After 2018’s critically acclaimed Hereditary, horror fans have been eagerly anticipating writer/director Ari Aster’s follow-up film. And if the trailers for Midsommar are anything to go by, we’re in for another disturbingly unforgettable film. While teasers have given us a glimpse of the idyllic Swedish setting of the film, the first full trailer for Midsommar introduces us to the core cast and central conflicts.
The synopsis for the film reads: “Dani (Fighting With My Family‘s Florence Pugh) and Christian (Strange Angel‘s Jack Reynor) are a young American couple with a relationship on the brink of falling apart. But after a family tragedy keeps them together, a grieving Dani invites herself to join Christian and his friends on a trip to a once-in-a-lifetime midsummer festival in a remote Swedish village. What begins as a carefree summer holiday in a land of eternal sunlight takes a sinister turn when the insular villagers invite their guests to partake in festivities that render the pastoral paradise increasingly unnerving and viscerally disturbing.”
Honestly, I feel like vacationing to a remote location with a guy who wants to break up with you is a horror movie in and of its own. Never mind that there’s some weird culty business happening in Sweden. But I’m glad that the film is investing in the emotional grounding of its characters, which include The Good Place‘s William Jackson Harper and The Maze Runner‘s Will Poulter. Horror is so much more potent when we’re actually invested in the characters and relationships.
Midsommar also taps into another deeply held fear of mine: outdoor music festivals. Okay, maybe it’s not a fear per se, but it’s an intense dislike of being in a rural spot with thousands of strangers. I’m not really an outdoors girl to begin with, but the idea of getting drunk or stoned in the wilderness where everyone is dirty and thirsty sounds like a stone cold nightmare.
Add to that the fact that there are 24 hours of daylight during Scandinavian summers, and you have a recipe for sunburnt disaster. I would honestly rather spend three days in that 10 Cloverfield Lane bunker than drink mushroom tea with a bunch of hipsters in culturally appropriated fashions. My personal hell is being stuck at an outdoor festival where the tents are scarce and the bottled water costs $12. Also, the whole animal sacrifice/creepy maypole dancing situation doesn’t sound great either.
Still, this movie looks scary as hell, and I love that they are forgoing the dark, gritty horror palette for a sun-soaked paradise. Midsommar promises to be uniquely scary and disturbing, much like Hereditary was. I’m excited to watch this from my safe space, aka an air-conditioned movie theater.
(via io9, image: A24)
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