It's been nigh on eighteen months since American director Ari Aster debuted folk horror film Midsommar to critical acclaim. He takes the well-worn narrative of a "small town where strange things happen" and dresses it in a garland of paranoia, superstition, heresy and fear. Similar to Aster's previous unsettling projects, Midsommar resolutely defies categorization and has inspired audiences to dig deeper into the myths and customs that shape greief and tragedy. 

In various interviews after the release of Midsommar, the director spoke about the films that inspired the cinematography, narrative and emotional arch that made his Scandi horror the cinematic phenomenon it is today. 

The Color of Pomegranates (1969)

The Colour of Pomegranates is a surreal biopic of Armenian poet Sayat Nova, depicted through non-narrative amalgamations of images. Ari Aster showed production designer Henrik Svensson this film before the crew started the two-month process of building the fictional village of Hårga where Midsommar takes place.

The Wicker Man (1973)

The original The Wicker Man (and not the 2006 remake starring Nicholas Cage, which was a commercial disaster but has since been hailed as a cult masterpiece) follows the tale of a puritan Police Sergeant who arrives in a Scottish island village in search of a missing girl who the locals claim never existed. This 1973 British horror folk musical (yes, there's a hell of a lot of creepy singing) set the standard for the genre—all of which was heightened by the film's twisting narrative and a show-stopping performance from a manic Christopher Lee.

Black Narcissus (1947)

Black Narcissus is one of those films that are on every cinephile's watch list. The academy-award winning feature, directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, examines the tensions between a group of nuns who open a convent in the foothills of the Himalayas. Ari Aster had Midsommar cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski and the colorist look at Black Narcissus to give the project its three-strip technicolor feel.

The Tales of Hoffmann (1951)

Ari Aster looks to Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger again for inspiration in their 1951 adaption of Jacques Offenbach’s fantasy opera, The Tales of Hoffmann. A perfect marriage between cinema and opera, this British production tells the tale of a poet who young poet named Hoffman who broods over his three failed romances.

Dogville (2003)

Dogville is an avant-garde drama shot by director Lars von Trier in a minimalist theater. The plot revolves around the inhabitants of the mountain town of Dogville, Colorado who provide refuge to a woman (Nicole Kidman) on the run from mobsters. Ari Aster said in an interview that it had "an unconscious influence because what that film does with catharsis is what I want to do with the catharsis [in Midsommar].”

Hereditary (2018)

It's impossible to ignore Ari Aster's feature film directorial debut Hereditary as an important precursor to Midsommar. The film revolves around a grieving family haunted by tragic and disturbing occurrences. Hereditary alerted audiences of Aster's power to unsettle, shock, and terrify—usually in that exact order. And it was during the filming for the 2018 hit that he began formulating ideas for Midsommar.