Art-Horror: The Films of Ari Aster and Robert Eggers

by Adrian Gmelch

The horror film—a film genre that had fallen into disrepute—has experienced a true renaissance in recent With just a few films such as The Babadook (2014), The Witch (2015), or Hereditary (2018), a new generation of directors succeeded in spectacularly reviving and upgrading the aging horror genre. Critics were enthusiastic, using terms like "elevated", "intelligent" or "smart" to describe this identified subgenre of horror film. But what characterizes it? Can't ordinary horror flicks be smart? How is it different from other genres of horror film? This new generation of filmmakers combines arthouse with horror film, reviving a genre that can best be described by the term "art-horror"—horror film as a work of art. The two most important representatives of this movement, Robert Eggers ( The Witch ) and Ari Aster ( Hereditary ), are presented here in a double biography. The detailed analysis of their films shows what actually distinguishes "art horror".

Praise for the book

"The focus is (...) on the main works of the two filmmakers, which Gmelch analyzes in detail and provides some astonishing insights. For fans of the directors, the book can therefore be considered essential (...)."— VIRUS magazine, Issue 110, Dec/Jan 2023

"a light-footed march through contemporary horror culture."— Filmbulletin , 6/22, Nov/Dec

"In conclusion, Adrian Gmelch has once again succeeded in producing an excellent non-fiction book on a very specific film subject, which is well researched but also maintains interest throughout."— PRESSPLAY.AT , Nov 2022

Genres: Horror, Nonfiction, Film

253 pages, Paperback

Published January 6, 2023

Reviews

[Sophy H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous foray into everything Ari Aster and Robert Eggers.

Having watched all four films of Hereditary, Midsommar, The Witch and The Lighthouse, I found the study of them fascinating. I have to say Hereditary and Midsommar are among my favourites and I have to watch them at least twice a year!

I like how Gmelch dives into the background of the directors, their inspiration, their intention, their process and how their films fit into the horror genre.

Truly inspiring reading.

5 stars all round.

[Stephan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eine umfassende, detaillierte und nachvollziehbare Analyse der Filme von Aster und Eggers mit gut gewählten Schwerpunkten und einem sinnvollen Aufbau.

Gerade die Betrachtung der Einflüsse aus der Kunst auf die gewählten Filme gefiel mir sehr gut und war einleuchtend.

Insgesamt konnte ich viel für meinen eigenen Filmkonsum und der Bildung von Betrachtungsweisen hinsichtlich Art-Horror, aber auch generell Horrorfilmen, mitnehmen.

Besonders gefallen mir auch die Literaturangaben für eine vertiefende Lektüre sowie die Liste weiterer Art-Horrorfilme.

Absolut lesenswert für jene, die sich für das Genre und dessen Entwicklung interessieren.

[Olivia M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good read, and was not dry at all! I learned a lot about these films and the filmmakers through this book. Highly recommend if you are a horror cinephile.

[Aidan Traber · Rating 5 out of 5]

So captivating this was so eye opening and changed these films completely for me I’ll be doing a filmography rewatch for Eggers and Aster very soon

[Alma Hazelrigg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book, reads like an accessible film textbook (a few asides about techniques utilized, but nothing exhaustive). I especially appreciated the thoughtful comparisons to otherwise non-related films (ex. The Sixth Sense to Hereditary, or The Shining to The Witch) that really made me appreciate each film discussed on a much deeper level. Also so based for considering The Village a spectacular film worthy of discussion…

I personally teeter towards 4.5 stars due to a few missed opportunities for themes to discuss (like the various influences of the cult in Hereditary, or in general how these film’s themes represent contemporary fears) but additional commentators, like Novum on YouTube, have almost annoyingly detailed tangents for every part of the movies mentioned within this book.

[Ígneo David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Já menos um projecto na minha to-do wishlist, este autor escreveu bastante das ideias que já tinha pensado e partilhado com amigos sobre estes dois realizadores que aprecio. Não é talvez a análise académica definitiva, mas é bastante compreensivo sem ser maçudo

[Tyler Jenkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps a bit drawn out at points, but a pretty informative read for any Aster or Eggers fan. I quite liked the sections regarding other art forms which inspired the titular directors.