When you first watch the trailer for director Ari Aster’s upcoming horror film, “Midsommar,” you wouldn’t be wrong to draw comparisons to “The Wicker Man.” The ‘70s horror film is a bit of a cult classic and deals with very similar territory of a creepy cult that is likely up to no good. However, the filmmaker and one of the film’s stars is quick to say that it’s not the best comparison.
“‘The Wicker Man,’ that’s kind of a cult you wouldn’t mind being a part of,” star Jack Reynor said in a new interview with EW. “But these guys, in ‘Midsommar,’ they’re really fucking creepy dudes.”
Of course, one could argue that the folks in ‘Wicker Man’ are pretty “fucking creepy” themselves. As for “Midsommar,” the film follows a group of young people that venture to Scandinavia. While there, the group is invited to a remote village in Sweden, where things aren’t as beautiful and idyllic as they may seem. What happens next? Well, Aster isn’t going to say much.
“They just hang out,” joked Aster. “They take it easy and they make it home safe and sound.”
Obviously, that’s not the case, as anyone who has seen Aster’s first film, “Hereditary,” will likely guess.
“It is very safe to say that horrors ensue,” the director said. “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.”
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He continued, “It’s not a million miles away from something like ‘Alice in Wonderland.’ It’s a psychedelic film. It definitely moves very solidly into psychedelia and so it’s not a million miles away from something like ‘A Field in England’ in that respect. But there are no solid [comparisons] that I can hand you. I’m hoping that the film feels pretty singular and is a trip.”
Judging by these comments and the footage seen in the trailer, it appears that Aster has another unique horror film under his belt. Fans will have to see how it compares to his incredible debut feature when “Midsommar” arrives in theaters on July 3.
You can see a new picture from the film below:
