Critics are raving about the 'nightmarish' new horror from director Ari Aster following its highly anticipated US premiere on Tuesday.

English actress Florence Pugh stars as Dani, a young woman who is grieving following a family tragedy and who is in a troubled relationship with Christian, played by Irish star Jack Reynor.

Christian is planning a trip to the remote Swedish Midsommar festival with his two friends (Will Poulter, William Jackson Harper, and Vilhelm Blomgren) who are not fans of Dani and are horrified when Christian invites her to join them.

However, soon after they arrive it becomes clear that some of the festivities they are invited to partake in with the villagers are, at best, sinister.

Aster's debut feature Hereditary, which starred Toni Collette and Gabriel Byrne, was hailed as one of the most frightening films of 2018, and according to early reactions, the American filmmaker has followed up with an equally disturbing frightener.

Bloody Disgusting‘s Trace Thurman called the film “a mind-f*** of the highest order” while FreshFictionTV's preston Barta, quipped: "[I'm] pretty sure it was directed by Satan himself."

"I felt sick, I felt joy - I felt so much," tweeted Nerdist's reviewer as Slash's flim critic Chris Evangelista described it as "an absolute crowd pleaser". Another critic for Slash added, "Aster has gifted a new generation their The Wicker Man".

#MIDSOMMAR is a wild mishmash of cinematic ambition and familiar tropes âÂ think WICKER MAN as a breakup movie, with Bergmanesque despair & Ken Russell perversity â but so much artistry at work that it's hard to dismiss...well, any of it. https://t.co/KuH6uR5jkS via @indiewire — erickohn (@erickohn) June 19, 2019

#Midsommar: I loved every second of this nearly 3 hour movie. Holy SHIT. Yeah, itâs disturbing. But itâs also surprisingly hilarious. An absolutely crowd pleaser. Long live @AriAster. — Chris Evangelista 🎃 (@cevangelista413) June 19, 2019

#Midsommar: Aster has gifted a new generation their THE WICKER MAN. Itâs a warm invitation into subtle madness, decked out in pastel reassurance. My lord. Almost 150 minutes FLIES by. Masterful mania played with such festivity. I...love it? — DonatoBomb Party Mattsacre III (@DoNatoBomb) June 19, 2019

Ari Asterâs #Midsommar is one of the most gorgeous, completely dreadful experiences. Florence Pugh is a quiet riot. — Matt Donnelly (@MattDonnelly) June 19, 2019

The Hollywood Reporter's review says it is "more unsettling than frightening" while IndiWire describes Midsommar as "actually a perverse breakup movie" and this tallies with Aster's own insight into the movie's origin.

âA feat. A movie like this hasnât existed yet, and anything after will have to contend with it.â (@JordanPeele) â Unlike anything youâve ever seen. Feast your eyes on #MIDSOMMAR🌻 July 3 pic.twitter.com/H9Gda6X587 — Midsommar 🌻 (@MidsommarMovie) June 14, 2019

Midsommar is Jack Reynor's first live action film since On the Basis of Sex, which released last year. He also voiced Brother Wolf in Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle and played Jack Parsons in TV series Strange Angels.

The film releases in the UK and Ireland on July 5. Here's the full, unsettling, trailer:

Online Editors