Audiences who attended the Alamo Drafthouse screening of the new Midsommar director's cut settled down to watch the iconic horror film, with the promise of a ten-minute preview of Ari Aster's new film Beau Is Afraid at the conclusion of the film. However, Aster had his own ideas by pulling an April Fools' prank for the ages by walking out with star Joaquin Phoenix to introduce a full viewing of Beau Is Afraid, which isn’t due in theaters until April 21.Midsommar star Florence Pugh recently remarked on how she had felt "immense guilt" for leaving her character behind at the end of the film shoot, such was the intensity of the role and the dedication she'd committed to it. “I remember looking [out the plane] and feeling immense guilt because I felt like I’d left her in that field in that state,” she said on the Off Menu Podcast.Aster returned at the end of the three-hour screening for a question and answer session, which was moderated by Emma Stone—who jokingly (perhaps) stated that Aster was "sick in the head and not well" for making the film. During the Q&A, he revealed that Phoenix fainted and “fell out of frame” while filming a scene with Patti LuPone for the A24 movie, according to a report by Deadline. The movie is set to be released in theaters on April 21. 
What Did Fans and Critics Think of 'Beau Is Afraid'?
Fans and critics attending the screening took to Twitter to praise the audacity of Aster's latest work, with Fangoria's Jason Kauzlarich stating that, following Hereditary and Midsommar, Aster was now "3 for 3" after "a wholly unique experience" that made him laugh and cringe, while critic Rob Wick added that the film was a "total mindfuck" with "an entrancing third hour."
Meanwhile, Emmanuel Noisette described the film as "incredibly nice with absurd dark humor," adding that the film had the air of a prequel to Joker, which also starred Phoenix. The Epic Film Guys podcast said they found the film "exhausting, nerve-wracking and so intense" that it would make the audience nauseous while watching it.
Jeff Ewing remarked that the film was "like being sandblasted in the face with anxiety for three hours" with Meagan Navarro adding that the April Fools' feature was a "demented, imaginative and darkly comical odyssey through guilt and repression."
Critic Ryan MacQuade shone a particular spotlight on LuPone, praising her performance and stating that she "stole the show", although Phoenix put in an "incredible performance", while Courtney Howard describe the film as " part gorgeous existential nightmare fuel and part pitch-black comedic odyssey".
Who's in 'Beau is Afraid'?
The film stars Joaquin Phoenix, Patti LuPone, Nathan Lane, Parker Posey, Amy Ryan, Zoe Lister-Jones, Richard Kind, Michael Gandolfini, Kylie Rogers, Hayley Squires, Julia Antonelli, Denis Ménochet, Joe Cobden and Armen Nahapetian. A24 summarises the film as being about:
A paranoid man embarks on an epic odyssey to get home to his mother in this bold and ingeniously depraved new film from writer/director Ari Aster.
Beau Is Afraid is released on April 21. Check out the trailer down below.