The Goonies isn't the only tape on the shelf in the opening scene — a copy of C.H.U.D. is also there. If you haven't seen it, the 1985 horror/sci-fi flick from director Douglas Cheek imagines what would happen if a bunch of murderous, humanoid monsters began pouring out of the sewers under New York City to seek revenge on humans. (The title of the film stands for Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers, FYI.)
If you've seen Us, then hopefully you should understand why Peele decided to include a nod to a film about creatures rising up from below to take over. But the reference actually goes even deeper: Peele has a direct connection to the horror movie.
"Fun fact: My first girlfriend's father directed C.H.U.D., when I was, like, 11 or 12 or something like that," he said in an interview with Polygon. "Her father was Douglas Cheek. So that was my introduction to C.H.U.D. So there's a little personal thing for me."