+the scene

'Midsommar' Turns a Sunny Holiday Tradition Into a Nightmare!

Written by Meg Spaulding. Published: March 19 2019
(Image © A24)

 

Summer is not typically considered a scary time of year. The flowers are still blooming, the sun is shining, waters are sparkling—everyone’s guard is down as the season lulls them into a sunny ease. Most people don't think of horror when they think of summer. But this year, that’s about to change.

 

FromAri Aster, the director of Hereditary, last year’s horror movie that kept people awake for countless nights, comes his second feature-length horror, Midsommar. The title gets its name from the Swedish festival that happens every year. Midsummer festivals happen all over the world, especially in Europe and the U.S.—think of Maypole dancing. In the movie Midsommar, events are centered around this holiday.

 

As we learn in the trailer, a small Swedish village is celebrating a very special Midsommar. Their particular festival only happens once every 90 years—meaning no one who remembers the previous one is alive. It seems as if they’ve opened up their festivities to tourists, and we meet the main characters, a group of backpackers who are about to get much more than they signed up for...

 

 

- Meg Spaulding, YH Contributing Writer