The Tales and Grotesque Visuals of Ari Aster’s “Hereditary”, “Midsommar”, and “Beau Is Afraid"

MD Films
Mar 2
5 min read

Ari Aster doesn’t just scare us—he unravels us.

Ari Aster is considered one of the most original filmmakers of recent years. Since 2018 and Hereditary, critics and fans have fallen in love with his style of narrating and visual depiction of horror. He became famous for blending deeply emotional storytelling with unsettling, grotesque imagery. His films, “Hereditary”, “Midsommar”, and “Beau Is Afraid" share thematic and visual aspects such as family dysfunction, psychological unraveling, and a sense of dread.

Ari Aster’s "Hereditary" (2018), "Midsommar" (2019), and "Beau Is Afraid" (2023) each present a distinct flavor of horror, unified by his signature style of blending deep emotional narratives with unsettling visuals. "Hereditary" centers on a family unraveling through grief, guilt, and inherited trauma, culminating in supernatural horror, while "Midsommar" follows a journey from personal loss to a perverse sense of belonging within a pagan cult, framed as a twisted fairy tale.

In contrast, "Beau Is Afraid" offers a surreal odyssey of anxiety and paranoia, intertwining dark comedy with existential dread. Across these films, Aster explores the unraveling of a family in "Hereditary," a shift from isolation to cult acceptance in "Midsommar," and a chaotic descent into psychological turmoil in "Beau Is Afraid," consistently weaving themes of isolation, manipulation, and inevitability into his directorial approach, solidifying his unique mark on the horror genre.

In Ari Aster’s films, the grotesque manifests as a powerful blend of visual, symbolic, and psychological elements, rendering his works surreal and distinctly "weird," with each movie employing this approach to interweave narrative and imagery in unique ways. In "Hereditary," the stark realism of domestic spaces clashes with shocking moments like Charlie’s decapitation and Annie’s possessed body—her death and the attic discovery of Ellen’s corpse deepening family trauma—utilizing dark, moody lighting to amplify the horror.

Conversely, "Midsommar" twists bright daylight into a grotesque pastoral nightmare, exemplified by the Ättestupa cliff scene, where elders leap to their deaths, and Christian’s disturbing ritual, marked by floral mutilation, which highlight the cult’s horror and contrast beauty with unease, enhancing the film’s twisted fairy-tale quality. "Beau Is Afraid," my least favorite, opts for absurd, nightmarish visuals—such as attic monsters, warped suburban landscapes, a hobo crashing into the bathroom, and a surreal stadium trial—blurring reality and hallucination in a comedic tone that reflects Beau’s anxiety.

Aster’s intriguing techniques, including slow pans, symmetry, and body horror, unify these disturbing, symbolic moments, showing similarities in exploring psychological states across the films while differing in tone and setting, from "Hereditary’s" dark horror to "Midsommar’s" bright unease and "Beau Is Afraid’s" surreal comedy.

The true power of his films is how he interplays the tale with the visuals. The emotional weight, the grief in Hereditary, break up in Midsommar and fear in Beau is accomplished through grotesque imagery and deep storytelling.

Hereditary (2018): Family Trauma and Supernatural Horror

Hereditary follows the Graham family as they unravel after the death of Annie’s secretive mother, Ellen, descending into grief, guilt, and occult horror. Key grotesque moments include Charlie’s decapitation—a shocking car accident tied to the family’s supernatural ties—and Annie’s possession, culminating in her fiery demise, which underscores her consuming guilt with dark, moody lighting. The discovery of Ellen’s rotting, headless corpse in the attic reveals the cult’s depths, blending visceral horror with narrative momentum.

"Midsommar" (2019): Cult Rituals and Twisted Belonging

Midsommar tracks Dani and Christian’s journey to a Swedish midsummer festival that spirals into a pagan cult’s rituals. Its bright daylight setting contrasts beauty with horror, exemplified by the Ättestupa ceremony, where elders leap to their deaths, and Christian’s coerced, sexually charged ritual, watched by nude elders, symbolizing cult control. Mark’s punishment—his face worn as a mask after a sacred violation—further highlights the cult’s grotesque retribution, enhancing Dani’s shift from isolation to acceptance.

"Beau Is Afraid" (2023): Surreal Anxiety and Existential Dread

Beau Is Afraid follows Beau’s anxious odyssey to his mother’s funeral, blending dark humor with nightmarish visuals. A hobo crashing into his bathroom sparks a chaotic, naked sprint, reflecting his paranoia comedically. The surreal stadium trial, with his mother presiding, symbolizes his fear of judgment, while his ambiguous launch into the sky—via a water surge—caps the film’s absurdity, mirroring his fractured psyche.

Ari Aster’s films—Hereditary, Midsommar, and Beau Is Afraid—share striking similarities in their use of grotesque visuals to deepen psychological and narrative impact. Each employs these visuals to externalize internal conflicts, reflecting family trauma in Hereditary through scenes like Charlie’s decapitation, cult acceptance in Midsommar via the Ättestupa ceremony, and anxiety in Beau Is Afraid with Beau’s chaotic bathroom incident. These moments are not mere shocks but integral to the plot, driving the story forward while showcasing Aster’s signature techniques—slow pans, symmetry, and body horror—evident in the lingering shot of Annie’s possessed body, the symmetrical maypole dancing, and the surreal stadium trial, all of which amplify the grotesque effect and unify his distinctive style across the three works.

Ari Aster’s films diverge significantly in their approach to tone, setting, and the role of grotesque visuals, shaping their distinct identities within the horror genre. Hereditary employs dark, moody lighting to craft traditional horror, while Midsommar juxtaposes bright daylight with folk unease, and Beau Is Afraid leans into surreal, comedic nightmarish visuals. The function of the grotesque also varies: in Hereditary and Midsommar, it drives the plot, intensifying the horror through visceral events, whereas in Beau Is Afraid, it serves a symbolic purpose, illustrating Beau’s fractured psyche rather than advancing a conventional narrative. This divergence is reflected in their critical reception, with Hereditary and Midsommar earning widespread acclaim for their gripping clarity, while Beau Is Afraid garners mixed reviews, likely due to its unconventional, surreal departure from traditional horror expectations.

Film	Key Theme	Grotesque Example	Tone/Setting	Function
Hereditary (2018)	Family Trauma	Charlie’s decapitation	Dark, moody, realistic gore	Plot-driven
Midsommar (2019)	Cult Rituals	Ättestupa, Christian’s ritual	Bright daylight, folk unease	Plot-driven
Beau Is Afraid (2023)	Surreal Anxiety	Hobo in bathroom, stadium trial	Surreal, comedic nightmare	Symbolic

This table summarizes the key differences, showing how each film's use of Grotesque Visuals aligns with its narrative and thematic goals.

Ari Aster’s films—"Hereditary," "Midsommar," and "Beau Is Afraid"—stand as a testament to his unparalleled ability to weave tales of profound emotional resonance with Grotesque Visuals that both disturb and captivate. Through "Hereditary," Aster plunges into the depths of familial trauma and supernatural dread, using stark, realistic gore to amplify grief and guilt. "Midsommar" transforms personal loss into a perverse communal embrace, its bright daylight horror contrasting beauty with brutality to create a uniquely unsettling fairy tale. Meanwhile, "Beau Is Afraid" ventures into surreal anxiety and existential absurdity, employing nightmarish comedy to mirror Beau’s fractured psyche. Across these works, Aster consistently employs Grotesque Visuals—whether through shocking realism, twisted pastoral scenes, or dreamlike distortions—not merely as spectacle, but as a vital extension of his storytelling, reflecting the characters’ psychological unraveling and the inescapable weight of their circumstances.

While sharing thematic threads of isolation, manipulation, and inevitability, each film carves its own path within the horror genre, distinguished by tone, setting, and the function of its grotesque imagery. "Hereditary" and "Midsommar" drive their narratives forward with visceral, plot-centric horror, earning widespread critical acclaim, whereas "Beau Is Afraid" opts for a symbolic, divisive exploration of the mind, challenging viewers with its unconventional approach. This diversity underscores Aster’s versatility and his refusal to be confined to a single style, cementing his status as a visionary filmmaker. Ultimately, the true power of Aster’s cinema lies in this masterful interplay of tale and visuals, where the grotesque becomes a lens through which we confront the raw, often terrifying truths of human experience—leaving an indelible mark on both the genre and its audience.