South by Southwest Film Festival, opening with Jordan Peele's 'Us,' will bring the unexpected

Having already established itself as a home for rowdy comedies, the South by Southwest Film Festival is now looking to lay claim as a destination for heady scares.

Last year's opening-night film, John Krasinski's alien-invasion family drama fright fest "A Quiet Place," played to a riotous response at the festival and went on to more than $188 million at the U.S. box office and awards season recognition including an Oscar nomination for sound editing.

This year's opening-night film, Jordan Peele's "Us," arrives as already one of the most anticipated films of the year. Peele's previous film as writer-director, "Get Out," took in more than $176 million at the U.S. box office, won Peele an Oscar for original screenplay and became a cultural phenomenon. The festival will close with another buzzy horror title: the world premiere of Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer's remake of Stephen King's "Pet Sematary."