Midsommar – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Midsommar

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

movie2019

28%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

Gorgeous, deeply disturbing folk-horror about grief and cults—absolutely not for kids, barely for most adults.

7.1/10

83%

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Midsommar

movie

R, 2019

28%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

Gorgeous, deeply disturbing folk-horror about grief and cults—absolutely not for kids, barely for most adults.

7.1

83%

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7.1/10

83%

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Screenwise Verdict

Look, Midsommar is a brilliantly crafted film. Ari Aster is a genuine talent, the cinematography is gorgeous, and the exploration of grief and toxic relationships has real depth. Critics loved it for good reason.

But let's be crystal clear: this is absolutely, positively not for kids or teens. Not even close. The violence is graphic and lingering—that cliff scene will haunt you. The sexual content is explicit and disturbing. The psychological horror is relentless. When Common Sense Media says 17+, they mean it, and honestly even that feels young.

This is for adult horror fans who want something artful and deeply unsettling rather than fun scary. If you're looking for family movie night options or wondering if your high schooler can handle it, the answer is a hard no. Save this for when you're 25 and want to feel deeply uncomfortable for two and a half hours.

Age Fit

This is strictly for adults 18+ who can handle extremely graphic, disturbing content. Even the 17+ Common Sense Media rating feels generous—this is genuinely upsetting material that many adults will find too much. Not remotely appropriate for teens despite what some might claim.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

This is an emotionally brutal film about grief, toxic relationships, and cult manipulation. While it explores real psychological trauma with artistic intent, the ritualistic violence, graphic sexual content, and disturbing imagery make it fundamentally unwholesome for anyone under 18. The protagonist's journey through grief is handled with some depth, but the pacing is deliberately unsettling and the content is deeply disturbing.

Imaginative

Ari Aster's vision is strikingly original—a horror film set almost entirely in bright daylight with meticulous production design and a deeply unsettling atmosphere. The Swedish pagan cult setting is rendered with anthropological detail, the cinematography is gorgeous and disorienting, and the film subverts horror conventions at every turn. It's genuinely creative filmmaking that sticks with you.

Safe

Rated R for extremely good reasons. Contains graphic ritualistic violence including a cliff-jumping suicide shown in disturbing detail, a person sewn into a bear carcass and burned alive, explicit full-frontal nudity in sexual ritual scenes, heavy drug use throughout, and pervasive psychological horror. Common Sense Media rates it 17+. This is emphatically not safe for children or teens, and even many adults will find it deeply upsetting. The violence is not gratuitous but it is extremely graphic and lingering.

Enriching

For mature viewers, this is a thoughtful exploration of grief, codependency, and how trauma makes us vulnerable to manipulation. The film raises questions about cultural relativism, the appeal of belonging, and what happens when someone chooses a toxic 'family' over an abusive relationship. The craftsmanship is exceptional—cinematography, production design, sound design all create meaning. But it's enriching only if you can handle the content; otherwise it's just traumatizing.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Visually stunning and genuinely original—horror in bright daylight with meticulous production design
Thoughtful exploration of grief, toxic relationships, and the seductive appeal of belonging
Exceptional craftsmanship in every department—cinematography, sound, acting, production design
Subverts horror conventions and creates genuine dread without relying on jump scares
For adults who can handle intense content, it's a film that provokes real discussion and stays with you

⚠

What to Watch For

Extremely graphic violence including cliff-jumping suicide shown in lingering detail, immolation, and other ritualistic killings
Explicit sexual content including full-frontal nudity and a disturbing ritual sex scene
Heavy drug use throughout—the characters are tripping on psychedelics for much of the film
Pervasive psychological horror and manipulation that many viewers find more disturbing than the gore
This will upset even many adults—it's not 'fun' horror, it's genuinely distressing

Conversation Starters

"Why do you think Dani was drawn to the Hårga community despite everything she witnessed?"
"How does the film use bright daylight and beautiful settings to make the horror more unsettling?"
"What does the film say about how grief and trauma make us vulnerable to manipulation?"
"Do you think the ending is triumphant or tragic for Dani? Why?"
"How does the film explore the difference between a supportive community and a dangerous cult?"

Deep Dive

The A24 aesthetic trap

If you have a teenager who spends any time on Letterboxd or film TikTok, they’ve seen the flower crown. They’ve seen the bright, overexposed Swedish meadows and the impeccable costume design. There is a specific kind of "elevated horror" brand loyalty that makes kids think they’re ready for this movie because it looks like an art project rather than a slasher.

Don't let the saturation fool you. While many A24 movies are appropriate for tweens or older teens, this one is the outlier. It’s a trap for viewers who think "disturbing" just means a few jump scares. This film uses its beauty to make the violence feel more clinical and permanent. When something terrible happens at high noon in 4K resolution, there’s no dark corner to hide in. It’s a grueling experience that relies on psychological erosion as much as physical gore.

The "breakup movie" friction

At its core, this is a story about a toxic relationship ending in the most extreme way possible. For an adult, the subtext of emotional neglect and gaslighting is what makes the movie devastating. For a younger viewer, that nuance usually gets lost under the weight of the ritualistic trauma.

The lead actress is incredible here—you might know her from her massive franchise roles—but if your teen is a fan, steer them toward Florence Pugh's young adult roles instead. Seeing her in this specific film is a "point of no return" for a viewer’s psyche. The opening sequence alone, which deals with a family tragedy, is enough to ruin a weekend. It’s not "fun" scary; it’s "call your therapist" scary.

Better entry points for folk horror

If your kid is asking to watch this because they’ve outgrown PG-13 jump scares, there are plenty of ways to level up without jumping straight into a Swedish death cult. They might be looking for that specific feeling of "something is wrong with this town," which is a classic trope.

You can find plenty of suspense-driven options in The Ultimate Guide to Teen Horror Movies: Low Gore, High Chills. Those films provide the atmospheric dread and "weird society" vibes without the graphic anatomical detail that earned this movie its 17+ reputation.

How to handle the "But my friends saw it" talk

This is the ultimate "peer pressure" movie for film geeks. Because critics on Rotten Tomatoes and users on Letterboxd rate it so highly, there’s a sense of cultural FOMO. If you’re drawing a hard line, be honest about the nature of the content. It’s not just that it’s violent; it’s that the violence is designed to be felt.

There is a specific scene involving a cliff that is often cited as one of the most upsetting moments in modern cinema. It doesn't cut away. It doesn't use shadows. It just stares. If a teen isn't ready for a clinical look at mortality and ritualistic self-harm, they aren't ready for this. Save it for their college years when they’re actually going through their first messy breakup. That’s when the movie actually clicks anyway.

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