Before 2017, when Get Out was released, most people knew Jordan Peele for his comedy show Key and Peele, which he made with his longtime friend Keegan Michael Key. People were skeptical as none of his abilities for making genre films had been displayed in the past, and Blumhouse seemed to blindly trust him. But once the trailer premiered, people were stunned. And what followed was the industry's recognition of one of today's most important filmmakers.

With an Oscar in his hand, Peele has started to gain more and more recognition for being a filmmaker who knows plenty about the art of genre films. He's still a great comedian, but now he has a list of great movies under his belt that are extremely credible. Even with all the fame he's gathered, Peele remains humble and denies the title of best horror director, claiming that title belongs to John Carpenter. As the following ranking shows, his body of work in the writer and producer's seat is not only related to horror.

Updated on September 14th, 2023 by Federico Furzan: This article has been updated with additional content to keep the discussion fresh and relevant with even more information and new entries.

11 Keanu (2016)

If you're a fan of Key and Peele, then you're aware of this buddy-action film that relies heavily on spoofs and slapstick comedy. Keanu is a funny but also random movie that you might stumble upon any day. The plot is a bit corny but also perfect for the pair.

It follows two cousins (Key and Peele) who lose their cat to a gang, thus leading to the two of them infiltrating the gang to get Keanu back. The cast is solid, with Tiffany Haddish, Nia Long, Will Forte, and Keanu Reeves joining the hilarious duo.

10 Hunters (2020-2023)

Jordan Peele is an executive producer for the Prime Video show, Hunters. The show follows a group of Nazi hunters residing in New York City in the 1970s. The plot often stems off in different directions that are intense and slightly confusing. It features a great cast, consisting of Logan Lerman, who's new to Nazi hunting but takes over for his grandmother.

Al Pacino, who shines in the show as a Holocaust survivor, and Josh Radnor, who often helps the hunters with disguises are pure comedy relief. Unfortunately, the very interesting premise wasn't developed beyond a second season and audiences didn't like it as much as the first.

9 Candyman (2021)

The 2021 release of Candyman is a direct sequel to the 1992 version, continuing the story of the urban legend that is very much real. The story takes place in a gentrified Chicago neighborhood where an artist draws inspiration from the story of Helen Lyle, the woman who in the past kidnapped a baby and went on a killing spree.

Anthony digs around the legend of Candyman and performs the conjuring in the mirror, and soon falls prey to the spirit of the man with a hook in his hand that's always surrounded by bees. Peele participates as a co-writer in this new rendering of the very underrated franchise.

8 The Twilight Zone (2019-2020)

The new relaunch of The Twilight Zone was supposed to be great. It had Peele as a showrunner, narrator, and executive producer and a very strong cast. However, audiences simply didn't connect with all episodes, and as good as season 2 was, it was quickly canceled and scrapped from plans by CBS.

It was based on the same narrative style that Rod Serling used for the 1959 mind-bending TV show. Peele only participated as a writer for a season 2 episode that's not the best of the bunch. Perhaps, you should give it some time to settle and revisit it in a couple of years.

7 Wendell and Wild (2022)

This stop-motion film took over Netflix when it was released back in 2022, with Key and Peele voicing Wendell and Wild, the demon brothers who convince Kat Elliot to summon them to the realm of the living.

Wendell and Wild was directed by Henry Selick, the same guy who did Coraline, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and James and the Giant Peach. So if you're a fan of that slightly creepy but also pretty form of stop-motion, you should check this movie out. Peele wrote and produced the film as well.

Related: How Jordan Peele Has Helped Redefine the Horror Genre

6 Key & Peele (2012-2015)

When Key & Peele was at its peak, it dominated Comedy Central. Many fans of the duo came to know them because of this show that ran for five successful seasons, creating memorable sketches throughout each episode.

One of the most popular sketches is entitled "Substitute Teacher" and features Key as the title suggests, an anal teacher who goes out of his way to mispronounce his students' names. The sketch has more than 200 million views on YouTube and remains quotable to this day. If you're a fan of the show, then you know Peele constantly threw hints at the audience about what the future could bring.

5 Lovecraft Country (2020)

The very interesting Lovecraft Country was canceled after one season by HBO. Peele produced the show which is based in the 1950s, creating a mixture of history, racism, and supernatural elements that made it addicting to watch.

Jonathan Majors and Jurnee Smollett stunned viewers in every episode, as the tone became darker and darker, and each episode focused on intense storylines about a young man traveling through segregated America when he arrives in a small town where real writer H.P. Lovecraft supposedly found the creatures featured in his stories.

4 Get Out (2017)

The movie that changed the course of Jordan Peele's career. Get Out remains one of the best horror films in recent decades. Daniel Kaluuya stars as Chris, a photographer who agrees to meet his girlfriend's family for the first time.

While he's a bit apprehensive about meeting them because they're white, and he's Black, he has no idea what's in store for him when he gets there. Silent auctions, brain transplants, and modern-day slavery all occur in this film, and it'll have you on the edge of your seat the entire time.

3 BlacKkKlansman (2018)

BlacKkKlansman is very much a Spike Lee joint, but Peele produced it. The plot follows John David Washington's character, Ron Stallworth, as he's the first Black detective in Colorado Springs. Stallworth doesn't let the fact that he's the city's first Black detective deter him from taking on something big.

Something so big that it involves infiltrating and exposing the Ku Klux Klan. The cast featured around Washington is stacked, with Adam Driver, Topher Grace, and Laura Harrier all playing memorable roles.

2 Us (2019)

Us was Peele's second horror movie, and he once again nailed it. It tells the story of a family who goes on vacation to a beach town. The very first night, strangers stand outside the house. But they're not random people.

They're doppelgangers. What follows is Peele's version of a horror thriller with a great story background about who these people are. The ending will shock you to your core. The performance by Lupita Nyong'o as Red and Addy is one of the best in horror history.

1 Nope (2022)

Peele's most recent horror film, Nope, is in a class of its own. Daniel Kaluuya once again stars in the Peele-verse, as well as Keke Palmer, and Steven Yeun. The story is original, weird, and downright bone-chilling. It tells the story of siblings who decide to do something about the strange object that appears to hover over their ranch.

They don't mention the word "UFO", but you can tell by their faces they can't exactly understand the events. What follows is their discovery of a variation of what would normally be called an alien being. Jean Jacket is a spaceship as well as an alien being, and it has a twisted method for feeding itself with humans, horses, and everything that stands in its way. This one only makes us excited for Peele's next project. Hopefully, it'll be another horror film.