Upcoming Black horror series ‘THEM’ resembles Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’ and ‘Get Out’

‘Them’ comments on racism as its main characters, the Emory family, move into their new home. (Youtube/THEM - Official Trailer)

Amazon Prime Video’s newest anthology series “THEM” paralleled Jordan Peele’s horror films “Us” and “Get Out” in its trailer release.

Creator and writer Little Marvin has worked closely on the first season of the show, “THEM: Covenant,” which follows a Black family during the ‘50s. The trailer, released on March 22, shows the terror that Lucky (Deborah Ayorinde) and Henry (Ashley Thomas) Emory face when moving into an all-white Los Angeles suburb from North Carolina. 

The Emorys are accompanied by their two daughters. Gracie, played by Melody Hurd, and Ruby, played by Shahadi Wright Joseph. Joseph is well-known for her role in Peele’s “Us” as Zora Wilson.

According to the show’s synopsis, “The family’s idyllic home becomes ground zero where malevolent forces, next door and otherworldly, threaten to taunt, ravage and destroy them.”

Peele has been applauded for centering his films around Black families and characters. His film “Get Out” followed Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) as he visited his girlfriend’s family in the suburbs, only to discover that they were kidnapping and brainwashing other African-Americans. 

Marvin’s newest creation works similarly by placing its Black characters into a seemingly uncomfortable, white-centric setting. The main difference being that the neighbors in “Them” make no attempt at being inviting.

For the series, Marvin said in an interview that he plans for each season to follow historically marginalized characters. 

“There’s really no more quintessential part of the American dream than the dream of homeownership,” said Marvin. “Especially for Black folks, it’s a point of great pride.”

However, the inclusion of racism in Marvin’s “THEM” is much different from Peele’s films. It’s blatant, bold and at the forefront of the show's plot. The trailer shows examples of historical redlining, but also a Jim Crow character at a minstrel show, among other plots from the white neighbors.

The show has already been renewed for a second season and is expected to air on Amazon Prime Video on April 9.