Ari Aster's Beau Is Afraid's First Trailer Is A Surrealist Nightmare

Ari Aster made a name for himself with back-to-back instant horror classics Hereditary and Midsommar, and now his long-awaited follow-up has arrived. Originally titled Disappointment Blvd, Beau Is Afraid is a decades-spanning surrealist horror film set in an alternate present.

The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as the titular character, who is a pleasant but anxious man. When his overbearing mother dies, Beau makes a journey home that involves some wild supernatural threats and maybe divine intervention.

Initially scheduled for release at the end of 2022, Beau Is Afraid is ready to leave its mark on horror fans, with a release date of April 21, 2023.

Alongside Phoenix, Beau Is Afraid features an ensemble cast that includes Nathan Lane, Patti LuPone, Amy Ryan, Kylie Rogers, Parker Posey, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Hayley Squires, Michael Gandolfini, Zoe Lister-Jones, and Richard Kind.

Principal photography was scheduled to begin on June 28, 2021, and conclude in October. The film was shot in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, an off-island suburb of Montreal in Quebec, with Hereditary's cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski and production designer Fiona Crombie (Cruella).