Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon had one surprising inspiration
Scorsese is a big fan of "elevated horror", it seems
Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon finally arrives in cinemas this Friday, October 20. (At some point afterwards, audiences will be able to stream it through the Apple TV+ platform.) Of course, this means the veteran director has been doing tons of interviews in the last few weeks... but thankfully, people aren't asking him about Marvel all the time.
During a chat with The Irish Times, the 80-year-old director discussed his love for westerns and how he and co-writer Eric Roth (Dune) approached the "terrible tragedy" of the infamous Osage Indian murders that happened during the 1920s in Oklahoma. Moreover, he brought up one surprising inspiration for Killers of the Flower Moon that no one was anticipating.
Last week, many were surprised by his enthusiastic endorsement of the "Barbenheimer" phenomenon, and now we've learned he's a huge fan of Ari Aster, the filmmaker behind horror movies such as Hereditary and Midsommar. Understandably so, Scorsese points out having a reasonable pacing is extremely important for movies as long as Killers of the Flower Moon, which packs a runtime of about 206 minutes. Aster's last two movies, Midsommar and Beau Is Afraid, aren't as long as Scorsese's latest, but the comparison makes sense: "I very much like the style and pacing of good horror films like Ari Aster’s Midsommar or Beau Is Afraid. The pacing of those films goes back to the B films of Val Lewton, Jacques Tourneur’s Cat People or I Walked With a Zombie. Just going a little slower. A little quieter".
It's true that Aster and his movies, especially as his career has progressed, exist outside the traditional horror sphere and indulge in slower scenes and moments of reflection that aren't common in most works of the genre. From that point of view, one can see why Scorsese - a true movie historian, amongst his many other pursuits and traits - holds them in such high regard.
Are you excited about Killers of the Flower Moon, but also looking for solid horror movies to watch in October? Check out our guide to the 10 best horror movies you should watch this Halloween season.
