Ari Aster has made his mark as one of modern cinema's most provocative voices.
The New York-born director cut his teeth on a series of increasingly disturbing short films before joining the greats of the horror scene with 2018's Hereditary.
Since then, he's continued to challenge audiences with work that blends psychological terror, dark comedy, and human dysfunction.
Here's every Ari Aster film ranked, from his earliest student work to his latest pandemic satire.
Herman's Cure-All Tonic
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Every filmmaker has to start somewhere, and Aster's 12-minute debut shows a young artist finding his voice. The story follows Harold, who works at his father's pharmacy selling a mysterious "cure-all tonic." The character is one we'll see often in Aster's works—nervous, timid, and bullied.
TDF Really Works
TDF Really Works (2011) | Ari Aster www.youtube.com
At just under three minutes, this mock infomercial for a product called "Tino's Dick Fart" represents Aster at his most juvenile and shocking. The director even appears on camera.
It's silly, it's NSFW, it's something any of us could make at home in terms of content. So let that light a creative fire in you, if anything.
The Turtle's Head
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This satirical detective story is a deeply silly yet strangely effective noir parody. The plot centers on a misogynist private investigator faced with an unusual mystery that's both absurd and anatomically specific. While it shares the immature sensibilities of TDF Really Works, the noir stylings and commitment to the bit make it significantly more entertaining.
Be warned, this is definitely NSFW.
C'est La Vie
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Aster's final short film before transitioning to features showcases his growing sophistication as a filmmaker. The eight-minute film follows a frustrated unhoused man as he wanders around Los Angeles, ranting directly to the viewer about everything that is wrong in the world. It's very similar to Basically but has greater scope.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons
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Aster's thesis film at AFI was a disturbing short entitled The Strange Thing About the Johnsons, about a son who sexually abuses his father. This 29-minute project tackles a taboo subject with the precision of a psychological thriller. It also effectively put Aster on the map as a filmmaker willing to explore the darkest corners of human experience.
Basically
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Rachel Brosnahan stars in this 15-minute monologue, playing an actor who speaks directly to camera about her unfulfilling life. Shot across various locations, the short demonstrates Aster's growing confidence with storytelling and character development. This one in particular feels inspiring. It's simple but visually interesting and shows you can do a lot with very little.
Beau
Billy Mayo in 'Beau'
This early version of what would eventually become Beau Is Afraid demonstrates Aster's vision even as a student filmmaker. At just 11 minutes, Beau the short captures the essence of anxiety-driven paranoia that would later be expanded into the feature. Billy Mayo delivers a very different interpretation of the protagonist than the one eventually given by Joaquin Phoenix.
Eddington
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Aster's latest film, a pandemic-era Western that examines American polarization through the lens of a fictional New Mexico town, has been divisive. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as a sheriff and Pedro Pascal as a mayor who clash over COVID restrictions.
Critical reception has been mixed, with a 70% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film's attempt to satirize both sides of America's culture wars has earned both praise for its ambition and criticism for its supposed cynicism. At least it got people talking, which is more than a lot of modern films can claim. I'm glad Aster continues to get opportunities to make weird movies.
Beau Is Afraid
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What could be more enjoyable than a three-hour anxiety odyssey? I saw Beau Is Afraid once, and haven't returned to it, but it has stuck with me. Joaquin Phoenix's protagonist is on a surreal journey to visit his mother, and the performance is moving even when absurd.
As a psychological horror-comedy, it works up to a point, and then it becomes something else. If you haven't been on the ride up until that moment, the rest of the film likely doesn't work for you.
Midsommar
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Aster's follow-up to Hereditary is a daylight horror that follows a group of Americans who visit a Swedish commune, only to discover the community's disturbing rituals. Florence Pugh delivers a breakout performance as the lead character, Dani.
The film received positive reviews from critics, with many praising Aster's direction and Pugh's dedication. This movie has been one of the recent ones that gets pagan/folk horror right, mostly because the scares are so clearly tied to characters, rather than simple weirdness.
Hereditary
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Aster's feature debut remains his masterpiece. It also remains my favorite horror film experience of all time, as I saw this one at its late-night premiere at the Sundance Film Festival with Aster and the jury in attendance. The gasps in that theater, particularly after the midpoint turn, still haunt me.
The film was praised in The New York Times as a "visually ambitious and ruthlessly disturbing supernatural story that is also an intricate meditation on mourning." The movie works on multiple levels because it is so personal. It's about grief and family dysfunction, and it builds a genuinely terrifying experience.
