Where Is 'Midsommar' Set in Real Life?

'Midsommar' (above via A24) might be Swedish but it was filmed in Budakeszi, Hungary (below via Verőczi Zoltán)

Folk horror has experienced a kind of renaissance of late. While we caught green shoots of it in 2006's "The Wicker Man" (itself a remake of the 1973 classic), the genre's resurgence really kicked into high gear through A24, the indie studio behind contemporary classics like "The Witch" (2015), "Hereditary" (2018), and "Midsommar" (2019).

By definition, folk horror pits protagonists not against a solitary monster but an entire community, with customs and beliefs at odds with the world. At the same time, it's a genre that thrives on cultural unease and fear of the collective, which could easily devolve into stereotyping and prejudice. So, maybe it was for the best to have "Midsommar" fictionalize its setting.

Although the "Midsommar" village shall remain fictional, Hårga, Sweden is a real place, and the titular Swedish festival does happen, sans the human sacrifice. In fact, director Ari Aster was invited to write the film at the invitation of a Swedish production company, which had read his breakout screenplay for "Hereditary." To prepare, Aster flew to Sweden's Hälsingland, home to the UNESCO-listed Hälsingegårdar farmhouses known for their radiant wall paintings and iconography. 

Though the setting is Swedish, the movie was shot on location at the Farkashegy airfield in Budakeszi, Hungary. The decision was partly logistical: Sweden had strict labor laws that adhered to eight-hour workdays for movie productions. 

Aster wove a tapestry of spiritual references into the script, from anthroposophy, a movement founded by occult thinker Rudolf Steiner, to good old Norse paganism. He also included practices in the distant past involving the ättestupa, precipices from which elderly people purposely fall to their deaths. The memorable May Queen sequence derives from "Hårgalåten," a song about how the devil, disguised as a fiddler, came to Hårga, forcing the villagers to dance until they die. 

At its core, "Midsommar" isn't just about defenestrating, dancing communes but also about something more relatable: heartbreak. Aster was going through a breakup when he was creating "Midsommar" and found folk horror to be the best cathartic outlet.

Before you find yourself crying into a floral crown like Dani, let's take a moment to honor the longest day of the year. Happy Summer Solstice, everyone!