Ari Aster teases the horrors of Midsommar

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

HEREDITARY writer/director Ari Aster is set to unleash another delightfully horrific tale of terror with MIDSOMMAR, which 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.

What fate befalls them? While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Ari Aster joked, "They just hang out. They take it easy and they make it home safe and sound." While I'd probably still watch that movie, Aster acknowledged that "It is very safe to say that horrors ensue. The film is definitely mining the same vein as Wicker Man was working, but as a piece of folk-horror, it’s pretty irreverent in that it doesn’t really stay comfortably on that route. That’s why I’m making sure to describe it as a fairytale. It’s not a million miles away from something like Alice in Wonderland. It’s a psychedelic film. But there are no solid [comparisons] that I can hand you. I’m hoping that the film feels pretty singular and is a trip." When we meet Florence Pugh and Jack Reynor's characters, Dani and Christian, their relationship isn't in the best of shape. "Dani has had a loss, [and] by the time that the film starts, she’s in the middle of a relationship that is on its way out," Pugh said. "When we meet her, she’s just about to suffer some more. So it’s pretty much rock bottom with her!"

We've seen a glimpse of what's in store for us in the haunting MIDSOMMER teaser last month, and Aster revealed that the film's signature village set was built from scratch. "Some of those buildings are three stories tall," said the director. "It was a huge endeavor." It also didn't help that the temperature reached nearly unbearable heights during production. Jack Reynor recalled, "It must have been 40 degrees centigrade, and we were sitting in the direct sunlight. As a result of everything on the table having sugar in it, we were getting murdered by wasps. It was uncomfortable, but I think it lent itself to the tone of the thing."

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