French film director Alexandre Jouan-Arcady, AKA Alexandre Aja comes from a family closely related to the world of cinema where his father was an acclaimed Pied-Noir filmmaker and his mother a renowned film critic who instilled in him the love for cinema.
A self-proclaimed cinephile, he said, “I’m a huge fan of movies, and I watch DVDs all day, and I like to be able to watch DVDs that are different from what was in theatres.” Adding to that, Aja said, “Whether that’s uncut or a director’s cut. I think it’s an awesome way to rediscover the movie.”
A modern master of horror, he has delivered an array of chilling cult-like classics that include The Hills Have Eyes, P2, Piranha 3D, Mirrors and more. He gained acclaim in the horror genre with his 2003 French film Haute Tension that he followed with Crawl and Oxygen, two survival sci-fi thrillers on Netflix that showed his innate knack for directing horrifying and scathing horror films.
Aja is known for his claustrophobic and psychologically stirring stories. He is a horror aficionado who also loves hardcore slasher films. In an interview with Rotten Tomatoes, however, he revealed his favourite horror film which is now streaming on Netflix.
Calling Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 masterpiece The Shining to be his “first cinematic shock”, Aja said, “I accidentally watched The Shining at age seven and it was the most traumatic experience and maybe one of the reasons why I’m doing what I’m doing today.”
“Then, year after year, it’s that movie that I can watch again and again,” he continued. “I’m obsessed with every shot that they cut, every bit of dialogue, every emotion. I think there is a perfection for me in this movie.”
Based on Stephen King’s eponymous novel, Kubrick’s masterpiece deals with psychological horror and madness as Jack Torrance and his family find themselves grappling with supernatural forces, isolation and a general sense of despair in the Overlook Hotel.
The Shining is considered to be one of the greatest horror films of all time and rightfully so, due to the masterful ingenuity of the auteur.
Watch the film on Netflix now.
