DZ-74: Midsommar & Folk Horror

Listen if you want to understand how folk horror works as a genre and how Ari Aster uses it to explore grief and toxic relationships

Draft Zero return with their next YouTube livestream! Stu and Chas are joined by previous guest (and successful screenwriter) C.S. McMullen for a deep dive into MIDSOMMAR! We analyse the film through the lens of Folk Horror, but tackle broader topics such as horror vs dread, rising tension, transgressions, unfilmables, and portraying toxic relationships.

You can also watch the recorded live stream on YouTube.

Audio quotations used for educational purposes only. Timestamps indicated below. Chapter markers included in the mp3.

As always: SPOILERS ABOUND and all copyright material used under fair use for educational purposes.

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CHAPTERS

• 00:00:00 – Intro: Misommar & Folk Horror
• 00:00:15 – Why Midsommar?
• 00:03:54 – What makes horror "folk"?
• 00:18:20 – The First Ritual
• 00:32:17 – Transgressions
• 01:07:32 – Grief & The Ending
• 01:23:18 – The May Queen
• 01:40:04 – Wrap Up & An Exercise

FILMS

• MIDSOMMAR (2019) — (w) Ari Aster

SCRIPTS

• Study the script: MIDSOMMAR (2019) — Ari Aster

LINKS

• Read: Watch: Midsommar
• Read: Watch: The Wicker Man

RELATED EPISODES

• DZ-60: Unfilmables 1 - Engaging imagination
• DZ-61: Unfilmables 2 - Moments of Awe
• DZ-62: Unfilmables 3 - As Ifs & Emotional Context

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We are @stuwillis, @mehlsbells and @chasffisher on Twitter. You can find @draft_zero and @_shotzero on Instagram and Twitter.

Full show notes at: https://draft-zero.com/2020/dz-74/