Midsommar (2019)

Almost two and a half hours. That’s how long Ari Aster needs to deliver twists you’ll call at the first long dinner table. The middle stretch drifts like a field trip nobody’s allowed to leave. It’s also the brightest horror movie ever made. Everything happens in blazing sunshine, with flower crowns and white linen, and somehow that’s creepier than any dark basement. Florence Pugh is incredible. She plays grief so raw it’s hard to watch, and the movie never treats it as a joke. Jack Reynor’s Christian is a contender for worst boyfriend in film, a guy who forgets her birthday and then tries to swipe his friend’s thesis topic. Will Poulter brings the only laughs. A few images are rough enough that younger viewers should sit this one out. Critics ranked it above 76% of movies, while audiences handed it a C+ CinemaScore. A 6.9 because the acting and the daylight dread are great and the runtime isn’t. $882 says you see a flower crown at the next summer party and quietly leave.

What works: Florence Pugh’s fearless performance and the unsettling choice to stage a horror movie in endless daylight.

What doesn’t: It runs far too long for a story this predictable, and the friends are thin types waiting for their turn to vanish.

Who it’s for: Patient horror fans who care more about dread and grief than jump scares.