Analysis on Horror Genre Films - Taking Us as an Example

Abstract

Horror movies are usually regarded as empty calories for audiences to watch. The film industry did not pay much attention to horror genre movies. But since Get Out (2017) and Hereditary (2018) was released, horror films begin a new era. They have respect from the studios and their audiences and contain many cultural things and become more thought provoking. The paper, through a method of literature analysis, explores some deep meanings behind nowadays horror movies and how they achieve these by using cinematography, color elements and metaphors, especially in Us (2019), which is directed by Jordan Peele. In the film Us, us vs. them mentality is presented. Duality is also a significant idea in the film. Jordan Peele employs visual design like red clothes and gold scissors and uses low key lighting, diverse colors and a lot of props. The paper also emphasizes the political issues that are revealed in the film. The paper finds that horror movies can help people relax themselves and at the same time, reveal humanities, realistic problems and social situations.