Academy Award® winner Jordan Peele’s mysterious and socially provocative horror film Us reveals some of the disturbing “doubles” depicted on screen. The film sees the Wilson family take a family holiday to Santa Cruz. When darkness falls following a tense day at the beach, the Wilsons discover four figures standing in their driveway. They soon find out that the four figures are terrifying and uncanny opponents [SPOILER ALERT]: doppelgängers of themselves.
With the cast playing the role of both the Wilson family and their doppelgängers, we recount some of the most disturbing “screen doubles” portrayed by actors on screen, to celebrate Us coming to DVD and Blu-ray on 29th July.
THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE (2011)
Dominic Cooper plays Latif Yahia – an Iraqi soldier fighting the Iran-Iraq war – who is called upon to become the body double of Iraqi president Saddam Hussein’s playboy son, Uday Hussein (also played by Cooper). The film is a chilling and gruesomely violent vision of the house of Saddam Hussein through the eyes of a man forced into becoming Uday’s double to prevent his family from being condemned to death.
DEAD RINGERS (1988)
This psychological thriller stars Jeremy Irons as identical twin brothers Beverly and Elliot. Working as successful gynaecologists in the same practice, Elliot has several affairs with his patients and hands the women over to his brother Beverly (the meeker of the two) when he loses interest. Beverly falls hard for one of the patients, but when she inadvertently deceives him he slips into madness.
Related: Us home release – full details
THE DOUBLE (2013)
Jesse Eisenberg portrays Simon James, a man living an ordinary, boring, simple life. Working a desk job he’s had for seven years, Simon goes unnoticed by his colleagues until James Simon (also played by Eisenberg) joins the office. A spitting image of Simon, James is completely the opposite in character – confident, charismatic and seductive with women. Simon’s life quickly takes a turn for the horrific when he seeks out revenge on the man who “stole his face”.
ENEMY (2013)
Jake Gyllenhaal portrays Adam Bell, an ordinary college history professor. While watching a film with his long-time girlfriend Mary he notices that one of the actors – Anthony Claire (also Gyllenhaal) – looks exactly like him. Adam seeks out his look-alike and they meet face to face, discovering that they are perfectly identical, even having the same scar. Anthony soon becomes obsessed with Adam, manipulating him into swapping lives and going on a weekend away with the oblivious Mary.
ADAPTATION (2002)
Directed by Spike Jonze, the film follows Charlie Kaufman and his twin brother Donald (both played by Nic Cage) and their troubled relationship. While Charlie suffers severe writer’s block, Donald writes a successful script earning him millions which pushes their relationship to the limit.
Us releases on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD from 29 July
