Weird winds spell danger in science-fiction horror film Nope

SINGAPORE - Writer-director Jordan Peele says he came to make movies because no one satisfied his cravings as a film buff.

"I always look for something that doesn't exist as a film that I wish I could see," says the American maker of politically charged horror films Get Out (2017) and Us (2019).

Get Out won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, with additional nominations for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor (Daniel Kaluuya).

Whetting that appetite then becomes a duty, with Nope being the latest offering.

"I have a responsibility to make this movie," Peele, 43, says at an online press conference. "And in this case, it was to make a truly horrifying UFO film that immerses us into the situation."

Opening in cinemas on Aug 18, Nope follows the story of siblings O.J. (Kaluuya) and Em (Keke Palmer), who operate a failing horse ranch in the desert.

When a mysterious force makes itself known in the skies over their property, they decide to confront it, with terrifying consequences.

Peele and Nope sound designer Johnnie Burn had a problem: How do you make the hairs on the back of the neck stand up when the danger in the skies is faint, but coming closer? The rule: To use a natural sound to increase the audience's sense of immersion.

Peele says: "We started talking early about how you can sense something is close, that feeling of being in its presence. The first thing we started talking about was the wind. One of the things that Johnnie happened to have was a library of wind sounds."

In the film, horse trainer O.J. spends a great deal of screen time on horseback.

Rather than cast an actor with riding experience, Peele went with Kaluuya, an actor who throws himself into training if the part calls for it.

For Get Out, Kaluuya had to lose his British accent and sound like an American. Peele says he had his doubts until Kaluuya went away and came back with a new voice. "And I found it flawless," he recalls.

"So for Nope, when I told him about the riding, he said, 'I got you. I am going to be a rider, next time you see me.' And basically, that's what happened."

American actor Steven Yeun, 38, plays Ricky, owner of an Old West theme park located next to O.J.'s horse ranch. Ricky is a former child star who is now a carnival showman.

Yeun, speaking at a separate conference, says he had no shortage of inspiration for his character. From television preachers to the eccentric Willy Wonka from the 1964 Roald Dahl book Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, he had plenty of options.

"There were evangelical pastors that we looked at. But I also thought about Willy Wonka. He had this cultish way about him that I really wanted to tap. Televangelists have this charisma," he says.

Both televangelists and Wonka, as portrayed by Gene Wilder in the 1971 film adaptation, have a way of looking as lost in excitement and wonderment as their audiences, while another part of themselves remains fully aware and in control of the situation, says Yeun.

"Playing in that world was fascinating," he says.

Nope opens in cinemas on Aug 18.