Warning! SPOILERS for Nope.
One of the main themes of Nope is the spectacle of cinema, so it makes sense that Jordan Peele has included numerous Easter eggs and references to film history and alien invasions in pop culture. Nope is Peele’s third feature and horror movie, following the massive success of Get Out and mixed responses for Us. Although there is no shared cinematic universe between them all, each of Peele’s films have simplistic titles and social commentary explicitly woven into the narrative. Get Out and Us also included references to classic horror, but the themes of Nope allow for even more Easter eggs for the observant viewer to discover.
Although comparisons to Jordan Peele’s other films are inevitable, the major difference Nope has from Get Out and Us is the sub-genre of horror it belongs to. While Get Out has a similar premise to the classic alien horror movie, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, there is nothing extraterrestrial in the plot. Similarly, Us borrowed from several doppelgänger and home invasion narratives to create his own unique vision of horror. While Nope finds inspiration from beloved alien invasion narratives, Peele adds his own unique twist to the horror sub-genre.
Each of the alien invasion inspirations are referenced in Nope, along with additional Easter eggs that add to the film’s overall themes. Some of these references are explicitly discussed or shown within the film’s narrative, while others take a bit more prior knowledge to recognize. When ranking Jordan Peele’s movies, Nope may be at the bottom, but it easily contains the most Easter eggs. Here are each of the movie and pop culture references in Nope, from the obvious to the more obscure.
Click here to watch Nope: 25 Things You Missed on YouTube.
The Horse In Motion
Although it preceded the invention of the movie camera by over 10 years, a series of sequentially shot photographs known as “The Horse in Motion” were an important step in the development of motion pictures. These photos were shot by Eadweard Muybridge in 1878, commissioned by former Governor of California Leland Stanford in an attempt to prove all four feet of a horse simultaneously leave the ground when running. Muybridge would repeat this process multiple times following the initial experiment, and Nope opens with the animation of a series of these photographs shot in 1887. Beginning with these horse images and Keke Palmer’s character’s claims that she is a descendant of the jockey in them allows Jordan Peele to connect Nope to the western genre early on.
Buck And The Preacher Movie Poster
There is plenty of western imagery in the movie, as Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer play siblings who co-own a ranch for business training and handling horses for use in film and television. Their house also includes a poster from the 1972 western, Buck and the Preacher, which famously starred black actor and icon Sidney Poitier. The film also served as Poitier’s directorial debut and was proof that a western with a black star could succeed, much like Jordan Peele’s directorial debut Get Out did for the horror genre.
The Wizard of Oz Connections
Jordan Peele has listed The Wizard of Oz as an inspiration for Nope because of similar themes about spectacle, but he also makes more direct connections between the two films. The most obvious is a reference to the tornado, which picks up Dorothy’s house and crushes The ’s Wicked Witch of the East. In Nope, a tornado-like manipulation of wind and dust is used by the alien to suck up human and animal victims. Additionally, Keke Palmer’s character is named Emerald, which is likely a reference to Emerald City, Dorothy’s final destination in The Wizard of Oz. Palmer is also often seen wearing green in Nope, connecting the character’s costume design with this name.
The Scorpion King Sweatshirt
Just like Emerald, Daniel Kaluuya’s character OJ (short for Otis Jr.) is often seen wearing clothing that aligns with the color suggested by his name. Most notable is an orange sweatshirt he dons for the film’s climactic sequence, which also happens to be an article of clothing given to crew of The Scorpion King. The Scorpion King featured Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in his first starring role, as a spin-off and prequel to The Mummy franchise. OJ explains that The Scorpion King was the first film he worked on, though he downplays the experience by complaining that production ended up choosing to use camels instead of horses.
Us Scissors
With business being slow, OJ is forced to sell some of his family’s horses to a nearby Western theme park called Jupiter’s Claim which is owned and operated by former child star Ricky "Jupe" Park (Steven Yeun). When OJ brings the latest horse to Jupe, a pair of scissors can be seen on his desk in the office. These scissors bear a striking resemblance to the pair used by the Tethered in Us and also seen in the advance poster for Peele’s sophomore film.
Nahum 3:6 Bible Verse
Nope opens with a bible quote from the Old Testament book of Nahum that references spectacle, the main theme of Jordan Peele’s film. The quote reads, "I will cast abominable filth upon you, make you vile, and make you a spectacle," foreshadowing the dangers characters face when attempting to be a part of the spectacle in Nope. This is seen throughout the film, as nearly every character capitalizing on violent spectacles is punished with events OJ refers to as “bad miracles.”
King Kong Spectacle Connections
The first violent spectacle depicted in Nope is a tragic on-set incident occurring during the filming of a sitcom Jupe starred in as a child called Gordy’s Home, which may also be a reference to an iconic moment in the original 1933 King Kong. The use of a chimpanzee in the cast results in a bloody animal attack, the spectacle of which Jupe later capitalizes upon with a secret room in his theme park containing memorabilia from the accident. Not only does Gordy’s Home’s use of the chimpanzee as spectacle parallel the attempt to profit from King Kong with a Broadway stage show in the 1933 film, with both ending in violence, but Jupe also tries to make a spectacle out of the alien with a theme park show. Like both Gordy’s Home and King Kong, this ends badly when the alien proves unwilling to be tamed for an audience.
Oprah Winfrey Show References
When OJ and Emerald attempt to capture images of the alien's existence with the hope that it will lead to an interview by Oprah Winfrey, they seem to be ignoring the fact that The Oprah Winfrey Show went off the air in 2011. Oprah did interview Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2021, and perhaps OJ and Emerald were hoping their discovery would be enough to inspire a similar special event with the former talk show host. The references to Oprah paired with the chimpanzee attack on the set of Gordy’s Home recalls a segment on The Oprah Winfrey Show about Charla Nash, a woman who was mauled and disfigured by her chimp Travis. When Jupe’s former co-star Mary Jo (Sophia Coto) visits Jupiter’s Claim, she is wearing a hat and veil to hide her scars from the chimpanzee attack. Both the scars and the outfit also resemble Nash during her interview with Oprah.
SNL Sketch Similarities
When recalling the Gordy’s Home incident to OJ and Emerald, Jupe instead describes a sketch done on Saturday Night Live based on the events, explaining that Chris Kattan played the chimpanzee for the show. SNL regularly bases jokes off of pop culture, but Nope flips this around by referencing a classic series of sketches from the show. While the sketch Jupe describes doesn’t actually exist, Chris Kattan did regularly play a part monkey/part human named Mr. Peepers, who was first introduced in a parody of the animal segments often seen on The Tonight Show.
Fry Electronics
OJ and Emerald visit a Fry’s Electronics store to purchase the surveillance equipment they hope to use in their efforts to capture the alien on film, where they meet employee and alien enthusiast Angel (Brandon Perea). Each Fry’s location featured a unique theme before the family-owned chain when out of business in 2021. Although the use of the store raises questions about the film’s timeline, the alien theme used for the Burbank branch was the perfect setting for the purchases in Nope.
