Beau is Afraid is director Ari Aster’s third theatrical feature film after Hereditary and Midsommar, so how do its reviews and Rotten Tomatoes score stack up against his previous movies? Aster gained notoriety in 2018 thanks to the critical acclaim of his first feature film, Hereditary, establishing his reputation for suspenseful, psychological horror, further cementing his status as a horror auteur with Midsommar in 2019. Beau is Afraid is Aster’s third film with A24 and is based on a short film, Beau, which Aster also wrote and directed in 2011.
All of Aster’s films have received positive reviews and Fresh scores on Rotten Tomatoes, including Beau is Afraid. While it’s enjoying mostly positive reviews, some reactions are notably polarized. Most reviews seem to agree Beau is Afraid is Ari Asters “most unhinged” movie yet, but not all reactions agree that’s a good thing, with some critics saying they loved it, others saying they hated it, and some saying they need to “figure out whether I liked it all or hated it with every fiber of my being.” Aster’s other movies also generated some divisive reactions, though, so how does Beau is Afraid‘s Rotten Tomatoes score compare to Hereditary and Midsommar?
Related: Beau Is Afraid Cast & Character Guide
Beau is Afraid Has Ari Aster’s Worst Rotten Tomatoes Score
Beau is Afraid currently has a Fresh 74 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. While this means most of the reviews are positive, it is the lowest score in Aster’s filmography. Hereditary has a 90 percent and Midsommar has an 83 percent. The scores are even more split among Rotten Tomatoes’ specially selected “Top Critics.” While Hereditary got an identical 90 percent and Midsommar got a six-point lower 77 percent, Top Critics currently rate Beau is Afraid 63 percent, which is 13 points lower than its 76 percent Tomatometer score. There’s only 88 reviews submitted so far and Hereditary and Midsommar averaged 390, so given Beau is Afraid‘s divisive response it could swing significantly as more reviews come in.
Beau is Afraid Has Ari Aster’s Best Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
Since Rotten Tomatoes critics and Top Critics seem to disagree on Beau is Afraid, it’s only fitting that the audience score also diverges from other Ari Aster movies. Hereditary‘s audience score was 69 percent and Midsommar‘s was 63 percent, but Beau is Afraid currently has a 72 percent audience score, making it his best-reviewed movie by Rotten Tomatoes users. Aster’s movies all have higher critic scores than audience scores in Rotten Tomatoes, but Beau is Afraid‘s audience score is only 4 points lower, while Hereditary‘s is 21 points lower and Midsommar‘s is 14 points lower.
Since the movie is so divisive with some critics and many reviews are still coming in, both the Rotten Tomatoes audience score and critic score for Beau is Afraid could shift by several points, although given the early numbers, it’s likely to remain Ari Aster’s lowest Rotten Tomatoes critic score and his highest Rotten Tomatoes audience score.
