It’s been nearly a year since we saw Ari Aster’s Hereditary for the first time, and we’re just going to come out and say it: We don’t really think that it holds up. Sure, there’s a ton of arresting imagery and one hell of a Toni Collette performance making it perfectly palatable to a number of horror-oriented audiences, but when you look a little bit past the surface, there’s not really very much there. This is why we didn’t include it on our Top 15 list, even though we initially gave it a very positive review.
That said, Aster captured the imaginations of plenty of horror fans, and now holds a bunch of clout in the industry, which makes his next film, the Swedish cult thriller Midsommar, a very interesting proposition. It’ll test if Aster’s more than a one-hit wonder and if A24 are really ready for the consequences and viewer push back if indeed he is. It’s skipping Cannes, which is kind of fascinating, but in lieu of the first reactions to it, we have a brand new trailer for the film, which dropped earlier on Tuesday.
Peep it:
Here’s a brief synopsis:
“Dani and Christian are a young American couple with a relationship on the brink of falling apart. But after a family tragedy keeps them together, a grieving Dani invites herself to join Christian and his friends on a trip to a once-in-a-lifetime midsummer festival in a remote Swedish village. What begins as a carefree summer holiday in a land of eternal sunlight takes a sinister turn when the insular villagers invite their guests to partake in festivities that render the pastoral paradise increasingly unnerving and viscerally disturbing. From the visionary mind of Ari Aster comes a dread-soaked cinematic fairytale where a world of darkness unfolds in broad daylight.”
And a new poster:
Midsommar hits theaters on July 3.