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Well, here is Ari Aster, a name that surely rings a bell if you are a bit into horror movies. He is 38 years old (in 2025, so born on July 15, 1986), nearly 1.80m tall, this New Yorker by origin, son of a musician and a poetess, has this true unique thing in the genre. It is there, in his hometown, that he took his first steps, locking himself in video stores, where he devoured horror movies like no one else.
You know, what’s crazy is that before making a name for himself with his super striking films, he struggled like everyone else. He attended the American Film Institute, tried his hand at short films, sometimes disturbing, sometimes funny. His first real stroke of genius is this chilling short, The Strange Thing About the Johnsons, released in 2011, where he dares to talk about family taboos. Honestly, it hits hard.
Recognition would come, too, but not without controversy. With Hereditary in 2018 then Midsommar in 2019, Ari Aster threw at us what can be called a new kind of horror, one that twists your stomach and leaves you speechless. It’s not just jumpscares, it’s psychological weight, a horror that seeps in.
And in 2025, he comes back with Eddington, a horror western that’s a hit, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal to paint a tense atmosphere in a little corner of New Mexico. I swear, this guy knows how to scare differently.
Who is Ari Aster, the new face of psychological horror?
Ari Aster is this American director and screenwriter, born in the Big Apple on July 15, 1986. A 38-year-old man who constantly tweaks your nerves with stories that are anything but ordinary. His films have become landmarks for those who love horror, but not light horror.
Already, he has a pedigree that catches attention: son of a musician and a poetess, he has been immersed in a creative universe since childhood. Jewish by faith, he spent his childhood between New York, England, and a bit later, New Mexico.
His beginnings are marked by a perfect obsession with horror cinema. Crazy video stores, writing tons of scripts, until graduating from the American Film Institute, where he sharpens his style, it smells serious.
Having gone through several short films, often with his friends from drama school, he got noticed for the boldness of his choices. The “horror film” genre didn’t exactly woo him at first, but he managed to revolutionize it.
The major milestones of a career made of boldness and discomfort
So here it is, before fame, Ari Aster wasn’t a prodigy born with a camera. He toiled with his shorts, like the famous The Strange Thing About the Johnsons, a real shock. This short created quite a buzz, between fascination and rejection.
His smashing theatrical debut is Hereditary in 2018. A brutally tense film that talks about cursed family dynasties, with Toni Collette going wild. 81 million dollars in revenue on a ridiculously low budget, and a critical success that slaps.
Next, Midsommar. This nightmarish road trip in Sweden that sticks a nauseating atmosphere, led by a crazy Florence Pugh. The film is so calm that it’s almost hypnotic, leaning towards pagan rites and collective madness.
Meanwhile, Aster created his production company, Square Peg, to keep control of his projects, and in 2023 he unleashed Beau Is Afraid, a dive into paranoid psyche with Joaquin Phoenix. Then this horror western Eddington in 2025 which hooks with stars like Pedro Pascal and Emma Stone.
Ari Aster: a unique style between graphic horror and psychology
What scares with Ari Aster isn’t just the monsters you see on screen. No, he fully plays the card of psychic tension: chilling screams, almost realistic mutilations, and especially bodies frozen almost alive, which create insane anxiety.
He likes to confront generations, oppose devastated mothers to their sons, or naive youths to old ancestral rituals. This game of opposites amplifies the feeling of strangeness found in every frozen frame he masters perfectly.
He’s not afraid of taboo themes, nor scenes that turn your stomach. And all that is partly drawn from his own traumatic family stories, which nourish his storytelling. You feel that it’s cathartic, but also very personal.
Furthermore, he is a great fan of pagan iconography and ancient runes, which gives you the impression of witchcraft at the corner of every image. A universe that causes scandal, fascinates and stays in your mind long after the release.
Recent projects of Ari Aster and his influence in 2025
His latest baby, Eddington, is this horror western in a tense little corner of New Mexico. With Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone, it tells tensions between a sheriff and a mayor. It made noise at the Cannes Festival 2025.
It’s a bit of a winning comeback for this director who still pushes the limits of visual horror. And from the inside too. After Beau Is Afraid which divided audiences, Eddington confirms that Ari does not do things halfway. No one agrees anymore on what is “real” in his films, it’s quite crazy.
He simultaneously continues to produce films and collaborate with other talents from independent cinema, which clearly shows he does not want to set limits. A creator who loves experimentation, while remaining very rooted in harsh and intimate atmospheres.
He remains a director to follow very closely, one of those who makes you think, scream and shiver at the same time. And if you want to dig deeper, I highly recommend checking out his filmography on IMDb or his many detailed projects on AlloCiné.
5 fascinating things to know about Ari Aster 🧟♂️
- 👶 He spent his childhood between three places: New York, Chester in England, and New Mexico.
- 🎥 His shock short The Strange Thing About the Johnsons made waves in 2011.
- 🧠 His horror is more psychological than filled with easy jumpscares.
- 🐲 He inserts in his films a whole pagan and runic iconography, a real craftsman’s work.
- 🤯 He draws heavily from his own family traumas to write his stories.
And to finish, some juicy anecdotes about the director
Did you know Ari Aster long refused to write horror films? Yes, it goes against all logic, but he found it too “commercial.” Eventually, he dived into it with a kind of obsession that no one recovers from.
He is also a big fan of Ingmar Bergman, which explains his taste for heavy atmosphere, symbols and omnipresent mourning. It’s crazy how he managed to mix this austere inspiration with a genre that often makes people cringe.
Finally, the director has an insane ability to mix long takes and static shots, giving his cinema an almost hypnotic, almost mesmerizing atmosphere. Honestly, it’s his trademark.
To follow all his news, especially about his latest film Eddington, you can for example read the very comprehensive articles on Numéro or Le Monde.
