By  Published Dec 21, 2026, 3:40 PM EST Padraig is a Senior Features Writer and has been part of Screen Rant since 2017. Padraig is a writer, editor and retired Game of Thrones extra who has been writing about movies and TV online for over a decade. He has also written for The Irish Times, Den Of Geek, Little White Lies and many more. It's pronounced Paw-rick, BTW. follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

has emerged as one of the best horror directors of recent years, and here's his estimated net worth. Before making his feature film debut, Ari Aster made several unique - and disturbing - short films. The most infamous would be The Strange Thing About The Johnsons, which is a harrowing drama detailing a son abusing his father. Another short of note was Munchausen, which is a dialogue-free story that is shot in a manner inspired by the opening montage of Pixar's but tells a much darker story.

Ari Aster later made the leap to movies and created an instant horror favorite with 2018's . This combined fantastic performances, especially from Toni Collette, with some truly unsettling scenes of horror. Aster's talent for creating unsettling family dramas is part of what made Hereditary work so well, and in addition to receiving critical acclaim, it was also a surprise box-office success, grossing $80 million worldwide.

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Following Hereditary's success, Ari Aster soon followed up with 2019's , starring Florence Pugh and Jack Reynor. The story sees a bunch of friends traveling to Sweden to take part in a unique festival that also happens to include some human sacrifice. The movie felt one part and one part break-up drama, and while the response was a little more mixed than Aster's previous movie, it still received mostly good reviews. While sources vary, outlets such as place Ari Aster's net worth at around $200,000.

While Aster's work might be closely identified with the horror genre, he doesn't necessarily agree with that label. Following it also seems he'd like to avoid being typecast in the genre too, with Ari Aster's next film set to be dark comedy Beau Is Afraid. The movie is based on his 2011 short Beau, which saw an anxious man beset by bad fortune as he tries to arrange a trip to see his mother. Joaquin Phoenix is currently linked to play the title role, with Ari Aster describing it as a four-hour "nightmare comedy."

Ari Aster's first two movies Hereditary and were produced with relatively modest budgets, which have allowed him greater creative freedom. It would be interesting to see the filmmaker take a shot at a bigger budget project or franchise, though his work has such a distinct tone it would be hard to see him tackle something like the  series - though might be more up his alley. Aster is also set to co-produce the remake of Korean comedy Save The Green Planet! with the movie's original helmer Joon-hwan Jang set to direct.

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