8 Horror Movies That Get Better The Deeper You Go

Just like Jordan Peele, Ari Aster is another horror director that has recently released his sophomore effort out into the world to a burning inferno of critical praise and fan hype. He's taken his work into a new direction post-Hereditary, but retains all of his intense, painterly style, of course imbuing it with some trademark slow-burning dread that culminates into an ending that isn't easily forgotten. Midsommar depicts Dani and her boyfriend Christian as they take a trip to Sweden with his friends, attempting to salvage a relationship that is strained by Dani's grief at having tragically lost her family.

Considering it's a hefty two and a half hours of movie to get through, there's plenty to get deeper with after your first watch of Midsommar. Inspired by actual Swedish cults and a plethora of mysterious folklore, looking into the themes that Aster uncovers with his movie provides a wealth of creepy reading material to get through, that only intensifies the strangeness we experience on screen tenfold.

Digging into Aster's narrative also reveals heaps of symbolism, with mirrors and symmetry defining shots to reflect the duality of life, death, good, and evil these characters are working through. Even the crazy bear ending is shown through symbols before we actually get to it - with Pelle, the friend that takes them all to Sweden - sitting in front of a giant bear picture as he discusses Dani joining them on the trip. There's loads of tiny moments like this to catch as the film plays out.