Us

Jordan Peele's follow-up to Get Out is more ambitious, more surreal, and more polarizing — which is exactly what a sophomore horror film from a visionary director should be. Lupita Nyong'o delivers a dual performance as Adelaide and her doppelgänger Red that is one of the most physically demanding and technically astonishing in horror history. The Tethered — shadow selves who emerge from underground tunnels wielding golden scissors — are simultaneously allegorical and viscerally terrifying. Peele's vision of an America literally built on top of its abandoned, suffering underclass is more pointed social commentary than most prestige dramas manage. The home invasion sequence is masterfully choreographed, and the twist ending recontextualizes the entire film with devastating implications. Michael Abels' score, mixing orchestral dread with hip-hop beats, is one of the decade's best.