Grief is a powerful and often haunting theme that permeates the horror genre, and Midsommar (2019) is a striking example of this exploration. While it may not be the first horror film to tackle grief, Dani's (Florence Pugh) emotional turmoil is portrayed with such intensity that it leaves viewers feeling profoundly unsettled. This might answer your question, "Is Midsommar Scary?". Among the many exceptional horror films produced by A24, we don't know Where was Midsommar Filmed? But Midsommar stands out for its ability to evoke deep discomfort. Here is a list of Dreadful movies like Midsommar.
If one wishes to move on to other more disquieting horrors that deal with grief, then here are some recommendations for them. Majorly dealing with loss, these films are just as unsettling.
List of 10 Creepy Movies Like Midsommar:
- The Descent (2005)
- The House of the Devil (2009)
- Antichrist (2009)
- The Invitation (2015)
- The Witch (2015)
- Mother! (2017)
- The Ritual (2017)
- Hereditary (2018)
- The Lodge (2019)
- Men (2022)
And don't worry—you won't need a May Queen outfit to enjoy this list!
The Descent (2005)
The Descent is often touted as one of the best horror movies of the 2000s, and rightly so. It is the story of a group of friends on an expedition into caves, which soon breaks into chaos once they encounter sinister humanoid creatures. First, there is the claustrophobic tension of being trapped underground, but Sarah Carter also has to fight her profound loss of a daughter and husband. Grief is soaked into the weight of it all, which will leave a viewer squirming through the experience.
House of the Devil (2009) The House of the Devil uses some slow-burning tension that just seems to take audiences into uncomfortable territory. With his leading lady in an utterly nightmarish situation, Ti West—an expert when it comes to homage—brought classic horror and threw his audience right into the guts of the '80s with this film.
The plot centers on Samantha, played by Jocelin Donahue, who takes up a babysitting job out of desperation due to financial constraints. However, the night quickly turns into a basic fight for survival as she finds out her job is anything but what it initially appeared. With elements like cults and eerie old characters, this really sets the bar high to still tell familiar stories in captive ways.
Antichrist (2009)
As a seasoned horror aficionado, I’ve encountered my fair share of bizarre films, but Antichrist left me shaken enough to question whether I’d ever want to watch it again.
The narrative follows a couple grappling with the tragic loss of their son in a horrific accident. In a form of exposure therapy, the husband, Willem Dafoe, takes his wife, Charlotte Gainsbourg, into the wild, where disturbing events slowly start to happen.
It should be noted that writer/director Lars von Trier dealt with depression and anxiety and used this film as a medium, heavy-handedly making an unflinching portrait of grief that should be approached with caution from the viewer's perspective—this one's not for the squeamish.
The Invitation (2015)
Bottling your grief is oftentimes more destructive than confronting it head-on. Though The Invitation does stray away from Midsommar in so many ways, the film tackles the same themes: grief, cults, and how those closest to us can become a danger to our own safety.
The story revolves around Will, played by Logan Marshall-Green, who is invited to a dinner party by his ex-wife. Instead of confronting memories of his son, he finds himself embroiled in a disturbing evening alongside his girlfriend (Emayatzy Corinealdi).
This eerie film deserves more recognition than it initially received—plus, it's directed by Karyn Kusama (Jennifer's Body).
The Witch (2015)
Horror has the unique ability to amplify any theme into something more terrifying or disturbing than it already is.
The VVitch is not only a dissection of grief but also of the cult mentality rampant among the ultra-religious. Set in the 1600s, it tells the story of a family who gets banished from their settlement and seeks to forge a new life in seclusion—only to realize forces beyond their control are well and truly lurking in the shadows.
Anya Taylor- Joy delivers an unforgettable performance, and let's not forget Charlie the goat as Black Phillip!
Mother! (2017)
The sheer chaos that is Mother! is something you can hardly imagine. The movie follows Mother (Jennifer Lawrence) and Him (Javier Bardem) as they prepare their house for the baby's arrival, but things take a turn for the worse when unexpected visitors show up and everything spirals into chaos.
I won't say anything more to ruin your first watch of Darren Aronofsky's (Black Swan) movie for you—because, trust me, it's way more uncomfortable than anything you might feel in Midsommar.
The Ritual (2017)
One of the few things scarier than being lost in the woods are unexplainable happenings. The Ritual follows a group of friends on a hike across Sweden in honor of their deceased friend, only to realize that there is malevolence lurking in the forest that they are not prepared for.
Ancient deity-worshipping cults can really throw a wrench into your camping plans!
Hereditary (2018)
I know this might sound like an obvious choice for this list, but I couldn't help myself! In my opinion, hereditary is better than Midsommar. Both Ari Aster films deal with the destructive power of grief, but this one delves deep into a family's tragic loss, which sparks a horrifying chain reaction.
No getting around it; everybody mourns differently, and this lot does not find those nice 'n' tidy-feel-good endings as they slog forward. Toni Collette gives one of those performances that are a little easy to forget.
The Lodge (2019)
Trauma and isolation combine in a toxic mix in The Lodge. Not everybody will take to it, but as an exercise in creepiness, it is very, very effective indeed.
Two siblings, played by Jaeden Martell and Lia McHugh, must bond with their soon-to-be stepmother, Riley Keough, while their father attends to work obligations. The chain of events those siblings unleash is unsettling, chilling, and completely avoidable.
The Lodge does well in making viewers uncomfortable, exploring real-life extremist cult trauma.
Men (2022)
A24's canon of horror is about as varied as it gets, and Men embodies this rather nicely. Harper goes on holiday to clear her head after the death of her husband and finds herself perpetually harassed by the gentlemen around her, all of whom are played by Rory Kinnear.
Alex Garland's movie gives its message quite plain as day, which, though might not be interesting to everyone, captures the complexity very poignantly around loss—even complicatedly tangled relationships.
Harper endures immense suffering in this journey but finally sees her changed after confronting ultra-body horror along the way!