Midsommar
Which cut?
Watch the Director's Cut.
Adds 20 minutes of character development and ritual footage.
Available: Theatrical · Director's Cut
The brief
Ari Aster trades the claustrophobic darkness of Hereditary for sun-drenched terror that feels like a bad mushroom trip in IKEA purgatory. Florence Pugh anchors this deliberately paced nightmare with a performance that's equal parts grief-stricken and genuinely unnerving as she gets pulled into increasingly fucked-up Scandinavian rituals. The film moves like thick honey, building dread through gorgeous cinematography and folk horror imagery that'll stick in your brain for weeks. Perfect for fans of The Wicker Man who want their horror beautiful, weird, and completely unhinged.
The verdict
If you crave horror that's gorgeous, deeply unsettling, and willing to take its sweet time building dread through folk rituals and Florence Pugh's powerhouse performance, this is essential viewing. If you need quick scares or can't handle nearly two and a half hours of deliberately paced psychological terror in broad daylight, skip this for something more traditional.
Watch with
- 👥 Horror fans who appreciate arthouse scares
- ⚠️ Skip if you're squeamish about gore
Heads up
- Graphic suicide by elderly characters (extreme)
- Brutal ritualistic killings and violence (extreme)
- Sexual content including non-consensual acts (moderate)
- Drug use and hallucinogenic sequences (moderate)
Credits
- Director
- Ari Aster
- Cast
- Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, William Jackson Harper, Vilhelm Blomgren, Will Poulter
We Reviewed This Film
Dive deeper into what makes this film special with our in-depth analysis.
Read Full ReviewOfficial synopsis
A couple travels to Northern Europe to visit a rural hometown's fabled Swedish mid-summer festival. What begins
The Double
Make a night of it
Pair this with Beau Is Afraid (2023)
Both Aster films explore anxiety through surreal horror and dysfunctional relationships.
Total runtime: 2h 28m + 2h 59m = 5h 27m
