Ari Aster has directed three movies that have warped the boundaries of what audiences have come to expect from his psychological horror films. Before his first feature movie came out in 2018, Aster had only made short films up until that point. His movies often present worst-case, nightmarish scenarios to innocent-seeming people, with the main characters experiencing some sort of traumatic event that while shocking, is grounded in reality. The difference in Aster’s films, however, is that his victims are then forced to suffer increasingly bizarre and psychologically terrifying results of their situations.

Aster’s movies have all been generally lauded by audiences when they can stomach the content. Hereditary, Midsommar, and Beau is Afraid are not similar in plot and theme but are alike in other ways. They follow one main character who is confronted with a terrible life event and whether through their efforts to understand their grief or avoid it, they become trapped in a frightening and violent struggle. Each Aster film will elicit a different reaction, but they all have merit.

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Beau Is Afraid (2023)

An Ambitious Yet Challenging Journey

Beau is Afraid is Aster’s third movie and the one that leans most into the absurd and comedic and away from the horrific. Beau (Joaquin Phoenix) is a lonely and anxious middle-aged man who has to travel across the country to go to his mother’s funeral after her unexpected death. The movie is unsettling in its unwillingness to completely explain why Beau’s journey is so arduous and full of inexplicable side quests and that aimlessness can be frustrating for viewers.

It is not an easy film to digest and the climactic last third is so absurd that it loses some of the momentum from the past two hours. This differs from Aster’s previous two movies, which have more of a slow-burn approach that leads to a chaotic and wild climax. Beau is Afraid is Aster taking a big swing with his storytelling and seems well aware not everyone will be able to follow him in some of the choices. It is an admirably ambitious thriller that infuses more of Aster’s dark humor but is ultimately much harder to delve into compared to his other work.

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Midsommar (2019)

An Unsettling Horror Set At A Festival

Aster’s second movie Midsommar is set in the brightly lit land of Sweden. The white and pastel palette, along with the Nordic folk festival noted in the тιтle, immediately draws comparisons to The Wicker Man, and Midsommar has a similar dreamy feel. Dani Ardor (Florence Pugh) suffers a traumatic loss and is only able to find solace upon going to a strange Midsommar festival that leads to several shocking deaths.

It’s the kaleidoscope of colors and visual camera tricks that make Midsommar feel increasingly surreal as the intensity of the plot ramps up. The movie’s ideas on grief are a harrowing depiction of loneliness and give the movie an emotional heft. Pugh delivers a powerful performance in the lead role, cementing the fear and anxiety of Dani’s experiences in something very human even while the story gets more bizarre. It is a haunting and riveting experience that leads to a conclusion that, like many of the great ones, is still being debated among fans.

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Hereditary (2018)

Aster’s Acclaimed Feature Debut

Hereditary is Aster’s highest-acclaimed movie, with a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. It has many of the same themes of grief and sadness that he expanded on in Midsommar, but takes a spot over that movie for just how scary Hereditary is. After a family death, Annie Graham (Toni Collette) comes to believe her family is being haunted by an unseen evil. Hereditary is masterful in how it upsets and disturbs its audience, in part thanks to a mesmerizing performance from Collette, who plays a grief-stricken mother with unflinching honesty.

The horror starts early, but Aster manages to continuously heighten the dread until the last scene of the movie. It is a film that has become one of the defining examples of the so-called “elevated horror movie” movement, with filmmakers like Aster proving that there can be bold vision and nuanced storytelling done in a genre that is sometimes dismissed. However, more than anything, Hereditary cemented Aster as a filmmaker to watch for.

What’s Next For Ari Aster?

While Beau is Afraid did not get the same kind of reception that his other movies enjoyed, it has done nothing to harm his career as a filmmaker. Aster is returning soon with a new film, and as a sign of him becoming a major name in the industry, it is his most star-studded project to date. Eddington is a new movie that will reunite Aster with Joaquin Phoenix while also including Pedro Pascal, Austin Butler, and two-time Oscar winner Emma Stone.

Even more exciting for the project, Eddington will see Aster playing in a brand-new genre as it is described as a Western with dark comedic elements. The movie will reportedly revolve around a couple who becomes stranded in a small Texas town where they run into the local sheriff who has big aspirations. While the details are still vague, the cast that Aster has ᴀssembled is an impressive one. It also suggests that the material he is working with is exciting enough to attract some of the most sought-after stars working right now. While no release date is confirmed, Eddington is expected in 2025.