midsommar (2019) ends the horrors of the 2010s on a high, becoming a troubling and traumatic film about grief, broken relationships in the slow process of dying, and a nightmarish trip to Sweden. It felt unique upon release, thanks to the way it paired a grounded story about a long breakup with a more unsettling premise involving a pagan cult, as well as the way most of its horror scenes took place in broad daylight.
It manages to incorporate elements from previous “folk horror” films into something different, even if it means there are other examples of the horror genre out there that deliver the same scares, or have a comparable vibe. These films are generally (though not exclusively) pre-existing midsommarand will likely appeal to viewers who enjoy – or are frightened by – owned by Ari Aster second feature film.
10 ‘The Wicker Man’ (1973)
Despite the distinct plot, the visuals and overall style are present Woven Man making him arguably the most obvious influence on midsommar. It takes place on a strange island, following an outsider – a police sergeant – as he visits the place, finds its population increasingly unsettled, and struggles to make progress in finding a missing young girl (the reason he went there in the first place). place).
Like midsommar, Woven Man is a slow-burn horror film with a mysterious cult at its center, and it’s still scary despite (or because) it’s generally set outdoors and is often noticeably brighter than most horror films. Avoid the acclaimed 2006 remake at all costs, but the original from 1973 holds up as a horror classic.
9 ‘Descent’ (2018)
After making a string of depressing and sometimes controversial short films throughout the early and mid-2010s, Hereditary was released in 2018 as Ari Aster’s feature film debut. It follows a family that is slowly being torn apart by grief, while finding themselves being manipulated by some sort of strange coven with ties to their ancestry.
To call it a grim and depressing film would be an understatement, and it’s just as raw as the opening sequence in midsommar is, part of Hereditary prove themselves more intrusive. Though the plot and setting are different midsommar, Hereditary remain comparable thanks to uncompromisingly disturbing themes and venues, and, of course, written and directed by the same filmmakers.
8 ‘Witch’ (2015)
Witch is set nearly 400 years ago, though it still manages to present plenty of folk horror scares that would unsettle modern-day viewers. The plot centers on a family who are exiled from their settlement due to religious strife and, while isolated, find themselves plagued by a series of strange and increasingly dangerous events.
It was the debut feature film for Robert Eggersand instantly established him as an exciting new voice in the horror genre (he’s since made increasingly ambitious films, such as 2019). lighthouse and in 2022 Northerners). As far as slow-burn, mostly smooth horror films from the 2010s go, Witch no doubt up there as one of the best.
7 ‘Barbarians’ (2022)
A highly unexpected and subversive horror/thriller film, barbarian ended up being one of the best releases for the genre in 2022, if not the best. It follows a young woman who arrives at an Airbnb, learns that it has been accidentally double-booked, and then begins having uncomfortable interactions with the other people there (more complicated when they find out what else is inside the strange house).
midsommar is a film that aims to shock audiences within the first 10 minutes, keeping them on their toes for what lies ahead. barbarian takes a bit more time to get into that territory, but once it does, it ends up being a rollercoaster of the movie, making it hard to guess where it’s going next. In addition, both films share a lot of horror as their protagonists visit foreign locations with dark secrets (admittedly, barbarian Detroit’s setting isn’t quite as new or otherworldly as rural Sweden… at least not at first).
6 ‘Apostle’ (2018)
With ApostleDirector Gareth Evans moving away from the action genre, which he expanded with his mastery in 2011 The attack and its 2014 sequel. Apostle instead a slow and relatively smooth film, at least before exploding with some gruesome violence and bloodshed that might make the audience remember just as brutal. The attack movies (and for what they’re worth, midsommar can get pretty bloody too).
The story is set in the early 20th century, and follows a man who goes to a remote island in search of his little sister, as he believes her sister has been kidnapped by a religious cult. It had an isolated, cult setting, visceral violence, and depicted gruesome daylight scenes, meaning it scratched the same itch. midsommarwhich was released one year later.
5 ‘Men’ (2022)
Career trajectory of Alex Bouquet – as far as his directorial efforts are concerned – is an interesting one. 2014 saw him released Ex Machinewhich is a science fiction film, 2018 made it straight Destructionthat mixes sci-fi and horror, and then in 2022, he releases it Manwhich is almost exclusively a horror film.
Man deals with a grieving young woman traveling the countryside alone, only to find the town she lives in becomes deeply unsettling and ends up becoming a nightmare. This is yet another film about the horror of grief, and how such horror is compounded when grieving characters are confronted with more traditional horror movie type scenarios, making for tough and effectively scary viewing.
4 ‘Antichrist’ (2009)
Antichrist it’s not afraid to be a weird and relentlessly challenging horror film, which is what you might expect from a filmmaker like this Lars von Trier step into genres. It centers on a married couple who lose a child before traveling deep into the forest to try and heal emotionally and mend their fractured relationship, only for things to get worse.
This is the kind of film that might prove too much for some viewers, so it can only be recommended for those who don’t mind gore to extremes. For its setting, brutal violence, and depressing narrative, comparisons can definitely be made between it and midsommar.
3 ‘The Blair Witch Project’ (1999)
A low-budget hit that kept record films wildly popular for years after their release, The Blair Witch Project is a landmark film in the wider horror genre. It’s about three film students making a documentary in the woods, uncovering something sinister, and then supposedly disappearing, with what they recorded being the only evidence to explain what might have happened.
It wasn’t the first low-budget horror film to find success by hook or by crook, but few were made for so little money and proved profitable. The Blair Witch Project has done. The presentation is different, but it manages to make the wide-open space as intimidating as it gets midsommar and various other films that incorporate elements of folk horror.
2 ‘Invitation’ (2015)
Invitation it starts innocently enough, with a couple – Will and Kira – being invited out to dinner with a group of friends one night. It’s being held at the home of one of Will’s ex-boyfriends, and his new partner – David – seems to have some sort of ulterior motive for throwing the party, or at least that’s what Will begins to suspect.
This is a film that happily portrays something, using the lack of certainty about what happened to make the viewer feel as uncomfortable as its main character. With elements of horror that spring from (literally) being invited to a place, and a narrative that deals with breakups and ex-partners, Invitation does have at least some similarities with midsommar.
1 ‘Beau Is Fear’ (2023)
Ari Aster’s third film, Beau Scaredadmittedly slightly different from Hereditary And midsommar. With a three-hour runtime, it is noticeably longer than his previous two theatrically released films, and perhaps less focused on horror overall, instead aiming to be a dark comedy, and with a surrealistic bent to the whole film that occasionally finds itself. turned into a nightmare.
While not as easily recognizable as a horror film, it has the same feeling of anxiety that can be found in other Aster films. It certainly makes for a unique viewing experience, and commits to its tense, sprawling, completely grotesque, and deeply psychological narrative with admirable ferocity and/or audacity.