Nicely horrible

Rating: 7/10 (10 August 2019)

Midsommar is a satisfyingly horrific watch, if a bit long. Not particularly original (The Wicker Man, ahem!) but very well scripted and directed with suspense and shocks well-balanced - which is good news, because I was very disappointed with Hereditary.
Some glitches:
Why were they crowning a May Queen at a midsummer (June) festival?
The supposedly-idyllic location looked like a scrubby playing-field with a few sheds on it. I couldn't help thinking how well they did to keep the rusting, netless goalposts out-of-shot, for surely they were there somewhere!
When the first murder occurred (for murder it was) the British couple (unlike the Yanks) were suitably horrified and decided to leave, but why didn't they just whip out their 'phones and call the police? Seems unlikely that they were in a dead spot in a country as modern as Sweden, and we know their phones weren't consfiscated 'cos there were several scenes in which the Yanks were taking photos with their phones.
How does the tiny community survive when it slaughters its members in such numbers?
Dani was well-played as the obligatory confused, wide-eyed innocent but the character was nowhere near as compelling as Edward Woodward's straight-laced virgin cop in The Wicker Man.
But these are minor quibbles: for fans of horror/suspense Midsommar does not disappoint and is well worth a viewing. You do need a strong stomach though (not because of the gore - of which there is surprisingly little - but rather the way the movie leaves you feeling like you've just taken a punch to the gut!)