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Cults are endlessly fascinating from beginning to end, morphing from friendly to freaky with liberal amounts of insanity usually. Cults and their charismatic leaders have always been prime movie fodder because the cults are inherently mysterious, odd, and, in movies, extremely evil. Just last year we had not one but two thoroughly enjoyable movies featuring evil, murderous sex cults, and 2019 is sure to have another banger in this surprisingly busy genre because Hereditary director Ari Aster’s new film Midsommar is culty to the max!
Employing a similar style to Hereditary‘s, the recently released trailer conveys right off the bat that things are just a bit off when some hikers come across what looks like a hippie commune. Things rapidly become very, very, disturbingly off as the hippies don’t stop smiling and their cabins are painted with intense religious sacrifice paintings. Things don’t seem to get better. Also like Hereditary, the visuals and sound design in the trailer are endlessly chilling, with mysterious chimes and vibrant colours being used to subvert their normal meanings and situating them to become off-putting and uncanny. Apparently the cult is based in rural Sweden too, so it’s extra dangerous.
Daytime and well-lit horror is a tough cookie to crack, so it’s really exciting to see someone so adept at horror like Aster taking a shot. The premise is well-trodden, but the trailer still feels fresh and intriguing. Even better, Midsommar, is set to release this summer, so you can get your freak on pretty soon.