Reviews

Horror is not dead. Indeed, it has new life. It's been given a nice rotation of resuscitators and caretakers in the midst of James Wan's domination of anything and everything remotely horror. Ari Aster among the finest of these new lifers--"new life" also one of the major themes of both of his films. His bold and controversial "Herditary" was an achievement in filmmaking itself--mastering all the elements outside of narrative for a good horror movie, managing to almost never fall into the trap of throwing tropes at the wall and seeing what sticks. "Midsommar" is a proper sophomore effort, more ambitious in story and character development (Florence Pugh is divinely subtle as she navigates the slow descent of the break-up amidst being trapped in an unsettlingly beautiful Swedish landscape with a commune of cultists), more intricate in its tone whilst staying within the territory of grief and loss and never not being simply horrifying. Aster strokes the amygdili like the "mind-nuts" they are and forces us to keep watching. His mastery of unsettling imagery is superb, as is his pacing.

Also this includes the greatest horror scene involving a bear suit since the Nicholas Cage "Wicker Man".