10 Folk Horror Movies To Lead You Astray

Ari Aster exploded onto the scene with his 2018 film, Hereditary. And when the time came for his follow up movie, it did not disappoint.

Interestingly, the starting point for Midsommar wasn’t a folk horror, but a movie about a breakup. Aster describes the film as: “A breakup movie dressed in the clothes of a folk horror film.”

Horror has always been used as a catalyst to explore deeper themes about life and humanity. Here, it does just that.

In amongst the intricate murals, idyllic location, and gory deaths, are the themes of community, family, and belonging. The Hårga people represent something that the protagonist, Dani, is missing in her own relationship: a sense of belonging. As she is ignored and gaslighted by her inattentive boyfriend, Christian, the culture that at first seemed so alien to her becomes more familiar than her own partner.

Don’t think this film is purely emotional, though. The folk horror is a very real aspect and includes sinister paintings, disturbing rituals, and very graphic sacrifices.

As a genre, folk horror can often represent the same sort of things. But Midsommar shows that there’s a million different themes filmmakers can explore within the genre.

Hopefully, the folk horror boom lasts long enough for us to see more of this.