Alexandre Aja

Alexandre Jouan-Arcady, professionally known as Alexandre Aja, is a renowned French filmmaker who has mostly showcased his talent in the horror genre. His career took off on an international level following his 2003 horror film Haute Tension, also known as High Tension in US and Switchblade Romance in U.K. He is also recognized for his direction in notable films like The Hills Have Eyes (2006), Mirrors (2008), Piranha 3D (2010), Horns (2013) and Crawl (2019). Aja has creatively used the first letter of each part of his full name to form his professional pseudonym. Aja's directorial debut occurred at age eighteen with a short film titled Over the Rainbow, which received a nomination for best short film at the Cannes Film Festival.

Aja stakes his claim in the horror genre with films like Haute Tension which pushed the boundaries of gore and tension. His films, favoring make-up effects over computer-generated imagery, quickly earned him respect among horror enthusiasts. After impressing American Director Wes Craven with High Tension, Aja was tasked with remaking Craven's 1977 classic, The Hills Have Eyes. Another of his notable works include Mirrors, a film about a sinister mirror bringing out the worst in people. On another occasion, Aja took audiences back in time with prehistoric piranhas in Piranha 3D, a remake of the 1978 film. Other than being a successful director, Aja has also been a producer for films like the remake of the 1980 horror slasher Maniac. In 2019, Aja directed Crawl, which became his highest grossing and best-reviewed film.