MIDSOMMAR

OP of the older thread botched the title, making it near impossible to find.

I think it looks.... bright. Which is an interesting choice when you're doing horror. We'll see.

Well then let’s use this one because no one will be able to search for that one.

Swedish Blair Witch Project?

It kind of remind me of the Wicker Man. The Pagans as beautiful and fascinating, but ultimately deceitful and dangerous.

Okay, [italic]now[/italic] I'm interested.

[quote]“It’s a breakup movie, in the same way that Hereditary is a family tragedy,” Aster shared. “It’s less overtly a horror movie, but it’s still working in that same space. It’s very macabre. But people shouldn’t go in expecting Hereditary.”

[quote]When asked what he’d liken Midsommar to, if not Hereditary, Aster paused for a full minute. “Is it your Mamma Mia?” we asked. “Yeah, sure, I’d say so,” he laughed. “It’s a Wizard of Oz for perverts.”

Official trailer.

Was that Aurora in the trailer? Gurl, those don't look like the healthiest lips to me.

Donatella Versace!

Florence Pugh's bored as fuck, Elizabeth Hurley-type line readings have got to go. She's disappointed me greatly since Lady Macbeth.

r9 I thought she was the worst part of that trailer. You're right, she just comes across as bored.

Sweden, practically paradise you might say. I see Liv Mjönes has a supporting part in this.

R7 Did they just recycle the make-up artists from GRÄNS?? (huge success in Sverige btw)

R4 So, basically, Norden in a nutshell

The costumes are Ukrainian peasant meets Lana Del Rey circa 2014.

Someone bring the Pagan from the religion thread here to comment on the depiction of his faith.

The script is fine, I had fun reading it, but Aster MUST know people will inevitably compare this one and Hereditary.

Where did you find the script R15? Tack i förhand.

I thought the teaser was better than the full trailer to be honest, but I'm looking forward to this. I have a lot of Swedish ancestry in my family and am fascinated by the culture--and as sensational/fairtyale-ish as this looks, I'm onboard.

R16 I found it online, here's a link to the file.

[bold]Jordan Peele chats with Ari Aster about his 'atrociously disturbing' horror film Midsommar in new Fangoria[/bold]

Calls it "an ascension of horror”, which I guess is the new go-to phrase now that "elevated horror" has become so controversial.

Was Jack Reynor a last minute replacement? Why is he so doughy?

I enjoyed the script, but the narrative gets messy near the end and the characters aren't all that compelling, but I assume things have changed since the draft I read. I'm sure it'll be visually stunning and may work better on the screen than the page. The film's apparently 2 hours and 20 mins long, which seems excessive compared to the story in the script. I assume sequences will be moody and drawn out.

I liked this faux festival poster for the film. Has a lot of elements that were in the screenplay.

We're all going to be drunk on sunlight and in a cultish stupor by the time the movie ends.

Dying to see this. As the original version of The Wicker Man proved, nothing is creepier or more disturbing than the idea of northern European paganism.

r23 Peele's US also basically incorporated the main conceit from Norwegian folk tales or something like that, right?

r24, US is about the Doppelgänger theme, which is prevalent in Northern European fairy tales; but there's a scientific explanation given for it in the movie. It's not linked in the film to paganism.

It's a great horror movie, though, and very much worth seeing. I liked it even more than I liked GET OUT.

Kind of annoyed, as someone who liked but didn't love his movies, how Jordan Peele is now the Scorsese of modern horror.

It’s all marketing to sell magazines and get clicks on a website r26

First wave of reviews is out and they're quite good.

I’m reading eh script now too. It’s pretty good. I’m looking forward to the movie.

Link r28?

Sorry, forgot the link.

It's at 73 currently on Metacritic. I'm just glad it doesn't suck aggressively.

And here's an interesting piece I found the other day about some other (good) horror movies that take place in broad daylight.

Why in the fuck did A24 not release this on June 21 (the summer solstice)? The timing would have been impeccable. Instead, they're putting it out on July 3, a Wednesday of all days. I'm guessing it has to do with Child's Play coming out today and that they didn't want to have two competing horror flicks coming up against the likes of Toy Story 4, but what a shame.

Trivia: Bjorn Andresen, who played Tadzio in Death in Venice, is in this movie.

[quote]She's disappointed me greatly since Lady Macbeth.

When I saw her in that, I was SO excited - I just thought she was magnificent, and I couldn't wait to see what she'd do next. But so far, nothing she's done has even come close to the potential she showed there.

R14 I’n one of those Pagans in the thread, but personally I’m afraid I can’t say I care to watch or discuss this film. I’m a Welsh Pagan so it’s nothing to do with my beliefs, and nothing whicb with I’d take issue or have any insight about. Maybe there’s a Scandinagan around somewhere..

I also just don’t like self-conscious, shifty , “woke” films with no emotional authenticity so Peele movies do not appeal to me. I’ve tries to sit down and get into them with a mind ajar, but alas they leave me cold. Give me campy & forthright horror anyday.

Did anyone see this yet? I saw it tonight and thought it was great. I'd read the script already, so I knew what to anticipate, but seeing it fully realized was a treat. It's so beautifully crafted, and doesn't necessarily play out like a traditional horror film, which works in its favor. It was just cool to experience the layers of that insular world slowly peel away.

Florence Pugh was exceptional. She's so natural on screen and she conveyed the grief in such a heartbreaking way. The rest of the cast was good, but they're ultimately disposable. It's really Pugh's film.

I saw it tonight (July 3) at an early screening, R36. The theater was packed. I found the finale a bit contrived and shallow (and a major riff on The Wicker Man), but the film as a whole was intoxicating and dread-inducing. I found myself holding my breath and actually sweating on numerous occasions throughout. A very immersive, nightmarish movie.

How is the Male nudity?

I haven't seen Wicker Man, so I can't speak to that, but I loved the ending... not necessarily for the gruesome revelations of what happened to the missing visitors, but the juxtaposition of the outrageous sex scene and Dani's communal grieving moment were really thrilling to me. Probably my favorite moment of the film.

My audience wasn't packed, but the film was definitely working on them. Whether they ultimately liked it or not, I'm not sure, but I do think they were intrigued and entertained by what was going on. I'm curious to see what kind of discussion comes from the film. I've read online that people saw audience members leave after the suicide scene, which I can understand.

I just thought Florence was so good. Can't stop thinking about her.

[quote]How is the Male nudity?

You see all of Jack Reynor. All of him, and it's equal parts hilarious and humiliating. I thought it was pretty bold of the actor to go that far.

"Swedes: dirty, sexual people!"

[quote] You see all of Jack Reynor.

The guy from Strange Angel? Wow.

r42 Omg, I didn't even connect in my head that this was the same actor from SA. The slight middle-age spread on him in that show drives me nuts, so hopefully it'll be the same here.

He's still got the spread. He's not ripped like every other young actor out there. He's got a thicker build. I was impressed by the casting in general. These weren't your typical hot young Americans in a horror film. Everyone looked unique/normal/believable. It was refreshing. Jack Reynor talked about how he wanted to go all in with the nudity because so many horror films have exploited women's bodies in the past, and he wanted to switch it up here. He's a knowledgeable dude.

Is whitesploitation the newest horror genre?

r45 Sure hope so! It's been a long time coming.

I despised Hereditary so much that I have no intention of seeing this, even though I like the cast. A24 has a bad habit of vaunting really lousy filmmakers as the next "future of horror" including the director of It Follows and the talent free hack who directed It Comes at Night.

Ha ha, I was a big fan of It Follows AND It Comes At Night, and generally like A24's output, so I will definitely watch this one even though I didn't love Hereditary. Toni Colette's performance, was, however, phenomenal.

Never mind pagans, are there any gaygans in this flick?

I know Jack as the older hot brother in Sing Street.

I was shocked to see a young actor going full-frontal in a mainstream-ish horror movie like this. He was quite adorable, and looked like a normal guy--not a chiseled gym rat. Most of the naked shots were from a distance, so it was hard to gauge how big he was, but it appeared to be serviceable.

Jack reminds me of Chris Pratt...

Yeah, he's definitely got a 2009-2011, pre-MCU Pratt vibe. He's also a legitimate cinephile. He's got an IG specifically for film criticism. He seems like a solid dude.

r53 That's amazing. Can he be the new Chris Pratt already?

It’s an amazing horror movie because, unlike Hereditary, it doesn’t call on traditional horror film storytelling to deliver dread. These pagans are polite and beautiful and dressed in festive and lovely garments — and they’re still dwelling in a world and a moral system of superstition and a tit for tat with the dark forces of nature that require sacrifice and blood. And as the hunters of the ancient woods of old, they’re ready and willing to set traps for people, to lure them in.

It’s all told so magically and matter of factly. Daylight horror, no monsters, no jump scares.

I loved Florence Pugh in this. Saw her a few years ago in a little straight to streaking horror flick and was quite taken by her. I’m glad she’s doing well.

Haha straight to streaming, not streaking.

It sounds similar to “The Dark Secret of Harvest Home”.

Well, the thread for spoilers and reviews is located here:

I just watched it. Full house. I loved Heredity, but I fucking despised Midsommar. My three friends, however, found it highly entertaining. The visuals were good, but the performances, especially of Florence Pugh, were unconvincing and amateurish. She should have died in a barn fire.

Florence was exceptional.

Yes, Florence was fantastic. Three out of four ain’t bad, r59.

I definitely want to see this. Looks creepy as fuck. I like Florence she was good in the spy series - Little Drummer Girl? - with Skaarsgard but lacked the heat needed for the role.

Excellent. Saw it last night and loved it.

Saw it this morning and loved it.

Nearly jumped out of my seat when the black guy got knocked upside the head.

Who was wearing Will Poulter's face and was bottomless that distracted the black guy?

The guy who freaked out after Poulter peed on the sacred tree.

Thanks for clearing that up for me.

At least Dani finally smiled at the end.

I thought it was the freak.

I think the disabled kid was the one that clubbed him, because we hear him wailing in the background while the dude wearing the face just stared at him.

I could be wrong though... the scene was somewhat confusing. I want to watch it again.

He’s wearing more than his face. He is wearing Will Pouter’s legs as pants.

Skin the fool.

The inbred oracle was the one wearing Will Poulter's skin and telling people to sacrifice the strangers.

The elders said he was a product of deliberate inbreeding to preserve bloodlines, like Medieval royalty or whatever.

It reflects classic slasher villains like Leatherface and Buffalo Bill who wore their victims' skins, which reflects the real, psycho killer they're based on: Ed Gein used to skin his victims and decorate household items with their skin.

Which may also be where Ari Aster's "corpse mannequins" come from.

According to the script it's Ulf, not the oracle, that's wearing the skin. Also, the groaning is apparently coming from the black guy. Things have changed from script to screen though. I want to see this film again! Maybe I'll go tonight...

Wrong, Horror Contrarian Troll @ r72. You're more than welcome to produce the link to said script.

But thanks for identifying which poster to BLOCK AGAIN.

I'm not sure why you're getting so worked up. I'm not trying to be a contrarian... I'm simply providing information from the script. I even said that things have changed from script to screen, so it's possible the scene was revised. Anyway, you can read the script below. This particular moment is at the top of page 92.

[quote]MARK steps forward. It is now bright enough to see... This isn’t Mark. It’s a LARGER MAN, and he’s WEARING MARK’S SKIN (which is stretched uneasily over the man’s bulkier features). Upon closer inspection, one might identify these features as belonging to ULF.

So was Christian (the boyfriend) somehow part of the community and that's why they had him impregnate the girl during the ceremony? Was she his sister or cousin? They kept flashing back and forth between the two of them in closeup as if to highlight their physical similarities (eyes, hair.) All the talk of incest and the inbred oracle made me think they were purposely trying to produce the next oracle but maybe they just needed to expand the bloodline to prevent too much inbreeding? I was unclear why they chose him.

If I recall correctly, when Christian asked one of the elders about their mating practices, the elder said that they do their best to preserve bloodlines, but sometimes they need to bring outsiders in. He was one of those outsiders.

What is ULF?

I think R75 is right, or at least that's how I understood it. Christian asked about incest, and the elder told him they observe that taboo and avoid inbreeding. However, when Josh is talking with the other elder in the temple about their runic text, he says that they intentionally produce a single member via incest, and that this individual is considered an oracle that helps inspire the writing of the cult's never-ending scripture. Ruben, the deformed man who is shown painting throughout the film, was their current oracle.

They weren't trying to produce the next oracle with Christian, because that wasn't an incestuous pairing.

The film makes it pretty clear that Maja was trying to seduce, drug and literally enchant Christian out of his sperm at the very least; they may have been open to inducting him into the cult later.

Maja started by slipping hex pubes into Christian's pie at dinner. It later became clear that she had the sanction of the elders.

They might have picked Christian because he was a fine hunk of man. How come they were so quick to kill him? Maya somehow knew right away she was with child but how can they be sure? They still may have needed his sperm...

I thought it was interesting when those people were burned alive. The two cult members were given something for pain that didn't work. I don't recall Christian screaming. The drugs and the bear suit may have helped...

[quote]Maja started by slipping hex pubes into Christian's pie at dinner. It later became clear that she had the sanction of the elders.

Don't forget the menstrual blood in his drink.

They were quick to kill Christian because he was under suspicion for stealing the holy book and his crew were abusing the cult's rules. The elders killed nearly all of Christian's friends, so they knew they couldn't let Christian leave -- he would notice his friends were missing, not where the elders said they were and report them to the police.

Maja didn't "know right away she was pregnant." She simply thrust her hips in the air during the Hag Orgy and chanted something celebrating the sperm inside her, calling on it to fertilize her.

This demonstrates how the cult is able to get new members. They seduce strangers for one-night stands and simply raise the new babies brainwashed into the cult.

I was under the impression that none of the invitees were going to leave. The outsiders were brought as sacrifices. The moment you stepped foot into the commune you were done. Unless you become the May Queen, of course.

In the film Maja said, "I can feel the baby!" In the script, however, she says, "I can feel his life inside me," which I like better, though calling it the baby might show how ignorant she is about the reproductive process.

Florence smiles at the end because the movie is a fairy tale for her. She starts by losing her entire family and has a boyfriend that is a lump and had no empathy at all for her. In this community, she finds acceptance and love, and empathy (the scene where everybody wails around her). They even crown her a queen. Even though all of her old "friends" are dead, she is far better off in the end than at the beginning.

I can see how picking Dani to come to the festival made sense since she had no family left and no one would probably come looking for her but wouldn't all the other sacrificees have family or friends who could track them down to that community?

I didn't even think of it that way, R85, but you're absolutely right. When I first watched it, I was left wondering why she actually chose to sacrifice Christian, as it seemed fairly cruel. He was a shitty boyfriend, yes, but enough to warrant being burned alive? I read an article/interview where Ari Aster and Florence Pugh disagreed about the character's mental state in the finale. Pugh felt that Dani was mentally checked out at that point (which makes sense given how precarious her mental state was in the first place), but Aster insisted he felt Dani was perfectly aware and chose to have Christian sacrificed because he had mistreated her.

R86, Midsommar II

They seemed more angry about the peeing than the books. I agree they were going to kill them no matter what. The young couple did nothing but wanted to leave...

[quote]R86, Midsommar II

Meryl Streep visits the Hårga to find out what happened to the killed kids.

R89, I agree. They couldn't let anyone leave. Their cult is too strange. Even before definitely criminal behavior had happened (I'm not sure what Swedish law would say about those suicides - in the US, it would be illegal to encourage/force and aid and abet suicide in that way), everything about the place is way too weird to imagine that strangers could keep their mouths shut about it.

The means they use to perpetuate their cult, along with many of their rituals, are illegal and would generate huge amounts of publicity besides. They cannot take the risk of allowing anyone outside the community who has seen their way of life leave and potentially contact the authorities or publish a description.

R87, also, she'll probably end up with Pelle. Unless cult kills the May Queens - which would be super-ironic if Dani consciously chose that path - they presumably go on to lead "normal" lives in the community and thus partner up with a member of the opposite sex (no gay Hargans , it appears). They need new blood to keep down the incest rate, so Dani would be a special prize, just as Christian was.

Anyway, if you leave out the fact that he's a recruiter for a murderous, insane cult, Pelle seems like husband material, doesn't he? Not bad looking, smart, thoughtful, and clearly a trusted leader or they wouldn't have sent him out into the world to recruit others. What more could a May Queen want?

[quote] They seduce strangers for one-night stands and simply raise the new babies brainwashed into the cult.

R83, there has to be a little more to it than that. If they weren't 100% certain that Maja was pregnant, they wouldn't have killed Christian. In the real world, there's no such guarantee, so we have to assume they have some mystical ability to ensure that conception occurs with a single episode of intercourse and that there is no miscarriage or stillbirth.

I do wonder about their demographic math skills. To maintain a population, every woman has to bear 2 children, even in a perfectly reproductive world where everyone lives to adulthood and breeds. How are they maintaining that by importing one (or two, if this applies to Dani as well) outside breeders each year without extensive incest?

Pelle was hot. I found myself very attracted to him during the film, and he's been on the press tour for the film as well! The scene where he asked Florence if she felt held by Christian was pretty powerful. I thought to myself that they'd probably pair up after the festivities. I also wondered what eventually happened to the May Queens. I like that there are still aspects about this community that we're not 100% privy to.

[quote] so we have to assume they have some mystical ability to ensure that conception occurs with a single episode of intercourse and that there is no miscarriage or stillbirth.

They did have him breathe in some fumes to help with vitality. How effective it is, we don't know. One of the elders said that they preserve bloodlines within the community, but occasionally resort to bringing in outsiders. I'm sure that not everyone there is related and can safely interbreed, but they occasionally need outside blood for sex and sacrifices.

Here's Vilhelm Blomgren's (Pelle) Instagram. He's got a cute kid.

It's no Song of Norway.

There was no mention of last year's May Queen.

I wonder. Did the sister intentionally kill her mother and father along with herself?

[quote]What is ULF?

R87, I think I’ll go with Aster. Actors get too emotionally invested in their characters back story. The director is telling the tale. She or he KNOWS.

I think Dani did submit to the cult. The reason is simple. She was a needy girl (even Pugh described her on IG as a “sad little sausage,” lol!), and did tend to weigh heavily on her partner. And now here was this intense, close knit cult of weird Scandinavians, taking her in, making her a queen even. They showed her the superficiality of her boyfriend, and his faithlessness. Graphically. She had a huge void and the cult filled it.

This movie really is fascinating. It is prime material for extended discussion. Try saying that about a superhero movie.

Hahahah, Sad little sausage is hilarious. The interview with director Ari Astor, Florence Pugh, and Jack Reynor is worth watching. Florence has a couple quirky moments. They all look like they get on well.

I think I kinda loved it, but I'm not sure. Hereditary was the same for me where I needed a few days and another watch to really gather my thoughts and feelings. I will say this - Jack Reynor is fucking gorgeous and I can't believe he went all the way during that one scene. Very brave (not that he has a thing to be ashamed of). Take note, filmmakers. THIS is how you do a full frontal scene.

The ending will haunt me forever. I love the look on Dani's face as the barn goes up in flames and you can tell she's completely lost her mind, but she's finally smiling and happy. Ari Aster seems to have a thing for those happy/sad endings. I'm excited to see what he comes up with next. I think he might just be the real deal.

I'm now officially in love with Jack Reynor. He's like a combination of a few of the Chrises - Pratt, Pine, and Hemsworth. Yet, he's somehow kinda approachable and down to earth and doesn't have an insanely worked out body. I like that.

R100, seriously, I don’t think there’s anything even remotely happy about the ending of either movie. There needs to be mental illness involved to see any of this as even remotely “happy.”

From Paimon's perspective, Hereditary has a happy ending. Notice the triumphant music in the background. There's similar triumphant music at the end of this film and Dani finally seems to be in a place where people will listen and pay attention to her. Then again, who knows what they do with the May Queens, so maybe they shove her off a cliff or catch her on fire, too.

I like films with these types of endings, where it's not so much ambiguous as it is subject to the emotional/mental state of the protagonist. Dani goes from having no support to having a family. Yes, the reality of the situation is that it's with a psychedelic, occasionally incestuous, death cult, but she ends up being exalted by a new community and learns to let go of a past in which she no longer felt loved.

Here's the excellent final track that closes the score.

I loved Hereditary and liked this movie (maybe future watches will help me love it, but I couldn't help but feel like just about everything from the 30 minute mark to the 90 minute mark could have been condensed into 20/30 minutes), but I think this film has a WAY better ending. I can't stop thinking about it. I loved Hereditary until the last 5 minutes or so where it was just this bizarre exposition dump and this film manages to avoid that and spread all that out throughout the course of the movie.

Isn't it strange to go to a strange place and the first thing you do is accept drugs from them?Dani was mad about Christian having sex with a local girl even though she knew they were drugging them and forcing them to do things....

She wasn't thinking very rationally either... pretty much the entire village was drugged.

It's interesting to me that both films end with characters ascending into madness as King and Queen.

Wrong, r93.

There is no way to tell if a woman is pregnant one second after introducing sperm. It was a good luck prayer for insemination only. The film does NOT contain any magic powers.

No, r106.

Young college students travel the world for destination drugging all the time. This is a group of college friends partying and experimenting, like Amsterdam, Burning Man, Joshua Tree, South American Ayahuasca, peyote, etc.

Maybe you need to get out of the house?

Remember that Pelle was seducing and offering ideal romance to Dani all throughout the film. He didn't invite her to see the cult, but he always wanted to keep her and induct her.

The cult also made Dani a queen -- giving her high status, some power and community provisions. All this combined with the fickleness and douchiness of Christian plus drugs are what convinced Dani to stay and sacrifice Christian.

Speaking of, here's some Pelle cock:

And some Pelle ass.

These are from the first scene of his HBO Nordic show, Gosta, which I downloaded, but it's in Swedish, and I can't find subtitles for it so I can't watch it, but I really want to! It looks funny.

R96, there was mention of the May Queen from the year prior. Dani asks Pelle about the pictures on the wall, and I believe he pointed out the previous year's May Queen, but that was as far as the conversation went. It's hard telling if she was still there as part of the cult, or was killed as well though.

Damn, he looks hung in R112's photo. I thought he was kind of cute as well, though I think he'd look better with shorter hair. Most of the male cast in Midsommar were attractive, aside from Will Poulter, who is kind of fugly. Jack Reynor and William Jackson Harper are both sexy IMO

William Jackson Harper is adorable R115. He's got a "hot nerd" thing about him. I cannot believe he is nearly 40 years old. He looked virtually the same age as everyone else in the cast, when in reality he's nearly twice Florence Pugh's age.

Yeah, Pelle looks hung and he's got a nice pert booty. I didn't know William was that old. He definitely fits in with the rest of the characters. The film was so well cast. That's one of the many aspects of the film that deserves praise.

I've always been attracted to Will Poulter. He's got a lot of charisma on screen. Also, it looks like he's been bulking. I wonder if it's for a role.

[quote]The film does NOT contain any magic powers.

Then it contains some very stupid cult members, R109. I am aware that you can't tell if a woman is pregnant moments after insemination. That was my point. They killed Christian before finding out if he impregnated Maja. If their goal is new blood, that seems short-sighted.

As far as the "magic powers" conversation goes, I saw the film for a second time, and noticed that at the end when they burn the temple, one of the elders gives the two living sacrifices some tincture from a yew tree so that they will "feel no pain." However, once the temple is lit and one of the men catches fire, he begins screaming in agony; this moment, in my eyes at least, sort of highlighted the fact that this cult's practices are entire phony/backwards, and that they either deceive their members, or are at the very least abiding by beliefs and customs (spiritual, scientific, and otherwise) that are archaic.

Will Poulter is one weird looking dude. I figured he might be the gay one. I really liked the movie but thought a tad long. Love Jack Reynor...he is adorable. Florence is always impressive.

William Jackson Harper is nearly 40? Wow! I'll have what he's having. I thought he was in his mid/late 20's.

Black don’t crack r121

Except when your skull is being crushed by a large wooden hammer

There are so many lapses of logic in this film, I can’t believe posters are going on about the insemination. Wasn’t the previous May Queen Pelle’s sister? There was that scene shortly after they first arrived when she came out of the cabin and glowered at Dani.

The whole thing was so deeply contrived, it very quickly went from eerie to silly to tedious. I don’t like how Aster exploits grief as some kind of distorted personal hell. He did the same thing in Hereditary and it didn’t work then either. It’s completely manipulative and done without empathy - he sees grief as a launch pad, a plot device that liberates him as a storyteller. It seems likely he has no personal experience with it.

The obsession with decapitations, ritual and ascendence is tiresome. The scene I was waiting for was Dani returning home from her summer holiday. That would’ve been great.

Bless Florence Pugh for keeping a straight face throughout.

Jack Reynor sure looked pretty with sufficient tackle.

But there’s nothing subtle about Aster’s sledgehammer symbolism. And the ritualism is so empty, devoid of subtext and drama - far too straight-faced. They just looked like extras. (And the elder who greeted them gave the whole thing away when he said, “Welcome home, only to Dani.) The camera work was so annoying; Aster likes to play with little evidence of his objective or intention - just trying to accomplish cool shots he probably dreamed up in film school. So self-conscious. The action was so distant, we spent most of the film watching the watchers. The lift from Kubrick’s The Shining was laughable. He doesn’t understand the language of cinema and the distancing effect of his choices, constantly moving his camera, the overlays, etc., there’s never any chance to immerse one’s self in the story because he’s constantly emphasising that it’s A FILM.

The fruitless obsession with mirrors and reflections, again, was just “film school cool” with any substance whatsoever.

Good for a laugh but he should’ve kept it to 100 minutes. The colour grading was pretty terrible throughout as well which indicates the difficulty the DP had shooting primarily in sunlight.

I don't buy the premise. Why would the outsiders even WANT to go out into fields with blank eyed ninnies, skipping and twirling ribbons? What? Are these people looking for an exceedingly dull version of the Burning Man experience?

R123 = Basic Hater / naysayer /contrarian. The opposite of everything he thinks is true.

The critics overwhelmingly liked Hereditary AND Midsommar.

My only qualm is that it seems to rip off the Bette Davis miniseries heavily.

The cult is kooky, criminal and undesirable compared to modern living, R118.

So they would naturally have a very difficult time converting an urbane person i to their primitive cult. It’s better to simply brainwash new children who don’t know the outside world like Amish or Mormons.

Also keep in mind that maybe the elders were open to the idea of inducting Christian. But once the tourists started condemning their ways and breaking their rules, they had to kill him.

[quote]. The film does NOT contain any magic powers.

I’m not so sure that’s true. I think the undulating meal on the table when the May Queen is seated is supposed to be literally happening and not just a hallucination. Likewise there are flowers that seem to be breathing in Dani’s May Queen crown. We aren’t put into the visual perspective of any character before those things are shown. I think they’re supposed to be really happening.

I also think Dani was chosen by the cult and dark forces were at work influencing her sister to kill herself — or actively intervened to do so. That tilted Dani into going to Sweden. Notice when Pelle is first talking to her, in Christian’s living room, how he looks at her when she averts her face for a moment. He seems to have set his sights on her well before she said she was coming.

Sure R125, we get that you're stanning for these films because it inflates your ego, makes you feel special. Whatever.

C+ CinemaScore for Midsommar - not great

D+ CinemaScore for Hereditary - not great

Having watched the interview posted above, Pugh makes clear from the outset she had no experience of profound grief when approaching the film - which probably aided her since Aster doesn't really understand it either.

Aster states at length that he and the DP were going out of their minds "chasing the sun" and had to deal with so many continuity errors in the lighting, hence the poor colour grading that looks like somebody desperately tried to "fix" in post.

R127, no, the undulating backdrop and breathing flowers are visual flairs that are supposed to mimic a hallucinogenic/mushroom trip. I've never done them, but I saw the film with my brother (who has done them), and he said it was a very accurate representation of what the world looks like when you're on them. He said that everything around you has a slight pulse to it.

That being said, there is one thing that does point toward the cult possessing magic powers: Maja, the girl who Christian eventually impregnates, does various spells on him, such as putting a rune under his bed, and a placing one of her pubic hairs in his food. These various steps are shown in a tapestry we see early on in the film that shows a love "story" that has been orchestrated via magic—and, when put into practice, they do work—Christian has sex with her. That being said, it could simply be that he is a shitty boyfriend and was horny (his friend mentions early on that he and Dani rarely have sex), but, on a surface level at least, Maja's spells seem to draw him to her.

I think R123 makes some good point but overall I enjoyed the film. It's a bit silly and was played for laughs at times.

Agreed R121, Harper looks like he's 30, tops. He turned 39 in February.

[quote]C+ CinemaScore for Midsommar - not great

[quote]D+ CinemaScore for Hereditary - not great

I dislike it when people use CinemaScores or critical reviews to make their arguments about whether or not a film is good because I don't think they say much about your own personal experience, and they certainly won't convince anyone to change theirs. This is all subjective. The film didn't work on R123, and that's fine. It doesn't need to. Also, it doesn't surprise me that Ari's films have low CinemaScores since he explores off putting material. It's not gonna work for general audiences.

That being said, I enjoyed the camera work and its stylization never made me feel distant from what the characters were going through. Honestly, I'd probably have a bigger problem with it if I felt as distant as R123 says he did, but I didn't.

r130 don't forget Christian is so heavily drugged he doesn't scream when set on fire. I believe at one point he is literally pushed towards the girl...

I really liked it, but it could gave condensed the middle section good deal. It didn't seem like much was happening and it felt like we were watching all the rituals play out in real time, which got sorta tedious after awhile.

[quote][R127], no, the undulating backdrop and breathing flowers are visual flairs that are supposed to mimic a hallucinogenic/mushroom trip.

That wasn't it. There's no frame of reference provided to indicate that we are seeing the scene from the perspective of someone on a trip, and on top of that, the paranormal movements were too constrained.

It's interesting that there's so much talk online about the shocking brutality of Simon's torturous death. For those who might not be aware, he was the dying man suspended from the ceiling, with his lungs extruded from his body. This is an ancient Scandinavian ritual called the "Blood Eagle," so-called because the victim's lungs continue to desperately attempt to bring in oxygen even after they are pulled out from the slits in the body, looking like the flapping wings of an eagle.

I don't know why people are so shocked -- I guess because in Hollywood horror movies, people often "deserve" what they get. But of course in real life truly terrible people often thrive (White House, anyone), and nice or humane people are often treated horribly, or die terribly.

The interesting question IMO is, was he tortured in that way because of "transgressions," such as disrespecting the suicide ritual and "stealing" Connie from Pelle's brother, or did the Harga just need to perform this ritual on someone as part of their Midsommar sacrifices, and it was just randomly him?

Huh. I suppose people find it shocking because no one deserves to die, regardless of their trangressions. That shock you speak of is a human response. Psycho...

The hallucinogenic shots are always meant to be from Dani or Christian's experience / POV (not specifically through their eyeballs, but their vision of what's happening all around them) and the both of them are meant to be tripping balls during those final scenes -- the meat isn't undulating in a couple of shots that are established outside of the two of them (after Dani leaves and before Christian is taken off for sexing, specifically)

Exactly R139. Dani and Christian both drink the tea concoction toward the end, and are tripping from thereon out. I'm not sure what it was exactly—it looked like crushed flowers of some sort mixed in the water, not psilocybin—but it was hallucinogenic.

I think many cult members were tripping during that scene. If I'm not mistaken all of the women who participated in the May Queen contest were drugged.

r134 Thanks for the information on the Blood Eagle! That was a good scene.

Did they say this particular extended days of rituals happen every 9 years? I can't recall.

90.

[quote]Huh. I suppose people find it shocking because no one deserves to die, regardless of their trangressions. That shock you speak of is a human response. Psycho...

Yes and that's why you go to horror movies, fool.

[quote]The hallucinogenic shots are always meant to be from Dani or Christian's experience / POV (not specifically through their eyeballs, but their vision of what's happening all around them)

Sorry but can't agree. When Dani is tripping and sees something that's obviously part of the trip, we see her look, see the hallucination (more or less from her eyes) and then see her shocked response. But that's not what was happening after she was crowned May Queen. At all.

What was the "extended" part, r143? The sacrifices at the end? That's never made particularly clear. From what I recall they say that the celebration is held only once every 90 years, but then they show Dani a photo of the May Queen from, I think, the previous year.

This movie sounds really stupid. It’s a reconfigured Wicker Man for a new decade. Why do these people show up? Why would they bother? Nothing about this celebration seems odd to them? They are just taking drugs and sex from strangers in a field and never think twice? I know it is a horror movie. But come on. Would YOU participate in the characters’ places? I certainly wouldn’t.

Stop being so logical R147

In real life, people go to camp so it’s not illogical that camp counselors would be murdered in the woods at camp. What kind of people dance around Maypoles? Certainly not the kind of people who are the protagonists in this movie. If they were some kind of college students who study sociology or humanities or something maybe it would make sense. The protagonist in The Wicker Man had a reason. These characters seriously want to go skipping in fields with strangers in traditional garb? Who are these people?

As far as they knew, they were anthropology students visiting their friend's exotic commune. Pelle obviously promised them a good time with Swedish hotties and drugs. You know how many college students go to festivals and get loaded and fuck? Will Poulter's character's a pure example of why they'd go. Also, who wouldn't want to have a singular experience in an European country. They didn't know it'd be so fucked up.

R147, sometimes you just have to let art flow over you.

Will Poulter looks like the puppet from Pee Wee's playhouse.

Will Poulter looks like he would have a big dick

Yes there is, R136. There were shots in that sequence where Christian was observed from the p.o.v. from someone else at the table and the "trip" was specific to him, where he was just in distress and everyone around him was fine. Anything else is just Aster's inability to restrain himself. But also, they were all drinking the tea (probably a different potion) so it is perhaps fitting that hallucination was global. But they did show Christian struggling, in sort of "dry" shots that weren't liquified.

I resemble that remark, r152

R147 nails it. What's most preposterous is that after watching - what was it, three people? - jump to their death, etc., that this didn't turn into an escape film. Who would stick around and participate (not to mention eat and sleep) after that? It's very contrived.

spam posted by ip address 173.234.158.82 removed.

R151, but that's the problem. I can't do that. I expect every movie, including horror movies, to be logical within the universe of the film.

For example, there's Paranormal Activity. It's not realistic, in that there is no such thing as demons (he said, looking around nervously), but the characters behave logically within the context of a world where demons do exist and possess people.

Philistines like me cannot stop noticing violations of [italic]vraisemblance[/italic]. We can't stop asking why characters behave in ways that don't fit into the context of the world the film creates.

I don't think Midsommar particularly violates this expectation, but I can understand why some people do.

[quote]What's most preposterous is that after watching - what was it, three people? - jump to their death, etc., that this didn't turn into an escape film.

Two characters did try to escape, and they were eventually killed. The suicide ritual didn't deter Josh and Christian because they wanted to write their thesis on this community and its customs. If anything, these opportunistic students likely saw it as something that would make their academic contribution juicier. Also, the Attestupa, the senicide, is something that happened according to legend. Josh even knew what it was when Pelle mentioned it.

As for Dani... sure I guess she could have ran away all alone in the middle of the night through the woods in a foreign country. That, in my opinion, would have made for a much duller film than we got. Sure, there are definitely contrivances, are there are in many great horror films, but they certainly didn't prevent me from fully enjoying the film.

For me, this experience of parading about maypoles and skipping with nincompoops is the REAL horror. I don't need the gore. I'd just have to watch the awful rituals and I'd be screaming in my seat. It sounds like being at a 4th of July party with only straight people wearing Crocs and eating potato salad. THAT is horror to me.

spam posted by ip address 173.234.158.82 removed.

[quote]It sounds like being at a 4th of July party with only straight people wearing Crocs and eating potato salad.

LMAO, r160

Dani had nothing to go back to. She was happy at the end because she found a new family.

First of all, Will Poulter has really grown into his looks--in a good way. I just didn't think that was going to happen. Anyway, I like a face with some character...

I'm hesitant to see this. I didn't see Hereditary because I broke down and read a review that contained spoilers and they were so disappointing and cliched that I passed on it for fear of my eyeballs being permanently stuck in a rolled position. I have a friend who considers themselves an afficando on films--and life in general--and they continue to rave about Midsommar. They also raved about Hereditary, so I suspect I won't care for this either.

It's kinda like when your mother likes that shirt that you were hesitant buy.

Since when do the uneducated, unwashed masses' opinions matter more than professional critics, r128?

You're just a basic bitch with bad taste who can't understand subtlety, mystery or creativity. Like them.

THE MASSES ARE ASSES

Dear r130,

Just because somebody thinks magic is real, and makes spells and curses, doesn't mean it's real or a film is endorsing magic powers as a real part of its fiction.

There are tons of Latin American indios who cast spells and make potions. People think Santeria and psychic gurus are real. People think tarot fortunetellers have magic powers. Then there's Mohammed and Jesus, the world's most lucrative magicians.

But the magic doesn't work because it's not real. And that's the point of view of MIDSOMMAR -- it merely depicts people who think they have magic powers and the gross pubes they sneak into your food.

OK, time to flush BootsyGumdrop STRAIGHT DOWN THE SHITTER.

She's just being contrarian to fuck with people. MIDSOMMAR absolutely, certainly depicts people taking hallucinogenic drugs as a part of their vacation and cult rituals, and we are certainly supposed to believe that's why they start acting sedated and seeing surreal visuals.

Nobody could be as stupid as BootsyGumdrop; She's just trolling.

F/F r136 if you're not one her multiple accounts.

Simon died because he protested the suicide ritual and wanted to leave with his girlfriend.

The cult couldn't afford him reporting them to the police.

Who keeps forgetting that the reason everybody went to the cult was because Josh needed a college thesis project and his friend Pelle offered him a great idea?

Drug tourism IS a true and valid motive for going, but MIDSOMMAR contains an even more substantial reason, as well. These are Anthropology grad students.

The characters DO behave in believable ways, r158.

You're just daft.

And flashing words like "vraisemblance" doesn't change that.

Miss r167 is a shut-in who goes mental when she's disagreed with, apparently, even if it's about something as conversational as interpretation of a horror movie. How sad for her that her horizons are that small.

We can almost see it now: All she sees is the glowing monitor in her SRO in West Virginia, all she smells is the cat pee on her rugs and the smell of the taco bell she had for lunch. There but for the grace of god goes my favorite rent boy.

Lol

Good one Bootsy

Amazes me how some pedestrian people fight the hypo that is their own lives. If you are so unimaginative as to sound like a surly teenager whenever discussing a movie -- "that was so DUMB, oh my God this is so RIDICULOUS" then why not just embrace your own lack of imagination. Don't go to the movies or theater. And especially, don't bother people who want to discuss movies on a forum.

OH MY GOD THIS MOVIE IS SO IDIOTIC! I CAN'T STAND IT!!! MOM!!!

[quote]Who keeps forgetting that the reason everybody went to the cult was because Josh needed a college thesis project and his friend Pelle offered him a great idea?

There are other reasons as well -- these are Gen Z kids and they're constantly being shown/told that taking these obscure cultural trips is "life affirming" and, well, cool to post on Instagram. And of course Dani is there to get away. To claim that there's "no reason for them to be there" is just fighting way too hard to invalidate something that's not invalid.

[quote]sometimes you just have to let art flow over you.

Pics please.

Keep telling yourself...it's just a movie...It's Just A Movie!...IT'S JUST A MOVIE!!

It's a bear in a cage!

R173 = r172

Sorry, Bootsy, you can’t just copy the insults assigned to you.

Get psychiatric treatment. Make friends in your own city.

I’m r173, r179

Learn to use Ignoredar, retard

They're supposed to be selling that Bear in a Cage on A24's site sometime today. I expect it to sell out quickly.

r180, how dare you confront miss hissy fit r179 with factual statements!

She cannot process such, you have triggered her. Soon she'll be begging everyone to FF you!

I'd fall for Ignoredar, retard, if trolls like you hadn't learned to register multiple accounts, delete browser cookies and change browsers.

Ignoredar don't mean shit. Just like I don't believe you've only been posting on Datalounge for the last week.

I've ignored you dozens of times over the last couple of years. You're always ranting Horror Contrarian opinions, getting busted lying then pretending you knew things all along or meant something else.

And you always come back without a posting history!

r182 = r180

Let's see you post quick phone videos of two, different human beings verifying their unique posts.

Oh, that's right. Then you couldn't be a troll!

Your paranoia is kinda sad r183.

Such histrionics over a movie and people not agreeing with your opinions.

It's an odd film. It really surprised me Aster did not have his characters try to escape once they saw the senicide of the man and the woman, because even if you did not already know where the plot was going, you surely knew by that point. But since they really didn't, the only thing that generated any sort of narrative suspense was exactly how the characters would be killed and what gruesome things would be done to their bodies (Aster really has a thing for desecrating severed heads).

One of the things I loved so much about "Hereditary" was the way in which all the pieces of the plot fit together at the very end, and here I did not get that. It also disappointed me that, except for Dani, none of the other characters were very well filled out--they were all two-dimensional.

Visually it was astonishing. That image at the end of Dani covered from head to toe in the beautiful flowers was remarkable.

They were drugged from the moment they arrived.

Attestupa is a complete myth--there is no record of any seniors having ritually performed it, so the grad students, if they did know about it, would know about it only as a legend.

Even more fascinating for a thesis. A community that actually practices a legendary ceremony.

The director is currently doing an AMA on Reddit. Started 22 mins ago.

[QUOTE] The film does NOT contain any magic powers.

What about Dani suddenly understanding Swedish?

In the script, she doesn't understand it, R191. She just speaks gibberish. She and the girl she speaks with are both drugged out of their minds. Not sure why they changed it in the film to make it look like she had learned Swedish in 9 days.

It's about Dani being assimilated into the tribe.

More 'Midsommar' coming - hopefully lots of extended dance sequences!

Thirty minutes longer? Thirty more minutes of folksy tedium? I’d cut my neck open.

Aster said the original cut was 3 hours 45 minutes! Gonna need a lot more dong to sit through that cut

I’d sit through the 3:45 version if I got to gawk at Will Poulter dong, not the average, at best, Jack Reynolds dong.

[quote]I’d cut my neck open.

Is that a promise?!

Anyway, I wonder if the extended cut will include the boner.

3 hrs 45 mins sounds like a bit much for a horror movie, honestly.

At nearly 4 hours, not only should there be more dick, he should have to cum all over himself, several times.

At nearly 4 hours, not only should there be more dick, he should have to cum all over himself, several times.

R186, Midsommar also relies on the characters being completely genre-blind. A lot of horror movies do that, but when a director wants his film to be taken seriously outside the genre, you'd think he would be a bit less obvious about it.

That is a very common horror movie premise. A group of young friends go _______. They are a dime a dozen.

[quote]It's an odd film. It really surprised me Aster did not have his characters try to escape once they saw the senicide of the man and the woman, because even if you did not already know where the plot was going, you surely knew by that point.

There's more than a little sly satire of millennial and gen-z life and mores in the movie, and this is part of it. These kids go to an ethnic festival and it turns bloodthirsty but they don't want to look like cultural imperialists so they constrain their urge to escape.

It reminds me of the huge child sex slave ring that was run by Pakistani taxi drivers in the UK. It was reported repeatedly but the police were too afraid they'd look racist if they investigated.

I've realized that Ari likes films with hysterical women. Personally I can't stand watching extended scenes with women screaming and crying hysterically.

It's a beautiful film, with good set pieces, but could have been edited down a good 30 minutes. And if you know your horror tropes or even have an inkling of what midsommar rituals represent, you knew going in what was going to happen.

When I saw it last week, it was a full house, and we were laughing pretty much the whole time. Especially at the Maja/Christian sex scene.

Ari likes flies too. They were heard and seen in both Midsommar and Hereditary. I wonder what they represent to him, other than the obvious decay and filth.

Bootsy is totally projecting @ R204.

There’s no “satire” of millennials or cultural appropriation.

Anthropology is a respected field, which a member of the cult was studying with the other youngsters and drug tourism is a true and common thing that’s always been around. Baby boomers were into it more than anyone else.

So just admit you’re unhip and you didn’t understand what was going on.

Wow. Midsommar died in its second frame, -45% for an est. 3.5M on the same number of screens. Even came in behind the third frame of Annabelle Comes Home.

R205 There were only about 4 other people in the theater when I went and we were all cracking up during the sex scene. I hope that mess wasn't meant to be taken seriously. This was a star-making performance for Florence Pugh and that last shot of her is just stunning and perfect. She deserves an Oscar nod.

Ari's described aspects of the film as a comedy. The film's pretty obvious as far as absurdity goes. There were laughs during the sex scene as well, mainly because of how bonkers it was. Jack Reynor's expression during that scene conveys how wild the situation was.

I was hoping Reynor was getting a finger up his bum to help release as much cum as possible into Maja. I loved the movie. If you don't think the characters behaved rationally, you weren't paying attention. Or you're a contrarian always looking for reasons to shit on stuff (trust me, one of my friends is just like that and spent dinner afterwards boring us with his film school critique of the movie -- last time I go see a movie with him).

[quote]Bootsy is totally projecting @ [R204].

[quote]There’s no “satire” of millennials or cultural appropriation.

There there dear, you'll catch up eventually. Lashing out isn't the right look for you in the meantime, however.

A lot of the market for this movie was frontloaded and went to see it in the first two weekends. It's budget was estimated at about $10MM and so it's already earned out.

I posted this in the other thread, but this one is more active, so....

I was really disappointed. It had so much potential but failed in so many ways. Pacing was slow without building suspense. Dialogue was not believable and was on par with a CW teen or (shudder) Ryan Murphy show. Poorly developed characters and bad acting. The Chris Pratt lite character is the most unconvincing dudebro academic ever. The great tragedy at the beginning lacked the wallop of Charley’s death in Hereditary—we didn’t know those people, so it was sad but not involving. And people were LAUGHING in the theater a lot, especially the ritual sex scene where she was pushing on his butt. It was not nervous giggling, it was laughing.

I think they gave Aster too much rein. The whole thing felt slack. Even the CGI was uninspired. It could have been great.

R74 Thank you for sharing a link to the movie script.

The ritual sex scene was SUPPOSED to be funny, r214!

It was from Christian's point-of-view being high and shocked. He gives a goofy face in shock at the naked hag who starts singing to him during sex, just as surprised as the audience.

It was TOTALLY, intentionally hilarious.

There, there, r212.

You're an idiot.

Yeah, that sequence is obviously played for laughs.

R212 and R217 Give it rest, girls. You're both insufferable.

[quote]The ritual sex scene was SUPPOSED to be funny, [R214]!

If you say so. The film works better as a comedy than horror, but it’s a LONG way to go for a few uncomfortable laughs. It doesn’t work as any genre IMO.

I was also bothered by the end. It resembled the ending of Hereditary, where you have this ritualistic horror played out with utter calm and inevitability over a pretty soundtrack. But where Hereditary had the feeling of pieces snapping into place and a litany a grief finally coming into focus, Hereditary’s ending was overlong and gratuitous. I got the sense of Aster’s really admiring gore and suffering for its own sake. It felt cheap and also morbid, but not in a good way. THAT was a parody, a parody of his first, far superior film.

R204, I don’t think your theory about this being a satire holds up. Two of the characters, the ones who disappear first, are disgusted and want to leave. Another character, the stereotypical wisecracking comic relief, is openly contemptuous. Two characters remain because they are anthropologists and see a thesis topic unfolding And the only one left, Dani, is an orphan who might have found a family. None are blinkered by political correctness. Each wants out or stays for some personal benefit.

"But where Hereditary had the feeling of ... Hereditary's ending was overlong and gratuitous," r220?

R221 You know what he meant.

Not r221, but I sure didn't.

If you're gonna write a post that long, proof read the fucking thing.

You didn't know he was comparing Hereditary with Midsommar? You're that obtuse?

[quote]"But where Hereditary had the feeling of ... Hereditary's ending was overlong and gratuitous," [R220]?

Midsommar’s ending was overlong and gratuitous. Hereditary’s ending was skillful.

Maja (sp?) says "I can feel the baby inside me."

I say the same thing when my out-of-town married bud breeds me but it's also wishful thinking, not magic.

[quote][R204], I don’t think your theory about this being a satire holds up.

I didn't say it was a satire. I said it satirized certain social media trends.

You seem to over-genrefy movies. You think that this can't have satire unless it's "a satire." You think that it can't have comic elements unless it's "a comedy."

Midsommar is a horror movie. It's not a comedy, and it's not a satire. But it absolutely has comedic and satirical elements.

It also has hours of dull-as-dirt moments. How is it possible that people are still discussing this movie?

How dare you like/want to talk about something I hated?!?

I’m hardly outraged that you want to discuss a boring movie. Your outburst is silly. You can discuss as many boring movies as you want!

POS film. Wanted my time and money back.

Miss r229 wandered into the wrong theater -- she had bought a ticket for Aladdin. It look her over an hour to realize she was in the wrong theater. "Where is that funny talking parrot?" Miss r229 wondered ....

Are you on drugs? Aladdin looks more boring than Midsommar, hard as that is to believe. You have such strange responses. I’m glad you found enjoyment in this movie but you are going to have to move on and be happy in the knowledge that others do not share in your joy.

Shoo frau, shoo.

[bold]A24 is releasing the Midsommar director's cut in theaters this weekend[/bold]

[quote]That version features an additional 24 minutes of footage and those who have seen the unrated cut note that much of the footage serves to enrich the character development and narrative.

I'll only go see the director's cut if we get to see longer shots of Jack Reynor's cut.

Cool, I want to see it.

It gives me an excuse to see the movie again, and I saw it twice already. lol

I'm increasingly impressed with Will Poulter, who at only 26 has amassed a varied CV - The Revenant, We're the Millers, The Little Stranger, and he plays the asshole friend Mark in Midsommar. He's an odd looking kid, but gives great performances.

r239 wrote that with one hand

Poulter is so odd looking that it takes me out of the scene every time.

[quote]when the hårgas lift dani onto the pedestal and start walking to the dinner table, you can see her dead sister’s face in the trees with the exhaust tube in her mouth...

Gorgeous shot.

Love the cute Swedish boys. And the last half which is a loooong trip. I was dizzy for the rest of the night when I got home, and my eyes were exhausted from all the bright white shots. I really like this movie.

The lead (finally) experiencing catharsis and release as the house with the human sacrifice burned down at the end was my favourite part.

Saw it for the second time just now. What a profoundly beautiful message of ignoring, acknowledging, and sharing each other's pain.

I hope it gets a cinematography nod, because it's just stunning to look at.

So much foreskin, it formed a little pocket as he was running...

Pelle is so cute in R245. I love Swedes with roundish faces and squinty eyes. Not a type you see often in the U.S.

[quote]They were drugged from the moment they arrived.

This an EXTREMELY important point to make about this movie. It would seem as though they were fucked up to the point of apathy but there were also moments of lucidity so the lack of escape attempts did bother me. Especially, from Poulter’s character, who you would think would be the first to bolt when shit went down. I get that the boyfriend and the token were focused on their theses--at least the token was. I think the boyfriend kinda dug it there. Also, I wouldn’t have even noticed the scream if I didn’t have CC on.

Wether you liked it or not, you have to admire their devotion to the source material. I mean...this shit was so bonkers that I couldn't turn away.

R246. The blood. So much blood from her broken hymen.

It’s pronounced mid SO mar, which is pretentious just like the film.

The guy who played Christian looked too much like Seth Rogen to me. I kept expecting fart and dick jokes.

You're insane. He's a very sexy man. He has the biggest eyes.

He does have beautiful alabaster skin.

So which one is this?

Seth or Jack

[quote]It’s pronounced mid SO mar, which is pretentious just like the film.

Or maybe it's pronounced that way because it's an actual Swedish word?

Actually as I said before he reminded me of Chris Pratt.....

Ari Aster won't be doing movies like this anymore, he says

r256 Movies like what? And why?

That movie was a total piece of crap, typical AWG overpraise for what was mostly a laughable SNL megalong pseudo Euro artfilm parody.

Ari Aster is a pretentious hack, and this movie cinches it.

R257 Folk horror, horror in general. I'm not sure.

R259 You didn't think it was visually impressive?

One of my favorite cinematic parts was when he flipped the camera as they were driving, to signify that they were entering an entirely different, enchanted land.

I was asleep by that point, R261.

Surely he will do a sequel to Hereditary.

God no. No one should give him another dime, R264.

I love slow burn horror.

r266, have you seen "Creepy"? Loved it.

R267 Just watched Creepy on Amazon Prime, and although I did like the slow burn aspect of it, it lead to nothing.

R258 And a tepid remake of the original Wicker Man. It was the second time Aster mined the same terrain as Wicker Man. Though Midsommar is a much more boring and spoon fed version of the Wicker Man.

The movie was okay. Not nearly as good as Hereditary, which I loved, but it had it's moments. I liked the opening scenes with the sister's cryptic email, Dani being overwrought, Christian's indifference, and finally the discovery of what the sister did. But the rest of the film didn't really stand up to the introduction. If it was at least 20 or 30 minutes shorter, it really would've been a lot better. It is just WAY too long and drags at points. And we're supposed to want to watch a director's cut that is about half an hour longer? You have to be kidding.

Though the cinematography and colors are gorgeous. I will give it that. I hope it gets recognition for it during the Os nominations on Monday, though I know it is unlikely as they have a habit of ignoring a lot of horror stuff with only a handful of exceptions.

That is supposed to say, Oscar nominations. Not sure why the "car" was cut off.

R270 We are on the same point. The cinematography and the set design was top notch. However the glacial pace killed the momentum of the film. It never was as good as the first act. Much like the new superlong version of Once Upon A Time in America version(the 250 minute long cut) I thought that Midsommar was too fucking long as it was. The film was boring and lthe lack of velocity hurt the story. More of it would be overkill.

The extreme hype over both of his films has seemed artificial to me. the r/horror subreddit is militant about both films. If you dare say anything negative about either, it's like a swarm of wasps coming for you. Hereditary was not this decades Exorcist as the marketing claimed. Talk about being arrogant. It's as if he was paying people to flood sites with hyped up reviews and praise about his films well in advance.

R273, I'd say it was more like this decades Rosemary's Baby. They are somewhat similar with both having an overly friendly woman who secretly belongs to a cult which seeks to use the main character's child for Satanic purposes.

I'd give that gorgeous man a blowjob and a rimjob!

I loved Hereditary and I really liked Midsommar.

My god, Midsommar's gore was highly effective and shocking. Very unsettling film. I was never bored (and I thought I would be)

Really loved both films, and I stand by the fact that Hereditary is up there with The Exorcist interns of horror/brilliance/classic.

R274, And the close family member who is in on all the Satanic madness. Only this time it is the mother (in law)/grandma instead of the husband.

Oh the sadness to acknowledge that the old man sacrificing himself is the gorgeous Tadzio.

Only 64 but looking really more than 72.

Sic transit gloria mundi.

Tadzio from such a beautiful boy to such an ugly old grampa. Life is so cruel.

I watched it on AMAZON. It was sort of a break-up revenge fantasy from the perspective of a vengeful angry annoying woman.

It reminded me too of THE WICKER MAN.

However, I do appreciate movies where the woman isn't always in peril or always the victim. It was refreshing to see the man exploited and used as a sexual object.

It's like THE WICKER MAN with a good dollop of HARVEST HOME (the book, not the mediocre TV movie).

Agree with the poster above who liked the first portion best. It's way too long and just winds up looking silly by the time it's done. Even HEREDITARY went off the rails in the last 15 minutes, but it's much better than MIDSOMMAR.

For me the guy that played Pelle was the hottie.

I think Aster is in danger of turning into the next M. Night Shyamalan.

Aster is 2 for 2 in my eyes. He always makes interesting choices. I think Midsommar could have used a 15/20 minute series of cuts here and there, especially since we all know where the story is going, so it's not like we're on the edge of our seats waiting to find out what happens. Hereditary was a masterwork in my eyes and Toni Collette gave one of the most ferocious, committed performances I've seen in all my life. The last 10 minutes got a little silly at times, but the build up alone was worth it.

R282- I could not have said it better myself. I agree with every word.

I think there are shades of Herschell Gordon Lewis's Two Thousand Maniacs as well. It is like that movie and Wicker Man blended together with a bit of the grief angle from Hereditary mixed in.

I can’t take these directors who jump through hoops darkening sets & faces. It’s so phony. We get it. You’re trying to be spooky. It’s not spooky. It’s sophomoric.

I can’t take these directors who jump through hoops darkening sets & faces. It’s so phony. We get it. You’re trying to be spooky. It’s not spooky. It’s sophomoric.

Omg this movie was so bad & so long & sooooo drawn out....if you’re over 21, you’ve seen it already. It just had a different name & a different setting. And it was a lot shorter. Or at least it seemed a lot shorter than this boring, predictable, trite “weird-cult-lures-young-people for their fertility-virility-vitality-youth and sacrifices them to old beings/gods.

I’m so glad I didn’t pay to see it.

What other mainstream movies have male victims like this? I know of THE WICKER MAN.

Harvest Home

Hail Paimon!

It sometimes looked like it was being filmed in upstate NY & sometimes looked like Little House on the Prairie, which I’m sure was deliberate.

[quote] What other mainstream movies have male victims like this? I know of THE WICKER MAN.

Hereditary The Alchemist Cookbook Baskin Suspiria (2018) The Witch (2015) Saw Found (2012) Kill List (2011) Angel Heart The Ninth Gate May (2002)

I really could have formatted that better.

Hereditary

The Alchemist Cookbook

Baskin

Suspiria (2018)

The Witch (2015)

Saw

Found (2012)

Kill List (2011)

Angel Heart

The Ninth Gate

May (2002)

R292 The Kill List had men,women and children as victims. Yes most of the victims are men BUT it seems that that killing the young and the female was essential to reaching the endgame of the story.

I Spit on Your Grave. That one's got all male victims.

If you liked Midsommar, you might like...

R294 You're kind of an asshole for spoiling the end of this movie immediately after my post-- and just to be clear-- the victim was Jay. He unknowingly was tricked into murdering his wife and child by the cult. It's a great folk horror movie like Midsommar. Did you even see the movie?

I enjoyed FIRE IN THE SKY, it wasn't well done but a good looking guy was the abduction victim.

r288-

Teeth

All the Boys Love Mandy Lane

Misery

[quote] Harvest Home

Yup. As soon as I heard about this (and yes, I know the ending) I was like, "ooh, I liked this when it was called Harvest Home."