9 Movies To Watch After You See Jordan Peele's Us
4. Martyrs
We mentioned earlier that Jordan Peele handed his cast a list of films to watch before filming Us to give them an idea of what tone he was looking to create with the film. Martyrs was another film on that list. It also appears to be one of the film's biggest influences.
Without spoiling too much (trust us, it's best to go into this film as blindly as possible), a young woman is on a depraved quest for vengeance over the people who kidnapped and tortured her as a child. What follows is one of the scariest, most disturbing films to ever reach celluloid.
In many ways, Us is like a more polished, mainstream version of the violent French horror classic. Both films deal with trauma as an ongoing theme, as well as how characters are forced to deal with that trauma once that trauma physically manifests itself as an entirely new monster.
Keep in mind that Martyrs is not for the faint of heart. It truly invokes a brutal nightmare showcasing the most unimaginable depths straight out of Hell. If gore isn't your thing, it is perfectly okay to skip this one and enjoy its influence showcased in Us. However, if you think you can handle it, you'll discover a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.