The Domestic Trauma and Horror of Ari Aster
Horror is about seeing your life through the lens of anxiety. It doesn't have to jump-scare you; sometimes, the idea of knowing there's a monster lurking under your bed is more frightening than the monster itself. The uneasiness is enough to increase your adrenaline; to make the story worth reading or watching. That's the type of film Ari Aster creates.
Although Aster hasn't written any novels, and this may be an unfair comparison, to me, Ari Aster is the opposite of Stephen King. With many of King’s books, the antagonist is a clearly-defined, supernatural monster or villain like IT and El Cuco from The Outsider. Ari Aster's horror, however, is more subtle and relatable, drawing from the closeness of domestic, both family and relationship, trauma.
Where you should begin: Hereditary
The same reason why family is so important to us is also the reason it can terrify us. The destruction of the family can be the engine of the horror.
Hereditary is a supernatural, folk horror film that explores the unraveling of a family when their matriarch passes away.
I think your debut film or album or book is the one that most closely encapsulates who you are as an artist. Hereditary does that for Aster. If I were to describe his work, it would be: a rich color palette, sharp dialogue, and well-researched drawing from mythology or demonology. It would also have a slow-build to a finale-type ending and explores something that feels personal (like in this case, a death in the family).
What you should watch next: The Strange Thing About the Johnsons
The Strange Thing About The Johnsons is Aster's short film he wrote and directed during his time in the AFI directing program. The question he poses in this film is also the plot twist, and given in the first scene (SPOILER: The question is: what if, instead of a parent abusing the child, the child abuses the parent?).
Similar to Hereditary, the film explores the destruction of the family, but as a short film and consolidated into 30 minutes, it makes it more of a thriller. It has this reddish, brown color scheme that makes it feel familiar and comfortable, like you’re in the family's home. The film was created awhile ago, so the resolution is not great, and it gets disturbing to the least since it’s exploring this domestic taboo, but its definitely worth the watch.
Here’s the full movie.
After that: Midsommar, The Director's Cut
Similarly to family, romantic relationships can also terrorize us, as shown in Midsommar. Aster describes this movie as a break-up film, and with that context, it doesn’t disappoint.
The main characters are a couple traveling to Sweden to visit a friend's rural hometown for its midsummer festival, but like any horror, the trip doesn’t go as planned. The Scandinavian folklore and surrealist elements are enough to make this one of my favorite horror films. But also, in this movie, Aster uses the fear of losing someone in a relationship as a way to get characters to make decisions that drive the plot forward and, ultimately, scare us - I find that concept fascinating.
Where you should end:
A24 Podcast: Deep Cuts with Ari Aster and Robert Eggers
A24 is the studio also behind Uncut Gems, Lady Bird, Moonlight, and Euphoria and provides enough time for these two master horror filmmakers to talk about the genre, filmmaking and writing inspiration.
Ari Aster on Midsommar, Cathartic Endings, the Director's Cut, and His Favorite Films
How Hereditary Director Ari Aster Became an Unlikely Horror Hero
I think these interviews give more understanding and context to his work, and how to see it outside of the horror genre, more simply as a break-up film or a comedy of sorts. They discuss Aster's approach to filmmaking and screenplays and his process for creating the feature films.
I think if you’re looking to move beyond the jump-scare movies ( i.e. Halloween, Scream- although classics), and to get deeper into how horror has evolved, Ari Aster films are the place to start.
