Doppelgängers: Understanding Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’

Jordan Peele’s new horror film “Us” is causing quite a buzz on the internet with the creepy trailer he dropped for horror fans on Christmas.
The story revolves around a family being tormented by their look-a-likes or Doppelgängers.
 
 

 
 
The term Doppelgänger is well known to many as meaning your look-a-like. people sharing stories or pictures on social media meeting someone who looks a lot like them and in some cases even dressing the same. Though this is close, the term is relatively new in the English language, around the 18^th century actually.
The word Doppelgänger is German meaning “Double-goer/walker” and was used to describe paranormal events/encounters with one’s double. Many old stories of Doppelgängers involve people seeing the ghost of someone who is still alive, or the sighting of yourself is an omen.
 
 

 
 
Throughout the world, there are stories or legends of Doppelgänger-like beings used to describe events like in Norse mythology a Vardøger is a spirit double that does things that a person later does (Déjà vu). Sometimes they’re up to no good, the concept behind “Evil Twins” in which their goal is to replace the original or the physical manifestation of someone’s alter-ego or true self trying to become the dominant personality.
 

 
I hope this will give you an understanding as to what “Us” is possibly about or at least intrigued you into wanting to see it. After watching the trailer a couple of times I have my theories as to who or what the Doppelgängers are, but I’ll keep that to myself…