How Midsommar Brainwashes You

Honestly, psychological horror is so much scarier than jumpscare/gore horror

"why do we smile at the end of midsommer" WHO'S WE?

Saying the ending is happy because Dani smiles is like saying the end of 1984 is happy because Winston thinks he’s been cured

I was raised in a cult. Nothing has been more horrifying to me than watching how many people thought this wasn't a horror film at all. I haven't watched it because I know it will be triggering AF, and I remember how it felt in that beautiful indoctrination stage, where it seemed like finally there was a place I might be safe, or belong. People often say things like that cults prey on the weak or vulnerable, but I think insufficient attention is paid to why so many people are vulnerable in the first place. People like the Harga can succeed, because "normal" culture leaves so many out in the cold without support to begin with.

"Why do we smile at the end of Midsommar" Y'ALL WAS SMILING?!

there's no scarier trap than one that you never want to leave

The fact that so many people see this movie as a Girlboss Yass Queen kind of story instead of the horror it actually is tells me those people would be more susceptible to real world cults than others

pelle saying that he lost his parents in a fire is one of the most haunting parts imo. it shows a hellish cycle of murder and isolation and we just watched it perpetuate itself

I was so shocked when I found out that some people thought the ending was happy or satisfying. The ending upset me so much because I realized all hope of her escaping was lost

The scariest part of Midsommar is how many people thought that was a happy ending.

I love your insight. May I add my own? I noticed the meals served were mostly vegetarian, until people started dying. The glee with which one of the female Harga says "meat tart" was too horrific to ignore. I was terrified and loved it.

I watched this movie for the 3rd time with my roommate from college. She was a psych major so I looked forward to see if she could pick up on anything I most likely would have missed. She noted that when Pelle was speaking to Dani in his apartment about the trip, he never blinked, his face was blank, and his eyes didn't match his voice when he was expressing his excitement about the possibility of her going. She told me that was a sign that he was not to be trusted, and it flew right over my head. After she mentioned that and I watched it again with someone else, it was glaringly obvious.

To me, the smile symbolises that the brainwashing is complete and she is now one of them. Film ends

i cant believe i just spent almost half an hour watching a video about how a movie i haven't watched brainwashed me

Pelle's headress during ceremonies is made from vetch- an incredibly invasive weed that's almost impossible to eradicate from your garden. As it grows it winds & tangles & wraps itself around other plants. At the same time, it's a pretty weed & looks delicate & innocent enough. Absolutely love the details & omens woven into this movie. It's so terrifying because it's so beautiful & enchanting.

I can’t get an ending scene out of my head showing the two volunteers from the cult being told they wouldn’t feel pain or fear and gives them a drug to ensure it, and then one turns to the other to see him start to scream in pain as he catches fire. I’m so sad, they were so mislead and betrayed.

i don’t like how people brush over the fact that the boyfriend was drugged and therefore couldn’t consent to having sx with the red head girl.. like he was essentially assulted

Seriously this actress blew me away, she was so good at emotions and bottling them in and letting them explode.

I was most struck by how childlike Dani becomes, visually, during the film. As the May Queen, she is in a white dress which is tailored to make her look smaller, her shoes are like kids' shoes, her rounded arms held out to balance the way little kids do, unselfconsciously.

That scream from the man who realised he was about to burn to death was spine chilling.