Jordan Peele & Conan Share Their Favorite Horror Tropes | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

you love the movie Halloween that is one. of your favorites and what I love is. you're it's so specific but I've heard. you talk about there's a way that Mike. Meyers uh there's something about his. physicality and the way he kills that. you find really fascinating well I mean. you know the the thing about Michael. Meyers is I I think of him as a truly. minimalist uh villain which I I just. love that you know I think that's that's.

always the the scariest I mean the. master class with him you know the story. about the mask that it was a William. Shatner mask I've heard that that was. painted the pop guy just went to the. store was like we got a it could be. you know it could be this whatever this. clown mask or check this out and it and. it it all clicked and Carpenter is a. genius so you know what I what I love. about that that film is how Carpenter. tailored this monster in all the choices. the mask the way it he moves.

um the the. Stillness um shot from across the street. and you can kind of the we's Waldo. aspect it's just all very elegant for. what what's ultimately you know meant to. be a brutal kind of killing tale and. that's kind of like that's why I think. horror is you know such elevated Cinema. um when done right I've noticed. something that I was watching the movie. that came out number of years ago uh the.

Witch and it's uh is it Edgars who made. that film and I noticed that there was. one thing that to me I love a movie that. creates such an eerie environment things. that aren't otherwise scary are. frightening to me so there's one shot. early in the witch which just shows a. bunch of it's a tree line it's just a. tree line and the wind's moving through. it it's a New England tree line and the. wind's moving through it and the leaves. are rustling and it stays on that shot.

and there's the music and I remembered. feeling like the the the hair on the. back of my neck standing up and I. thought that's to me I like films I. don't necessarily need blood flying. everywhere constantly I love this idea. of Something's a miss and. otherwise normal sort of harmless. looking objects or environments suddenly. scare the out of me and I Can't.

Tell You Why mhm I mean so much is the. music right I mean like the same moment. can go so many different ways and if the. music is scary then it it'll be scary if. the music is too happy it's even scarier. you know it's it. um uh I yeah I'm all I'm all about tone. as well so what what is your all-time. favorite if you had to do wow um horror. horror.

godam I I it's it's so hard because I. don't know I don't think I'm qualified. to say because I don't know the genre as. well sure you do come on I mean uh I see. three men and a baby as a horror f it. has that ghost in the window that famous. ghost no uh I'm. always a comedy that hits me the wrong. way is to me the ultimate horror film. you know if if there's a comedy that I. think I feel like nah I didn't like that. it's more horrifying to me than anything.

it's like really you guys were going for. comedy that's horrible well you know. that that you know that that you know. that ghost in the behind the curtains in. that one scene of Three Men and the baby. you know about that no I don't I mean I. know of it but I don't know what the. well so it's you know it turns out you. know the whole Ur urban legend was that. there's a moment where you can see um a. ghost behind the curtain in this Loft. downtown three men B Three Men and baby. and the reveal was that or revealed the.

the truth supposedly is that it was you. know Ted Danson's character was an actor. mhm and then it was a cardboard cut out. of Ted Danson that if you look and look. up YouTube it's it's it's looks like a. child ghost behind the thing but I've. always wanted to make a horror film. where someone's being hunted by a. cardboard cut out of Ted. dancing he's not in it it's uh do I need. his I probably need his permission perm.

you know we can get a photograph of him. but uh oh there's another movie I really. liked it follows uh which I thought was. so terrific and it's just this concept. of someone slowly walking towards you. from like 800 yards away and I watched. that and I thought I I I think uh. walking a zombie Walking is scarier than. a zombie running yes I mean I obviously. I I had a scene in my film where there's. a guy running towards you so I have a. little bit which is also very scary I'm. just saying I'm I'm and I'm not I'm it.

depends on the situation but zombie. running to me is less frightening than. zombie Walking what do you say me I mean. if are you talking about something that. can that gets to you later it gets to me. later you're talking about something. that gets to you later is scarier than. something that gets to you appointment. yes I like my zombies that call the day. before and they uh and they say it's for. good and I'm and by the way I I hope you.

have a ramp because I can't use. stairs well to be fair to be fair it. follows was uh it was in I had seen it. follows uh I I think by the time I had. shot get out and part of that scene. where Walter is running straight out I I. I believe if I'm not mistaken I I was. thinking well you know what I love about. the energy of it follows is is anything. in any movie that comes from the the the. back of the house towards you is doing.

the ultimate in film Illusions it's the. it's the Train Robbery right a train. coming through people will uh Dodge out. of the way exactly anyway so I I took. what a little bit of what it follows had. done and North by Northwest before it. yeah and sped Walter at it so kudos to. that film well it's it's terrifying when. he's running right at when when Walter's. running right at the lens it's. absolutely terrifying I also find it. scary when they're all sitting around in. in follows and uh a character from way.

far away is just slowly walking now yes. I like the idea that I have time to call. an Uber yeah there's and then debate. which one is closest and wait nine. minutes uh and you're and all that time. you're just you're watching and. experience more and more fear as it gets. closer yes and also fear about should I. have gone I don't know if I picked the. right ride you know maybe I shouldn't. have gone maybe I just should have gone.

Comfort uh do you know what I mean um. done an Uber pool andad or Uber pool. would have come faster but straight I. had to have comfort this is not what. most horror protagonists have on their. minds well uh again agree to disagree uh. you I'm opening you to a new kind of. horror and I want you to you're free to. use this in any of your films where. something terrifying is happening but. then the character is worried about what. this is going to cost them financially.

yeah and um and it just feels like the. horrors in your life you know when I put. out something into my movie I'm putting. real horse something I'm really afraid. of like if I saw like a doppelganger or. racism yeah but you're talking about. things like what's the right ride. sharing app so uh is this uh is Amazon. Prime is it the free delivery uh do I. really need this in a day am I willing. to pay more for it the guy get out. really was based on yeah and by the way.

I'd have voted for. Obama I'm just I'm sorry I mean. really. yeah we'll we'll we'll work on a horror. premise this is why I don't get invited. to any of these cool horror discussions. you know what I found I found uh there. was a movie uh I think it was the. vanishing original the original. Vanishing I love I loved that movie it's. I love uh moments of Let the Right One.

In uh the original again they've always. keep remaking these movies but I like uh. The Originals um and I do love uh I mean. things like uh movies like Midsummer. freaked me out um okay so this this. tells me you are in fact a horror fan. and you have very good tastes these are. good movies and you and the vanishing is. up yeah that's dark stuff it's. really dark stuff a dark movie in all.

daylight that's the crazy thing it's so. well lit I honestly I didn't see that as. being your cup of tea oh you know what's. funny too I love those movies and I was. talking about this with my wife the. other day I said you never watch these. movies with me and she said cuz I don't. like that stuff and she said when we got. married I had no idea that this is and. and it's it's something that's been. growing but I really do love these films. but no one in my house my kids don't. like horror as a genre and so I have to.

go and watch these things alone and uh. then that feels creepy and S but so so. maybe I'll get you to come over can. watch i' like I'll bring the. cards bring your cardboard Ted. Danon and then um but you know uh I love. love that sense of eeriness hereditary. goes so crazily off the rails it's. insane um just iconic film I love this.

movie and so and so scary too AR's and I. don't know if you've met Ari he did this. same I played the same game with him and. he's very you know he's very nice very. funny very you know warm dude and as you. would imagine these M the the our film. just creeped into this like Eerie dark. place that I just you know I I I. couldn't even Wrangle it back he he's uh. from a horror perspective you know in in.

many ways he's the he's the champ well. you know I was going to say and I. thought cuz uh this is something it's. sort of what we're talking about but. just as in the witch I could I was just. looking at all these trees undulating. yeah but in nope when you're taking what. is a very friendly looking Sky it's a. friendly sky and it's not even a. menacing Cloud but it becomes menacing. it's for me it's all about difficulty of.

the dive which is how can you take. something that really is wouldn't. frighten you in any other situation you. know you don't have this dark. Thundercloud or whatever it's this very. calm beautiful sky and then you learn. that if you stare at it in the distance. you can identify that it's different. from the other but it takes a while and. I I loved all that I love the way you. just kept really slowly but just the. notching up and notching it up I love.

that thank you I'm I'm I'm I mean my. sort of philosophy of the the genre is. is you know I'm I'm I'm confrontational. with my audience but I also want to you. know I'm based on on a comedic. sensibility so I want to get the entire. audience on board and so one of the. challenges with the genre of horror and. nightmar is that you're asking. people to come take time out of their. lives and come to a worse world and a.

scarier world for a while and so some. people will are just hey I'm in I'm. let's go but for most people you kind of. need a c special set set of. circumstances and so what I found and. what I love in horror movies is when the. aesthetic and the the the vibe and I. love daytime horror where where. everything about the viewing experience. is soothing. and warm to the audience yeah yeah you.

know what you're you're sort of noticing. of course is in so many of the best. movies that that births the creepiest. sensibility because you know anything. that's sort of trying to be scary. through trying to be scary kind of ends. up in you know on on in a a Halloween. store yeah it's it's it's it's I mean. again we're jumping back the similar to. Comedy but my favorite comedy is there's. absolutely nothing funny going on here M. nothing funny is going on here like.

nothing funny happening here and that. was uh you know something that uh the. Zucker Brothers stumbled on which is no. let's just get these great straight men. actors to be an airplane and let's have. them do you know what I mean uh shirely. you don't think I do and don't call me. Shirley but they say it like I'm sorry. but your son is dead and and it's just. horrifying but they're saying this. absolutely hilarious stuff but in the. same way that they did on 1970s. detective shows MH so when you're.

nothing funny Happening Here is my. favorite kind of comedy and nothing scar. is happening here might be my favorite. kind of horror which is not the castle. and nighttime and you know and and. shrieking and Howling in the night it is. something you you can make a you know a. ranch country that otherwise is quite. beautiful uh or you can take uh a. beautiful weekend home and someone's. visiting his girlfriend and make it.

absolutely terrifying and to me that's. that's scarier it's the and it is so. much it's the music it's like if there. was a if for our interview here for our. discussion there was a camera slowly. moving around and as we as you talking. it was just more of. [Laughter]. a you know you would be like what the. is Conan about to do to Jordan you. know what's about to happen you know and.

it there is so and lots of you talking. and just and me just staring at you yeah. yeah exactly yeah that's it right but to. your point you being friendly and nice. the nicer you are with that music the. scarer the scene even becomes and the. more sort of joyous so this is the. reason like you know Smiles in are big. in horror it's that that instant visual. visceral primal contrad addiction of of.

your Terror you know is and this is part. part of why I find if I can unlock the. right horror engine and world I can get. more Glee out of trying to tell that. story than you know even doing sketch or. any any any other thing but it's not. like I can just go okay I'm going to. make a movie about I'm just going to. make my um Michael Myers movie where I. make a movie about some you know a. killer with a knife and necessarily have. that be fun for me yeah that's not going.

to be my my my thing so I'm uh respect. you know that's why Carpenter is the. goat yeah in in in horror yeah but um. you know yeah my my my I'm going to be. the uh looking for some way to subvert. it in my own. way.