Cinematic styles and themes of A24

These particular horror films are considered a pioneer in modern horror and often referred to as "elevated horror".[1][2][3][4][5][6] Most of these films share a similar approach, including ambiguity, bleak atmosphere, disruptive formulas, outbursts of violence, psychological dilemmas, and realistic character drama; these include Hereditary (2018), It Comes at Night (2017), The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017), Men (2022), Under the Skin (2013), and The Witch (2015).[7] The term also refers to genre films with a seemingly more artful sensibility than most fare, plus a focus on dramatic themes such as grief and trauma.[8]

Ari Aster (left) and Robert Eggers (right)

A24 has frequently worked with many artistically-minded writer-directors, for most of which the films released by the company pivoted their careers, including Ari Aster, Sean Baker, the Daniels, Robert Eggers, Alex Garland, Rose Glass, Joanna Hogg, Yorgos Lanthimos, David Lowery, and the Safdie brothers.[1][9][10][11]

Auteur filmmakers Aster—director/writer of Hereditary (2018), Midsommar (2019), and Beau Is Afraid (2023)—and Eggers—director/writer of The Lighthouse (2019) and The Witch (2015)—are both notable for their contribution to and influence on modern horror, and partial reinvention and redefining of the genre.[11][12][13][14][15][16] Their films have dealt with and share a lot of similarities in some way, including folklore or supernatural forces. Even with their strong similarities, there are differences as well; all three of Eggers' films are period pieces while Aster's all take place in modern times. Aster also seems to take conventional horror and put his own modern spin on it to inspire some genuinely uncomfortable fear in viewers while Eggers takes conventional horror and throws it out the window to transport viewers to another world with his unique dialogue and cinematography.[11][17][18] Both have been cited as two of the top horror directors of the 2010s while their films have received widespread critical acclaim and deemed as some of the best horror films of the 2010s.[19][20][21] During a Q&A for Beau Is Afraid in 2023, renowned and veteran filmmaker Martin Scorsese dubbed Aster "one of the most extraordinary new voices in world cinema".[22]

Later in 2023, Talk to Me (2022), directed by twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, and released theatrically in the United States on July 28, became a triumphant success at the box office and surpassed Hereditary as A24's highest-grossing horror film domestically with a running total of $44.5 million on September 3.[23][24][25] In a statement to Newshub, filmmaker Peter Jackson highly praised the film, saying: "Talk to Me isn't just good – it's very very good. The best, most intense, horror movie I've enjoyed in years." Aster, Stephen King, George Miller, and Steven Spielberg have all praised the film as well.[26] A sequel is currently in development.[27]

However, John Carpenter and Jordan Peele, filmmakers most commonly associated with horror, have denounced and rejected this term and style of horror. In an interview with The A.V. Club, Carpenter was perplexed by the topic, saying: "I don't know what that means ... There's metaphorical horror. But all movies have. They don't have messages. They have themes. Thematic material and some horror films have thematic material. The good ones do."[28] In a separate conversion, Peele told The Verge: "I don't want people to think that I'm trying to make 'elevated' films. I think that's a trap that I don't quite appreciate."[8]

• Official A24 website