Young couple Dani and Christian have been going through a rough patch, so a vacation to a tiny sun-dappled Swedish village seems like just what they need to heal. They arrive during a nine-day pagan festival filled with flower garlands, kinship, and twirling 'round the maypole. But on closer look (and under the influence of mysterious powders) they find a bizarre undercurrent of cultish violence beneath the smiling facade. 

Director Ari Aster’s follow-up to last year’s nightmarish HEREDITARY brightens the exteriors but retains an uneasy menace in what he calls a “Scandinavian folk horror.” With all manner of grief, confusion, and ritualistic sadism unfolding in the radiant light of day, MIDSOMMAR will forever change the way you look at the idyllic countryside. Remember to breathe.