I went into Jordan Peele’s newest film “Nope”–a horror sci-fi–with high expectations. His previous films, “Get Out” and “Us,” are some of my favorites in the horror genre–their messages portrayed excellently through Peele’s mastery at building suspense and introducing significant elements as seemingly unimportant details. Although “Nope” wasn’t quite what I was expecting from Peele, the film still left me feeling equal parts amazed and, in the best way possible, confused.
The film follows brother and sister duo OJ and Emerald “Em” Haywood. For years, the Haywood family has raised and trained horses for Hollywood productions on their ranch in Agua Dulce, CA. But after a mysterious event leaves their father no longer able to run the business, OJ works to keep it afloat. Em, on the other hand, sees the Haywood business as her second priority; her own fame and fortune her main focus in life. However, as more strange events begin to happen around them, we follow the two as they come together to capture the supernatural events on film.
Although I enjoyed the movie as a whole, there were two particular aspects of “Nope” that have stayed with me since I finished watching it: its striking visuals and its twisted use of sound.
When I first saw the movie’s trailer this past spring, I was taken aback by the numerous shots of colorful air dancers covering the Haywood Ranch. At the time, I couldn’t figure out a sensible way these were tied into an alien invasion thriller film. Their bright colors and playful movements contrast the earthy tones and stillness of Agua Dulce perfectly. The concept of inflatables dancing around a ranch is also quite humorous when unaware of their significance. These visuals made me want to watch the film even more.
Both the trailer and the movie also make use of what the viewers can’t see. Shots of
characters looking up, scared by something we don’t get to witness at first, builds suspense and a fear of the unknown. The use of clouds and shot-covering objects heightens this effect throughout the film itself.
Not only is this concept of the unknown used heavily throughout the film visually, the sound design heard throughout works with it, too.
In an interview with Space.com, sound designer of “Nope,” Johnnie Burn, explains how the sound design team created the breeze heard in the film. They first started by “looking at how screams and winds have such a similar trajectory and pitch.” With this information, the team then began “painting this blurred space between the two that would sound sort of like a wrong wind.”
These tricks can even be heard in the movie’s trailer. As OJ looks out into an open field, staring at a set of bright lights in the distance, we hear this eerie mix of wind whistling and human screams–the true origins of these sounds unclear.
Aside from these audial tricks, the film also makes great use of music. One of my favorite scenes highlights this choice excellently. We see the land of OJ and Em’s home: dark and foggy. The only light illuminating the area peaks just through the clouds above. As OJ cautiously navigates his surroundings, a distorted version of “Sunglasses at Night” by Corey Hart plays eerily in the background. This use of distorted music in the context of the film gave me chills.
If you enjoy horror and/or analyzing film, I’d highly recommend this movie. It’s clear that Peele truly cares about his craft and puts a ton of thought into his work. However, if gore and the idea of the unknown are discomforting to you, I wouldn’t suggest this movie.
