The concept of a cult as a state of complete indoctrination has been terrifying for Western audiences due to the paralysis of will that it suggests. However, Midsommar introduces a new spin on the subject matter, meaning that what one might call a cult could be viewed as a deviation from the norm set by Western colonialism (Swedish Midsummer for Dummies). By depicting practices typically associated with paganism, Midsommar creates an intentionally alien and ugly environment with outdated elements of a pagan cult, which contributes to the sense of impending doom, commenting on modern social traditions.
The critical difference between the “traditional” society and the outsider’s community mainly lies in social organization, core values, norms, standards of behavior, rules, and much more. The distinction and initial introduction are made at the beginning of the second act when the characters meet the Hårga people. The scene opens with the character going through the sun-shaped gate, representing the values of the commune. Sun correlates to the god Freyr, associated with sacral kingship, fertility, prosperity, and a good harvest. The scene’s music is carried through the wooden flutes, often used in pagan rituals, played by children (Songs & Rhymes from Sweden). The music is in the major tonality, wholly built on the high notes, generally thought of as pure, bright, innocent, or joyful. The visual contrast is depicted through the opposition of Hårga members wearing white and standing empty-handed when outsiders came wearing dull clothes and carrying much baggage. It reflects the purity that Hårga believes in and how alienated and dark outsiders look.
However, with the development of the plot, the viewers see how the commune reveals dark and horrifying nature, hidden behind the festival’s white clothes and bright colors. It is evident in the scene of the feast scene that contrasts the cheerful attitudes of the participants and the dark undertones of its actual meaning. The director worked instantly with the phenomenon of midday horror — the irrational excitement that arises on a cloudless summer day. Specifically, flowers and decorations symbolize fertility and the cornucopia of nature (Swedish Midsummer for Dummies). At the same time, the table and the feats represent Odin, the god of wisdom, while also impersonating death (Odin; Tyr). The specified undertones lead to the discovery of an underlying threat. They are presented cleverly, focusing on pagan traditions and rituals as the driving force behind the core events in the movie. The scene before the feast, when all the young women are dancing until they fall, creates a contrast of meaning. The joyful activity is surrounded by flowers accompanied by eerie music with low notes and the troubled face of the main character. The director did not highlight why, but the audience felt uneasy despite the bright visuals.
This phenomenon is explained through various elements of pagan beliefs utilized to create a horror setting. The symbols typically associated with cults are runes, cultivation of fertility, and idolization of the details, particularly the earth. The pagan ideas scare us because they differ from the established norms and may seem cult-like because they are driven by pure beliefs instead of science, which is the basis of modern society. The scene of the ättestupa, a ritual suicide of older adults, is impacted by pagan elements. Runes on the stone, the older woman, wipes her bloodied hands off, state for gift, growth, evolution, secrets, justice, and self-sacrifice, a symbol for Norse God Tyr and protection. The woman wipes her blood on the runes of Raidho and Tiwz, showing the offering as part of her evolution as a gift for the commune’s protection. Specific to this scene is the color blue in the clothing of the people committing suicide. The color is closely associated with peace, honesty, commitment, fragility, and sadness. Hence, the outsiders are terrified by the ritual; by analyzing it, we can see the purposefulness of the event, the end of life is addressed with honor and value, which current society lack. While Hårga lives through every sacrifice they make as a community, “traditional” society perceives death as a conventional consequence of life and does not value it the same.
Furthermore, the focus on nature as the immediate source of wisdom and the only reference for the reasoning behind the village dwellers’ choices increases the sense of being trapped in a cult-like environment. For instance, it is established in the movie that “Nature just knows instinctually how to stay in harmony! It’s mechanical. Everything doing its part” (Midsommar). The primary tool in the quote is the analogy of nature to social industrialization. The personification of nature as an autonomous phenomenon plays into the human need for control. The outsiders cannot understand the explanation of the cult’s natural purposes because it is not nature that takes people’s lives. It exacerbates the idea of the village dwellers’ choices coming not from the place of reason or compassion but from an uncontrollable notion.
Moreover, the effective use of cinematography enhances the feeling of dread that the film plants in the viewer, creating a very unsettling and terrifying feeling in the audience. Specifically, lighting, zoom effect, and hallucination frames emphasize shock, directing the viewer’s attention. The zoomed-out shot of an older adult on the cliff creates the imagery of a small individual among the subline landscape of nature. It is meant to emphasize the powerlessness of humankind in front of a higher force. The dysmorphic bodies afterward create unsettling questioning of the process, is that natural for people to look like that after death, or is that course of things the cult members want outsiders to believe in? Nevertheless, it all ties into the mechanical representation of the world; the people must play their forced or natural part.
Furthermore, the specified attribute of Midsommar is made deliberately obscure and barely noticeable to reinforce the feeling of fear and represent its nature as something undetectable. The items and characteristics that are supposed to be scary are deliberately toned down, with the less intuitive ones placed at the forefront (The Viking Blót Sacrifices). The details accompanying side characters’ deaths also play into runic or object symbolism, where each reflects the sinful nature of outsiders. Josh had broken the commune’s rules and was found buried with his foot out of the ground with the rune Ansuz carved into it, which means knowledge or insight. But in this context, with Josh was killed for his desire for more knowledge. A good illustration is a costume Dani is given for the Maypole. The rune is reversed, implying that nothing good will result from her participation. On her tunic, a Dagaz means death, and a Raidho, states helplessness and innocence. As a result, the film also represents elements of a puzzle, which enhances the notion of suspense and the underlying feeling of the inevitability of fate typically linked to pagan beliefs.
By incorporating the visual and narrative elements typically associated with paganism, such as the runes, the cult of fertility, and the view of the elements as live forces, Midsommar makes it possible for the audience to plunge into a unique atmosphere of suspense and premonition that establishes an inevitable threat. For instance, the specified element of the pagan culture becomes evident. As a result, the film might not seem especially scary in a traditional sense. However, when it leads the audience to realize that fate cannot be escaped and, therefore, must be embraced with all its certainty, it makes the audience’s blood curl.
Works Cited
Midsommar. Directed by Ari Ester, performance by Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, and William Jackson Harper, A24, 2019.
Odin. Norse Mythology, n.d., Norse.
Songs & Rhymes from Sweden. MamaLisa, n.d.
Swedish Midsummer for Dummies. Vimeo, 2012.
The Viking Blót Sacrifices. Norse Mythology, n.d.
Tyr. Natmus, n.d.