If you’re a fan of slow-burn, psychological horror that gets under your skin and stays there, then Ari Aster’s 2019 folk horror masterpiece Midsommar was probably right up your alley. The film follows a group of American grad students who travel to a remote Swedish commune to observe their midsummer festivities. What starts as an idyllic retreat into a seeming utopia of flower crowns and maypole dancing gradually descends into a waking nightmare of brutal rituals, human sacrifice, and cult indoctrination.
Midsommar is a film that sticks with you long after the credits roll, with its bright, sun-drenched cinematography belying the dark events unfolding on screen. If you loved Midsommar‘s brand of daylight horror that slowly ratchets up the unease and dread, here are 18 more movies in a similar vein that will burrow into your psyche:
1. Hereditary (2018)
Before he ventured to Sweden for Midsommar, writer-director Ari Aster made his feature debut with another emotionally devastating horror film, Hereditary. After her secretive and estranged mother dies, Annie Graham (Toni Collette) and her family find themselves haunted by a mysterious presence and uncovering disturbing secrets about their ancestry. Like Midsommar, Hereditary is a masterclass in building tension and a sense of encroaching doom, punctuated by shocking moments of violence. And Toni Collette’s raw, anguished performance is not to be missed.
2. The Wicker Man (1973)
The Wicker Man is in many ways the granddaddy of folk horror and a clear influence on Midsommar. A pious police sergeant (Edward Woodward) arrives on a remote Scottish island to investigate a missing girl, only to find the locals are pagans who deny the girl ever existed. His search leads him to uncover the islanders’ dark rituals and shocking plans for him. The original Wicker Man is eerie, atmospheric, and boasts a magnetic performance by Christopher Lee as the island’s leader. Avoid the Nicolas Cage remake.
3. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Roman Polanski’s psychological horror classic follows a young pregnant woman, Rosemary (Mia Farrow), who suspects her friendly elderly neighbors may be members of a Satanic cult with designs on her unborn child. Rosemary’s Baby is a slow-burn horror story that derives much of its power from Farrow’s vulnerable yet resilient performance and the sense that evil is hiding in plain sight behind the mundane facade of a New York City apartment building. It’s a film that makes you question what’s real and what’s imagined.
4. The Witch (2015)
Set in 17th century New England, The Witch follows a Puritan family banished from their colony and trying to survive alone near a dark forest. Strange and unsettling events begin to plague them, from disappearing children to possessed animals, and they fall under the grip of paranoia, suspicion, and religious hysteria. With its period-accurate dialogue and oppressively bleak atmosphere, The Witch feels like stepping into a colonial American nightmare.
5. Suspiria (2018)
Luca Guadagnino’s remake of Dario Argento’s 1977 giallo horror classic transplants the story to Berlin in 1977. An American dancer (Dakota Johnson) joins a prestigious dance academy, only to discover it’s run by a coven of witches with sinister plans. At 2.5 hours and full of bravura dance sequences, gory body horror, and art house atmospherics, Suspiria is stylistically very different from Midsommar but shares its interest in feminine power, ritual, and the physicality of the human body.
6. The Ritual (2017)
After the death of their friend, four men embark on a hiking trip in the Swedish wilderness in his memory. But their shortcut through the forest leads them into the path of an ancient evil presence. Based on Adam Nevill’s novel, The Ritual uses its isolated forest setting to create a pervasive sense of dread, broken up by sudden shocks of graphic violence. Its tale of male bonding and guilt also parallels Midsommar‘s, albeit in a much more monster movie mode.
7. Kill List (2011)
Ben Wheatley’s Kill List starts as a crime thriller about a hitman taking on a new job, but gradually morphs into something much stranger and more horrific. To describe more would ruin the slow build of dawning horror, but suffice to say Kill List goes to some extremely dark, occult places that recall Midsommar‘s most shocking moments. It’s a film that rewards close attention and a strong stomach.
8. The Invitation (2015)
The Invitation is a masterful slow-burn thriller that takes place almost entirely at an increasingly uncomfortable dinner party. A man accepts an invitation from his ex-wife to a gathering at the house they once shared, but becomes convinced something is amiss with his ex and her new friends. Tension builds inexorably as the true purpose of the party is revealed. Like Midsommar, The Invitation shows how evil and delusion can hide behind a mask of smiles and hospitality.
9. Apostle (2018)
In 1905, a drifter (Dan Stevens) infiltrates a sinister cult on a remote island to rescue his kidnapped sister. But he soon learns the cult’s darkest secrets and finds his own sanity slipping away. From The Raid director Gareth Evans, Apostle is a gory, bonkers ride that also explores faith, gaslighting, and how power corrupts. Its period cult setting and shocks of brutality make it a good companion piece to Midsommar.
10. The Sacrament (2013)
A news crew visits a remote religious commune to investigate it, but their leader’s dark intentions soon become clear in this found-footage horror film clearly inspired by the real-life Jonestown cult. The Sacrament uses its mock-doc style to ground the horror in reality, making the gradual loss of control and reason all the more disturbing. Like Midsommar, it shows how the search for paradise can lead to a hell on Earth.
11. Annihilation (2018)
A group of scientists venture into a mysterious zone where the laws of nature have been bizarrely mutated. As they go deeper, their own minds and bodies begin to change in terrifying ways. Annihilation is more sci-fi than horror, but its depiction of a lush natural world that is both seductively beautiful and chillingly alien echoes Midsommar‘s flower-strewn horrors. And like Midsommar, it’s a showcase for great actresses, with Natalie Portman and Jennifer Jason Leigh anchoring the cast.
12. The Endless (2017)
Two brothers return to the UFO cult they fled years ago and discover that there may be truth to the group’s otherworldly beliefs. The Endless starts as an intimate drama about the pull of the past but gradually reveals a much larger and weirder canvas involving time loops, unseen monsters, and the terror of eternity. Like Midsommar, it uses the daylight and natural beauty of its isolated setting to create an atmosphere of cosmic unease.
13. Mother! (2017)
Darren Aronofsky’s allegorical fever dream follows a woman (Jennifer Lawrence) whose tranquil country house is upended by the arrival of mysterious guests. Things spiral into increasing surrealism and nightmare logic from there. Mother! is a polarizing film, but one that uses dream logic and shocking imagery to explore feminine trauma, the creative process, and religious allegory. Like Midsommar, it’s a trip into the heart of darkness disguised as a relationship drama.
14. The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
A surgeon (Colin Farrell) forms a paternal bond with a mysterious teenager (Barry Keoghan) who holds a grudge against him. Gradually, the surgeon’s family is struck by a mysterious paralytic illness that the teen claims only a dark sacrifice will cure. With its chilly, antiseptic aesthetic and blackly comic tone, The Killing of a Sacred Deer is quite different in style from Midsommar. But it shares a fascination with ritual sacrifice, the twisting of familial bonds, and the idea that the only way to purge trauma is through violence.
15. A Dark Song (2016)
A grief-stricken woman enlists an occultist’s help to perform a dangerous months-long ritual to contact her dead child. As they endure the grueling process together, the lines between the physical and spiritual begin to blur with terrifying consequences. A Dark Song is a slow-burn of ever-tightening psychological and supernatural tension anchored by two mesmerizing lead performances. Like Midsommar, it uses the trappings of ritual and the occult to explore very human darkness.
16. The Wailing (2016)
When a mysterious illness and a rash of brutal killings strike a small Korean village, a bumbling cop investigates and uncovers a shamanic cult, an enigmatic stranger, and a battle between good and evil. Packed with twists and steeped in folklore, The Wailing is a epic, sprawling horror tale that moves from bumbling comedy to skin-crawling terror. Like Midsommar, it uses a remote, cloistered setting and nature-based rituals to create an atmosphere of ancient, primal fear.
17. The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015)
Two girls are left alone at their boarding school over winter break when their parents mysteriously fail to pick them up. Meanwhile, a third girl journeys to the school for unknown reasons. Their storylines converge in a maelstrom of Satanic menace. Deliberate, moody, and dripping with dread, The Blackcoat’s Daughter creates a spellbinding atmosphere of slow-burn terror, while using its snowy, isolated setting to great effect, much like Midsommar does with its remote Swedish village.
18. Hagazussa (2017)
Set in 15th century Austria, Hagazussa follows a young woman who lives alone in the woods and is ostracized by the local villagers as a witch. But the true threat may lie in her own mind. With its hypnotic pace, otherworldly imagery, and exploration of feminine trauma, Hagazussa feels like an arthouse cousin to Midsommar. It’s a challenging film, more interested in mood and symbolism than conventional plot, but one that casts a haunting spell.
So there you have it – 18 movies to watch if you’re craving more of the Midsommar experience. These films may not feature the exact same flower-crowned horrors, but they all share a certain DNA with Aster’s sunny nightmare. They’re slow-burn descents into madness and darkness, often set against deceptively beautiful backdrops. They explore the allure and terror of cult-like groups, the shattering of the psyche, the dangers of tradition and ritual, and the horror of nature as an unknowable force.
Above all, like Midsommar, these films get under your skin and linger there. They’re not easy viewing, but they’re rich, rewarding, and hard to shake. So watch them with the lights on, and remember – if someone invites you to a remote village to celebrate an ancient festival, maybe consider saying no. Happy viewing… if you dare!
