Him poses an interesting test to Jordan Peele as a name in Hollywood. The filmmaker behind hits like Get Out, Us, and Nope didn’t direct the psychological horror movie about football, but promotional material for Him has leaned into Jordan Peele’s role as a producer on the project and has benefited from that name recognition.

Given Him‘s relatively small budget, it shouldn’t be hard for the movie to become profitable for Universal. However, the more intriguing question about Him‘s potential success is what it means for Jordan Peele’s personal brand and whether his name can help push an independent horror movie to higher success.

Jordan Peele Didn’t Make Him, But He’s All Over The Marketing

Him‘s marketing has highlighted Jordan Peele’s connection to the film, making this the latest (and greatest) test of Peele’s influence as a brand-name in Hollywood. Written by Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie, Him was quickly bought by Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions and Universal Pictures after it started getting shopped around Hollywood.

The film wasn’t directly made by Peele, with Justin Tipping serving as the film’s director. However, Peele’s connection to the movie as a producer has been prevalent in the marketing and advertisements for the film. This makes sense on multiple levels, especially in light of Peele’s success as a horror filmmaker with Universal.

Him shares many traits with the horror movies that Peele directs, including a focus on black characters, psychological horror mixed with comedy, and social commentary. Him’s exploration of the world of sports feels like the kind of material Peele would want to explore (and was a frequent topic of satire in his sketch show with Keegan-Michael Key, Key and Peele).

Him very much feels like the sort of story that fits in alongside Peele’s movies like Get Out and Nope. Even if Peele didn’t directly make Him, his role as a producer and the content of the story create an inherent connection to the movies he was more directly involved in.

Given the critical and commercial success of those movies, it makes sense why Universal would want Him to underscore that connection in its marketing. This might also be a useful way to get eyes on Him, especially given the way Jordan Peele has influenced the modern horror genre.

How Jordan Peele Changed Horror (And Opened The Door For Him)

It’s impossible to understate the impact Jordan Peele had on the horror genre when Get Out debuted in 2017. Part of a wave of elevated horror that also included movies like The Babadook and Hereditary, Get Out was so well-received that it even buckled tradition by earning Peele an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

While that era of horror filmmaking has led to several impressive new filmmakers and approaches to the genre, Peele’s focus on black characters, terrifying visuals, and authentic stories feels especially important to the current state of horror movies in modern Hollywood.

More diversity and themes about race, gentrification, and prejudice began to appear at the forefront of horror movies after Get Out. Vampires have especially leaned into this tenor by fusing the horror elements of Sinners, Day Shift, Vampires vs. the Bronx, and The Last Voyage of the Demeter with strong focuses on social commentary.

Filmmakers like Nia DeCosta, Tim Story, and Ryan Coogler have continued to push the genre in the direction that Peele proved could be profitable for Hollywood. Candyman (which Peele co-wrote with DeCosta), The Blackening, and Sinners all highlight how that approach can lead to impactful movies that are still engrossing and terrifying.

Him is the latest to do so, fusing a psychological horror and introspective story about the cost of ambition with the kind of cultural commentary that fuels Jordan Peele’s films. The fact that the film directly has Peele involved as a producer makes it easy for the studio to underline that connection, especially given Peele’s proven success.

Him presents an interesting test of the power of Peele’s name as a brand. If the film does well at the box office, part of that will be attributed to Peele’s name recognition as well as the craft of the filmmakers. It doesn’t hurt that Him was produced for a relatively lean $27 million, so turning a profit won’t be hard.

Him could also run into issues. The focus on football as a dangerous sport could hinder it, much like Will Smith’s Concussion failed to land with general audiences. It’s a heavy subject, especially just as football season gets going. If it fails to catch on with audiences, Peele’s status as one of the leading voices in horror could be challenged.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens with Him and how it impacts how Hollywood sees Jordan Peele, especially in light of Peele’s next movie being removed from the 2026 calendar. It helps that Him is great, and hopefully it earns the reviews and box office gross to reaffirm Peele’s place as a modern master of the horror genre.