From Afi Graduate to Horror Auteur: the Journey of 'The Strange Thing About the Johnsons'
By Maya Lin-Takahashi
Watching The Strange Thing About the Johnsons through the lens of Aster's mature catalog reveals how fully formed his sensibilities were in 2011. The film is the direct ancestor to his modern studio work.
As detailed in IndieWire's coverage during the release of Aster's feature debut, the director spent years grappling with intensely painful familial experiences to inform his storytelling. That personal investment in familial ruin runs through every frame of his career:
- The Domestic Space as a Prison: In both The Johnsons and Hereditary, the suburban home is not a haven. Hallways are staging grounds for terror, bedrooms hide unmentionable secrets, and family dinners double as psychological slaughterhouses.
- The Impossibility of Escape: Sidney Johnson cannot walk away from Isaiah any more than Toni Collette’s Annie Graham can escape her family line in Hereditary. Destruction comes from blood ties.
- Melodrama Metamorphosing into Horror: Aster refuses to employ cheap jump scares. He relies on prolonged, static master shots, forcing the audience to witness emotional decay in real time. The dread accumulates through pacing and performance rather than supernatural monsters.
When A24 backed Aster to direct Hereditary in 2018, followed by Midsommar in 2019 and Beau Is Afraid in 2023, the industry marveled at his willingness to push psychological horror to extremes. Those who had witnessed his AFI thesis film seven years earlier were not surprised.
Maya is a hardware enthusiast who tests and reviews smart home devices, smartphones, wearables, and audio gear. She focuses on practical consumer value and build quality.
