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Classic '80s horror reference not Lost on Jordan Peele's Us

By Christian Long
Lupita Nyong'o in Us

Jordan Peele's upcoming horror film Us doesn't hide its loving ode to 1980s horror classics, particularly with the structure of the all-American family whose idyllic getaway suddenly gets ... stabby. But even from the opening shot, Peele weaves in references to all sorts of iconic works of horror that might take a couple of viewings to catch.

But in a recent interview with Uproxx, the filmmaker revealed one specific reference he put in deliberately.

**SPOILER WARNING: mild plot details for Us below!**

The beginning of Us takes place in 1986, with Adelaide (Lupita Nyong'o) as a child walking down an amusement park boardwalk with her parents in Santa Cruz, California. That just happens to be the same town where Joel Schumacher filmed the classic cool-vampire tale The Lost Boys, which came out the following year.  

"There is a reference to The Lost Boys shooting by the carousel," Peele revealed. "They’re walking down the Santa Monica boardwalk and the mother says, 'You know, they’re shooting a movie over there by the carousel.'"

That's right, much as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles tied their origin directly into Daredevil's, Peele has linked his absolutely captivating horror flick directly to the world of The Lost Boys.

While this is purely speculative, it would be interesting to see if the upcoming Lost Boys series will return the favor and give a nod back to Us somehow. Maybe with some terrifying doppelganger of the Sexy Sax Man? It's unlikely, but we can dream.

Anyway, you can see what all the hype is about for yourself when Us storms into theaters everywhere this weekend.