
The 32 greatest '80s action movies
Latest in News
Kathryn Newton in Abigail
Marvel star joins former Scream directors for highly-anticipated upcoming horror sequel
Sam Worthington
Avatar star to lead Harlan Coben’s next gut-wrenching drama
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 screenshot showing three skaters performing tricks in mid-air
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 could be making a major change to Pro Skater 4, with the apparent removal of free-roaming in favor of "streamlined goals"
Charizard in the Pokemon anime.
Pokemon fans prove they'll buy anything as a Cheeto shaped like a Charizard sells for almost $90k
Key art for Gears of War.
Rumored Gears of War Collection reportedly includes campaign co-op for the OG Xbox 360 games, but no PvP multiplayer
Snow falls as guards in armor and red highlights wait in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers
Black Myth: Wukong empowered fellow soulslike devs to become China's first "elite" devs on par with Naughty Dog or Capcom: "The market has been validated"