Ari Aster says Midsommar is like a Wizard of Oz for perverts

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Well, I can't say that I've heard anyone describe their film quite like that, but I love it. After blowing audiences away with HEREDITARY, writer/director Ari Aster is set to unleash another delightfully horrific tale of terror later this year. MIDSOMMAR will be centered around a vacationing couple, played by Florence Pugh (FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY) and Jack Reynor (SING STREET), who arrive at a small Swedish village. Although it seems idyllic at first glance, suspicions slowly begin to grow as the cult-like tendencies of the town become apparent.

Although beautiful and haunting, the first trailer for MIDSOMMAR didn't spill much about what the film is about, so Vulture caught up with Ari Aster recently and managed to get a little more information.

"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." 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."

I still have no idea what that means, but I can't wait to find out. Although Ari Aster has made a name for himself with his work in horror, he told THR last year that MIDSOMMAR will likely be his last in that particular genre for a while. "I'm pretty sure that's going to be it for a long time. I love the genre, I consider myself a genre filmmaker in that I want to play in every genre," Aster said. "I would love to make a musical. I have ten other scripts that I've written that I want to make and there are other things I have. I'm writing a sci-fi film and there are at least four or five movies that I have ready to go that I am excited about making that I'd like to do in succession."

MIDSOMMAR is set to hit theaters on August 9, 2019.