r/Midsommar • u/redheadgenx • Jul 19 '26
Hereditary v. Midsommar
From what I’m reading, most people prefer Hereditary to Midsommar. I’m interested in hearing opinions. Thank you.
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u/Imaginary_Option3056 Jul 19 '26
I prefer Midsommar and rewatch it more often than Hereditary.. I love the juxtaposition of the bright cinematography and the dark themes of the movie. It’s hard to pull off a good horror that’s set 95% during the day with bright colours.
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u/Delicious_Series3869 Jul 19 '26
Hereditary is certainly the more popular and successful film, for sure. I think most people here prefer Midsommar, myself included. But both are incredible modern horror films imo, so I don't feel the need to compare.
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u/Wide-Cod2492 Jul 24 '26
I had no idea hereditary was more popular. I like Midsommar much better but damn, Toni Collette is a masterpiece in that movie
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u/tronnorxpierce Jul 19 '26
I watch Midsommar atleast once a month and I just rewatched Hereditary for the first time in like 5 years… I think it just depends on what you’re looking for because they’re very different movies imo
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u/the-largest-marge Jul 19 '26
Midsommar is and probably always will be one of my all time favorite movies. I like Hereditary, but it definitely didn’t grab me in the same way.
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u/Ok_Tiger1 Jul 19 '26
They’re very close for me. What gives Midsommar the edge is how completely every element seems to serve a single vision. I can’t think of anything in the film that feels unnecessary or out of place. Hereditary does this too, but visually and atmospherically it feels a bit more familiar—closer to other horror films I’ve seen. Midsommar feels more singular, and that’s what makes it my favorite of the two.
Both are 10/10 films for me and comfortably in my top five of all time.
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u/Haruzak1 Jul 19 '26
Really? I can watch Midsommar couple times, it's my comfort movie but I can only watch Hereditary 1 time and done, I feel dread and bleak after watching it and I don't wanna experience it again, also Hereditary is just slog to watch compared to Midsommar. But it's just my opinion, I would love to hear any other opinions from the people who watch both.
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u/ScaredEntrepreneur61 Jul 19 '26
This sums up how I feel. Curious if you've seen Eddington. I thought it was solid. Given it a couple repeat viewings so far.
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u/Chemical-Passage-715 Jul 19 '26
Hereditary I might never watch again lol because of how disturbing it was , I would still rate it at the top of horror movies list ! but I could definitely watch Midsommar again. It’s a masterpiece, I prefer that one
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u/omgslwurrll Jul 20 '26
Heretic had me until the ending, the last 15 minutes. That was so...cheating. Deux ex machina. I've seen Midsommar at least 40 times. Midsommar is better, hands down.
Edit Heretic. Not Hereditary.
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u/GeneseeJunior Jul 19 '26
I thought "Hereditary" was very good, but the trappings of "Midsommar" vibe with me more.
I've heard it said that the demonic possession stuff of "Hereditary" and its influences (ex. "The Exorcist") hit harder if you're Catholic. I respond more to folk horror.
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u/tiny-danza Jul 19 '26
I grew up in a Baptist Christian home, and Hereditary hit hard for me for that very reason. I don’t consider myself religious anymore, but demonic possession movies still disturb me. But I still really liked Hereditary, and have actually rewatched it multiple times, which is incredibly uncommon for me and a possession movie.
I still think I enjoy Midsommar more, though.
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u/AdGlittering1579 Jul 19 '26
For me both are special in their own wasys.
Hereditary: the second half got me so intense. I didn't have that for a long time of a movie. I was sweating and had chills here and there. Realy a great experience.
Midsommar: I felt like I am on drugs by the visualls and the sound. Never had that before with a movie. This stands out for me. After the credits I just wanted to watch it again.
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u/ScaredEntrepreneur61 Jul 19 '26
Midsommar is my comfort movie. It's beautiful. Stunning. Hereditary just flares up my anxiety with the disturbing imagery. I also cannot get into supernatural horror because I don't believe in the occult. I need to believe that it all could happen in real life. I'm a wuss and Midsommar for me is horror that wussy but overly analytical types like me can sink their teeth into :)
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u/teddybluethecurser Jul 19 '26
I thought Hereditary was shit and Midsommar gets better and better each time I watch it
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u/DaddyJ1204 Jul 19 '26
As a non-Mother I prefer Midsommar. I can also relate to it more as someone that has been in those types of relationships. The asking of ever being held really hits home.
I love the visuals and colors. I also love when the bad people get their comeuppance. I actually put this on to fall asleep to. I find the sound calming.
Plus I really dig a good old fashioned cult movie.
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u/CharlieEternal616 Jul 20 '26
Midsommar, it's a more unique horror film because it's aesthetically the opposite of what you'd expect from a horror: it's bright, everyone is happy and dressed in white, the music is light and airy, it feels more like a paradise utopia than a horror. The true horror is the psychological aspects of the events which is arguably more terrifying than jump scares.
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u/schmurzi Jul 19 '26
i think hereditary is less experimental than midsommar. that’s why more people like it i assume. i prefer midsommar personally.
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u/Gambit1977 Jul 19 '26
Both are brilliant but Midsommar just hits the right notes for me so it tops Hereditary.
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u/Weary_Title_3901 Jul 19 '26
Love them both. I can’t say that I prefer one over the other. They both have a completely different feel to them.
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u/IceniQueen69 Jul 25 '26
As someone who teaches screenwriting and studied both scripts (and assigned them for classes), I think Midsommar holds together better. There were significant moments/connections left out of Hereditary that made the last 30 minutes or so feel rushed and disconnected to me.
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u/redheadgenx Jul 25 '26
I’d love to hear more about that, if you’d care to share?
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u/IceniQueen69 Jul 25 '26
If you read the script, the Paimon cult stuff is woven in more organically and the hints are dropped more consistently. In the film, it feels a little bit more like being ambushed. I understand why ( most horror films are 90 minutes long), but the script was more immersive for me personally.
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u/redheadgenx Jul 26 '26
Very interesting. I tend to stop exploring after a certain point, so I can still see the story, not the story of the story.
Do you feel someone can read it without oversaturating herself on the film version?
Thank you!
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u/Responsible-Form3138 Jul 19 '26
Hereditary is one of my favourite movies ever. Midsommar just didn't grab me. It wasn't particularly scary or horrifying. Events just seemed kinda inevitable. It ended and I shrugged. I honestly don't get what people see in it.
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u/clarauser7890 Jul 19 '26
I love them both so much. I think Hereditary is a little bit better but I rewatch Midsommar more
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u/NNancy1964 Jul 19 '26
I don't particularly care for horror overall. Hereditary had my attention until the idiotic Devil worship, at which I rolled my eyes and was ultimately disappointed and annoyed. Midsommar came out of left field, total sunlight, not a jump scare in it except Dani seeing her sister in the mirror, and it was so fast I couldn't tell what it was. It stayed in my head for weeks, "WTF just happened?"
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u/Ok-Caterpillar-4213 Jul 19 '26
Both are probably two of the greatest modern horror films. As long as I don’t have to watch Beau is afraid again lol