Midsommar theory: Hereditary and Midsommar ARE connected – this is how

Midsommar has been well received by critics and horror fans alike. The film, starring Florence Pugh, takes place in well-lit Sweden and follows a pagan cult’s unsettling ritual. Ari Aster is the mastermind behind Midsommar, and recent horror hit Hereditary, leading many to wonder if the two movies are connected.

How are Midsommar and Hereditary connected?

Many horror fans believe the pagan ritual is centred around Paimon, the demon at the heart of Hereditary.

Though Aster has now debunked this theory, he does claim the movies are connected.

Aster told US website Fandango: “There’s no Paimon involved but I would say that the film is something of a companion to Hereditary, although the similarities didn’t really occur to me until we were on set.

“And thematic ties became apparent to me. But nothing so overt as Paimon worshipping.”

“I wrote Midsommar four or five years ago, before I made Hereditary, and it was the 11th feature script I had written, so at that point, I wasn’t really writing in response to Hereditary.

“I was just writing. And then, of course, I just had to reevaluate what I was doing aesthetically here versus Hereditary.

“I also feel that both films kind of deal with codependency, in a way, although this film goes deeper into that.

“In fact, I’ve described the film as a horror movie about codependency.”

Indeed, Rodrigo Perez of The Playlist called Midsommar a “cautionary tale, a floral, psychedelic, He’s Just Not That Into You for movie-going culture.”

Aster said his “hope” was to make a movie that was first a relationship drama, then a horror movie in the same way Hereditary was a family drama first, before devolving into demonic possession.

Aster said he wanted to: “take what would otherwise be your standard issue relationship-in-trouble drama where the couple go on a trip, which is always the weird thing to do if your relationship is on shaky legs.

“It’s in the same ballpark as having a child to save your relationship.

“It sort of takes that germ and then kind of blows it up and allows it to grow into some operatic, extremely heightened surreal places.”

So there you have it – though not strictly linked, the two movies are thematically tied together.

Aster described the differences between the two, saying: “I would say Hereditary absolutely was a horror film, unabashedly, and this film is, I am very careful to call it an adult fairy tale.

“That’s what this is. This is an adult contemporary fairy tale.”

Midsommar is now playing in cinemas.