Jordan Peele on Why He Doesn’t Want His Movies to Be Labeled ‘Elevated’

If you’re a connoisseur of film, particularly one who’s well-versed in matters of horror, then the “elevated” descriptor likely has a palpable effect on you. In a new interview, director Jordan Peele addressed the “elevated” label, notably not expressing enthusiasm about its usage in relation to his own work.

Indeed, in a recent interview with the Verge, Peele dismissed the “elevated” categorization as a limiting way of looking at the medium.

“I don’t want people to think that I’m trying to make ‘elevated’ films,” Peele told Charles Pulliam-Moore. “I think that’s a trap that I don’t quite appreciate because I, you know, I like making fucked-up films. I like making weird movies that I’m really just not supposed to make—and sometimes challenge people on the other side of things as well.”

Nope, Peele’s latest film, hit theaters back in July and is now available for at-home viewing. Speaking over the summer with Karla Rodriguez for Complex, Peele addressed whether he, as a filmmaker, ever feels a sense of pressure when it comes to besting himself with each new project.

“I think you have to treat them as separate entities,” he said at the time. “Because I think even if people think they want you to do something similar, they really want you to break out of that mold and so that’s always the challenge I put on myself. How do I keep some essence of what people like about my work but give him something completely different and that’s how we got Nope.”