Ari Aster describes Midsommar as ‘Wizard of Oz for perverts’

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

The WICKER MAN flavor was strong in the recently released trailer for HEREDITARY writer/director Ari Aster's second feature MIDSOMMAR, but that trailer also did a fine job of intriguing without giving away too much… Which is how we have ended up with Aster giving an amusingly awesome description of what his new movie is.

The folks over at Vulture asked Aster for more information on MIDSOMMAR, and he answered:

It's a breakup movie, in the same way that HEREDITARY is a family tragedy. 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."

That answer is a variation on something we've heard before, as Aster has previously called MIDSOMMAR an "apocalyptic breakup" movie. Vulture wanted him to compare MIDSOMMAR to another movie, though, since he said it shouldn't be compared to HEREDITARY. When Aster paused for a full minute to think of something to compare it to, they threw out a random suggestion, "Is it your MAMMA MIA?"

Laughing, Aster replied: 

Yeah, sure, I'd say so. It's a WIZARD OF OZ for perverts."

So there we have it. The answer may have been a joke in response to the suggestion that MIDSOMMAR is his MAMMA MIA, but now the movie will forever be known as "WIZARD OF OZ for perverts".

Starring Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Will Poulter, Vilhem Blomgren, William Jackson Harper, Ellora Torchia, and Archie Madekwe, this "Scandinavian folk horror" story centers on 

a young woman, already dealing with the death of her parents, who joins her boyfriend and his friends on a trip to Sweden, specifically to a remote town with unique midsummer traditions. Things go south from there.

MIDSOMMAR is set to reach theatres on August 9th.