Film studio A24 recently released the trailer for their next feature film, “Midsommar” from acclaimed director Ari Aster. With this film, the studio continues the emerging trend of “smart horror” that began in the last decade.
Aster’s previous film, 2018’s “Hereditary,” was met with critical success across the board. It was even scientifically proven to be the scariest movie of 2018 by raising viewers’ heart rates 80-100 beats beyond normal, according to movie news site Movie Web.
“Hereditary” holding such a title is exemplary of a sort of horror film renaissance taking place in the last decade or so.
In the past, horror films have always been viewed as low brow efforts with little to no artistic value, simple popcorn flicks akin to the action blockbuster.
Film franchises such as “Friday the 13th,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Halloween” were exemplary of slasher films with little to no substance other than blood and gore, and yet were all financial successes due to their low budgets.
There were, as with anything, exceptions in the form of films such as “Silence of the Lambs,” “Rosemary’s Baby” and “The Shining.” These films are objectively in the horror thriller film category that had massive critical and commercial success, but have a more artistic approach to the genre.
As of the past decade, films such as “It Follows,” “The Babadook,” “Stephen King’s It,” “A Quiet Place,” “The Witch,” the cultural touchstone “Get Out” and the aforementioned “Hereditary” have all been described as “smart” horror films that challenge their audience’s ideology while scaring them all at once.
The budgets for the films all range between $3-20 million, this budget is considered relatively low by today’s standards of filmmaking, and yet the care being put into them shows through the end result on screen in the form of celebrated films.
Hopefully, Aster’s new work continues of this trend and scares audiences while maintaining its wit and artistic style. “Midsommar” hits theaters on July 3.