The name Ari Aster is no longer unfamiliar to horror fans. With his feature debut, Hereditary (2018), followed by Midsommar (2019) and Beau Is Afraid (2023), he gained recognition for exploring the themes of familyties and the lurking anxieties of the human psyche. Yet, his cinematic world was already deeply rooted in his short film The Strange Thing About the Johnsons (2011). At just over twenty minutes, the film is brief but powerful enough to leave audiences shaken.
The premise is simple but disturbing. A son’s secret love object is his father. Even as an adult, he continues to assault his father, while the mother remains silent despite knowing the truth. When the father tries to reveal what’s been happening through his autobiography, the son responds with a line of gaslighting, “It takes two to tango.” Traditionally, media portrayals of incestuous abuse involve a father-daughter or uncle-niece relationship. But Aster breaks this pattern. By making the son the perpetrator and the father the victim, he challenges the familiar story, pushing audiences into a new kind of discomfort and horror.
One of the most symbolic moments in the film happens early: the family takes a portrait, but the son only looks at his father. At first, it seems like affection, but it actually shows the son’s distorted desire—a visual clash between the happy family scene and an unsettling obsession. The story escalates to an extreme level. The father dies while on the run, the mother suddenly explodes in rage, and the son admits, “I loved Dad more than I loved Mom.” The illusion of a perfect family breaks down, exposing a household already decaying from within under the weight of silence and denial.
Aster’s feature films revolve around a central theme: families falling apart, with a primary focus on the troubled relationships between mothers and sons. At a Megabox COEX Cinema event for Beau Is Afraid in South Korea, a viewer asked about his own family dynamics, and Aster humorously responded that his mother especially loves his films—prompting laughter from the audience. From short films to full-length features, his cinema has consistently explored the horror of family, social taboos, and breaks in human connections.
The Strange Thing About the Johnsons is not just shocking for shock’s sake. It makes us face the violence and silence within families, as well as the twisted views that often surround such crimes. Its brevity hides its significance: this short film leaves a deep impact and offers insight into Aster’s later works. With Halloween coming up, if you’re craving a scary movie experience, this is one worth twenty minutes of your time. By the time the credits finish, you might feel drawn to explore Ari Aster’s entire filmography.
Author Biography
Soohwan Lee, a third-year Film and Media Arts major at the University of Utah, is passionate about filmmaking, photography, and the art of independent cinema. Lee has created short films, one of which has been featured on the OTT platform Watcha, and enjoys exploring how films capture human emotions and leave a lasting impression on viewers.
