Ella-Rae Smith is carving out a genre-bending oeuvre from future-facing sci-fi to opulent period dramas and everything in between. The British actor comes armed with a deep-rooted love of cinema, so we knew she would have a jam-packed list of movies to accompany everyone’s favourite spooky holiday.

We asked Smith what she’ll be watching come 31st October, and she replied with Jordan Peele’s 2019 psychological horror Us. Telling the story of a family attacked by clones of themselves in American suburbia, for Smith the real jump scare comes from a terrifying take on dystopia, not cartoonish screams and CGI blood (but there is plenty of blood in the mix, FYI). 

US by Jordan Peele, 2019

“As fun as slasher movies are, I find psychological and dystopian horror far more terrifying than blood, guts and gore. I love how Peele’s writing explores social issues through entertainment. My favourite part of Us is the final fight scene between Adelaide and Red; the cinematography and choreography are insane, but it’s Lupita Nyong’o’s performance that makes this film the triumph that it is.”