Ari Aster’s Midsummer was released in 2019 to critical acclaim, especially for Florence Pugh’s unforgettable performance. The horror thriller grossed enough at the box office to justify its budget, but so far it’s stood the test of time because Pugh has since expanded his profile and because writer-director Ari Aster remains relevant in the indie-horror conversation. If you are looking for some of the scariest movies like Midsummer from the last few years, you are in the right place! Here are ten of them.
10 Movies Like Midsommar You Must Watch
Next (2015)
Written and directed by David Robert Mitchell Next up, centered around Maika Monroe’s Jay, a 19-year-old who begins logging supernatural activities after seemingly innocent sex. To get rid of him, she has to have sex with someone else. The film was first screened at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival and was released in theaters in early 2015; it was received with critical acclaim, grossing enough money to make up for its low budget.
The Witch (2015)
2015 The witch was introducing the world to two of the most established people in the business right now. Robert Eggers makes his feature debut with this 17th century horror film that will haunt your nightmares in ways you don’t initially expect; Eggers will continue to direct The lighthouse, The northernerand now he’s shooting Nosferatu. The film stars Anya Taylor-Joy in her breakthrough role, starring her subsequent roles Split, The New Mutantsand above all Queen’s Gambit, which earned her an Emmy nomination. But apart from these two reasons, The witch is still among the scariest movies of the last 10 years, as is Midsummer.
Raw (2016)
Julia Ducournau (Titan) directed this critically acclaimed 2016 French film that is not for anyone’s stomach. It follows Justine’s (Garance Marillier) slow descent into cannibalism after she begins attending veterinary school. It is very well shot and scripted, but contains some grotesque scenes that will turn many people off. But if you’re into those things that Midsummer also play with, you might like it Raw a lot.
Get Out (2017)
It might seem like this list is for indie-horror directors on their debut knocking out critically acclaimed films, but that wasn’t the intention. Get out was the first film of sketch-comedy-writer-director Jordan Peele, and it may still be his best film. If you are looking for disturbing movies like Midsummer, Get out it might just be for you. Daniel Kaluuya stars as Chris, who is about to meet his girlfriend’s parents and is extremely worried about how they will react when they find out their daughter is dating a black man. It’s a fascinating exploration of racial dynamics in the US that makes for an extremely disturbing and scary film.
Hereditary (2018)
Much like The witch was for Eggers and Get out for Jordan Peele, Hereditary was the feature directorial debut that put Ari Astaire’s name on the map, one of our most revered indie directors right now. It stars Toni Collette, who gave a performance that caused outrage when it wasn’t picked up by the Oscars when their nominations were announced that year, as the mother of a family who recently lost their mother. In an attempt to deal with the grief they suffer, they become involved with the supernatural, which quickly leads to disturbing experiences.
The Lighthouse (2018)
If your name sounds familiar by now, it may be because it was mentioned in a previous entry on the list. The lighthouse was a sequel directed by Robert Eggers The witchand while it may not be that scary, it’s definitely a very disturbing movie Midsummer. It follows the slow descent into chaos of two lighthouse keepers, played by William Dafoe and Robert Pattinson, who live alone on a remote island in the late 19th century. You’ll know within the first ten minutes that you’re in for a movie like you’ve never seen before, but we won’t reveal it just yet.
We (2019)
Speaking of disturbing movies like Midsummerhere comes another directorial sequel, this time from Jordan Peele. Us stars Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke as the Wilsons, who take their children on a small vacation to Santa Cruz with their friends, the Tylers (Elisabeth Moss and Tim Heidecker). But things start to get out of hand when four people break into the house they’re staying in, and even worse, they find out that the intruders look just like them, but look completely deformed.
The Empty Man (2020)
The empty person is directed by David Pryor and stars James Badge Dale, Marin Ireland and Stephen Root, among others. Although the film is fairly new, it was initially rejected by audiences despite a generally good response from critics, and is already building a cult following. The story follows James Badge Dale as an ex-detective who begins to investigate the mysterious case of a missing young girl and quickly discovers a disturbing group attempting to summon a supernatural being that most consider mythical.
Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
To Halina Rein Bodies Bodies Bodies stars Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Miha’la Herold, Chase Sue Wonders, Rachel Sennot, Lee Pace and Pete Davidson as a group of young rich people invited to a whirlwind party at a remote family home. Once they start playing a friendly game of murder and mystery, things start to get real and what started out as a friendly way to pass the time and get high on drugs and alcohol quickly turns into a heart-wrenching and literally gut-wrenching story. The film was appreciated by critics and audiences alike.
Barbarian (2022)
Georgina Campbell plays Tess, a young woman who rents an apartment on Airbnb, only to find it double-booked upon arrival. After deliberation, she decides to stay the night, a decision she will soon regret; the home contains a dark secret that is far more threatening than another guest. The film, released in late 2022, received high critical acclaim and grossed almost $50 million at the box office on a low budget of $4 million.
Do you have other movie recommendations like Midsommar? Inform us!
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