Thanks to the stunning works of Jordan Peele and John Krasinki, there is a new wave that is sending ripples through the somewhat stale horror genre. Although notorious for his work in comedy, Krasinki shocked the world when he released ‘A Quiet Place’ (2018) which had audiences glued to the edge of their seat with an innovative spin on the horror genre.
Other acclaimed directors such as Ari Aster (Heredity) have been praised. Following the success of his first, he is now bringing Midsommar (2019) to the screen to see if he can disturb audiences again.
Early critics have said that the film is as disturbing as his last with the reception being that it was a ‘sensory experience’. Florence Pugh who plays the lead role has described the experience herself, “Oh my God. I watched the film at 10 a.m. and it was quite the wake-up. I spent the rest of the day trying to figure out what it is I had just seen. It’s a total, beautiful nightmare. I honestly can’t describe it any other way. I sat with Ari (Aster) afterwards for about 10 minutes with my mouth open and I didn’t really know what to say. It’s a very unique set of images, let’s just say that.”
And that was after working on the set herself, knowing all of the spoilers and twists that were ahead.
What’s more, the work has been commended by horror legend himself Jordan Peake. “I didn’t feel victimized. I felt like I was being put up on this pedestal and honored through the eyes of the protagonist. It’s a very unique feeling for a film to conjure because after it ended, I found myself looking back at the final act like, ‘Holy s***. That was some of the most atrociously disturbing imagery I’ve ever seen on film, and yet I experienced it with this open-mouthed, wild-eyed gape.’ I think that part of how we get there is never reducing the villains to any kind of snarling monsters with an evil agenda.’
