Jordan Peele has had an interesting career. Despite starting out on Mad TV (1995) and gaining popularity through his sketch comedy show Key & Peele (2012), today, he is not known as much for his comedy but for his impact on the horror genre. Peele exploded onto the scene with his 2017 film Get Out, and since then, he’s been regarded as one of the best horror directors of his generation.
Peele’s movies focus a lot on the struggles that Black people face in today’s society, but what sets him apart from other horror directors is how grounded his films can be and how that instills a greater sense of dread. At times, the biggest threat in his films isn’t the monsters, but racial inequality. Peele also has an eye for horror films with compelling premises, producing critically acclaimed movies like the remake of Candyman (2021). With HIM (2025), another Jordan Peele-produced horror movie, finally here, let’s go back and rank all of his films from worst to best. We will also tell you where to find them on Netflix, Apple TV+, and more.
4. Wendell & Wild (2022)
Wendell & Wild isn’t a Jordan Peele movie in the traditional sense. However, given the fact that Peele wrote, produced, and starred in it, the animated film has all of the hallmarks of a Jordan Peele-directed movie. It’s contemporary, features numerous discussions on race and identity, and even stars his longtime partner, Keegan-Michael Key.
Unlike Peele’s other, more traditional horror movies, Wendell & Wild is noticeably aimed at kids. It’s still a bit darker than most family films, thanks to its PG-13 rating, so it probably wouldn’t be great for fairly young children. However, it’s still bright and cartoonish, with a devilish charm reminiscent of ParaNorman (2012). The film’s biggest strength is the direction by Henry Selick, who imbues the same craft and passion into Wendell & Wild that he did in The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) and Coraline (2009). Because of that, lovers of stop-motion animation should put Wendell & Wild on their radar. As for fans of Peele, if you’re wishing for him to go back to the days of Key & Peele, Wendell & Wild is a friendly reminder of just how funny he and Keegan-Michael Key were together.
3. Us (2019)
There’s a certain artistry to Us that you don’t see too often in horror films. The story of the Wilson family and their frantic fight against their body doubles leads to great unsettling imagery with the occasional splash of gore. It’s also a very polarizing horror film that some audiences simply don’t get.
While the visuals are certainly memorable, Us’s plot can be esoteric and hard to follow. There’s a lot of great symbolism and allegory present in the film related to topics like social and racial inequality, but at times, it feels like the movie is more interested in spouting those messages than being a successful horror flick. In many ways, it’s similar to other artistic horror films, like mother! (2017), Men (2022), and Infinity Pool (2023), and fans of those movies should definitely give Us a watch. Even if you can’t wrap your head around the film’s complex symbolism, the tension is still there, even if it’s not as omnipresent as in Get Out. If you’re looking for artistic horror films that have a lot to say on modern society, Us will live rent-free in your mind. If not, then you’ll probably agree that this is Peele’s weakest film to date.
2. Nope (2022)
Nope is one of those horror movies that the less you know about it, the better it is. Much like The Cabin in the Woods (2011), watching Nope for the first time is a spectacular experience as you, alongside the cast, try to figure out exactly what is happening on this small horse ranch. For the first half of the film, we’re right there alongside Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer, both of whom are perfectly cast and feel like average people put into a terrifying situation. In many ways, the film is a lot like Cloverfield (2008) and The Invisible Man (2020), where it intentionally hides the truth, only to reveal it in one grand, dramatic stinger. Once Nope shifts from a horror film to a sci-fi epic, the film truly comes alive.
Much like Us, there’s a rich amount of symbolism present in Nope, but it never gets lost in it, even if some parts can be a bit too avant-garde for its own good. Then again, because of that, Nope appeals to a wide audience. If you like sci-fi thrillers, Nope is for you. If you like rich and meaningful horror films, Nope is for you, too.
1. Get Out (2017)
Get Out isn’t just the best Jordan Peele film. Thanks to its provocative imagery and the strengths of its performances, Get Out is arguably one of the best horror movies of all time. Horror as a genre is at its best when it holds a mirror up to society, and Get Out is the perfect reflection of society’s views on race and what has become known as “liberal racism.” Outside of Peele’s later works, there really weren’t horror movies that addressed the topics that Get Out does as sophisticatedly as it does. The closest comparison is the original Candyman (1992), so fans of that series will eat up what Get Out is serving.
It’s also a shockingly clever horror movie, with excellent shots that are brilliantly understated. Get Out was so well-received that it joined the ranks of horror classics like The Exorcist (1973) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991) as a Best Picture nominee at the Oscars. Frankly, it’s deserved, and anyone who calls themselves a lover of horror has to watch Get Out sooner rather than later.
