Adelaide returns with her husband Gabe and their two children, Zora and Jason, to the family's beach house in Santa Cruz, California. During a few days of vacation they spend time on the beach with wealthy friends, and a stroll along the coast stirs up old childhood memories for Adelaide. The calm of the stay breaks when a strangely familiar family appears outside the house one night. From the start, the film builds an atmosphere of growing unease and unanswered questions.

How it was made

After the success of Get Out, Jordan Peele wanted to make a more straightforward horror film, and he has cited the Twilight Zone episode "Mirror Image," about a young woman and her evil double, as an inspiration. Peele wrote the screenplay, produced it with Jason Blum and Sean McKittrick, and again worked with Michael Abels on the score. Lupita Nyong'o and Winston Duke lead the cast, alongside Elisabeth Moss and Tim Heidecker. Principal photography began on July 30, 2018, in Santa Cruz and was mostly shot in Los Angeles, with the main house located in Pasadena, and wrapped on October 8. Industrial Light & Magic provided the visual effects. For Red's voice, Nyong'o drew on spasmodic dysphonia and worked with an ear, nose and throat doctor and a vocal therapist to protect her voice during the shoot.

Reception and legacy

The film premiered at the South by Southwest festival on March 8, 2019, and was released in US cinemas on March 22 by Universal Pictures. It was a commercial success, grossing about $256 million against a budget of $20 million. Critics received it very favorably, and in later years it has appeared on various lists of the greatest horror films of the 21st century. Its blend of social satire and psychological horror made it a frequent reference point in recent genre cinema.

Stills

Trailer

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Trivia

A voice for a double role

Nyong'o also plays Red with a raspy, strained voice. To achieve it she worked with medical and vocal specialists so she would not damage her vocal cords.

A nod to The Twilight Zone

Peele cited the Twilight Zone episode "Mirror Image," about a young woman and her evil double, as one of the film's inspirations.

More films by Jordan Peele

Get Out2017

Nope2022

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