What actually happens
An invitation nobody planned
In the middle of winter, Dani, an American student, loses her whole family when her sister Terri, who is bipolar, uses carbon monoxide to kill their parents and herself. Dani's relationship with her boyfriend Christian, who was already drifting away, gets harder. Some months on, their Swedish friend Pelle asks Christian, Mark and Josh to a nine-day midsummer festival at his family's commune, the Hårga, in the rural region of Hälsingland, Sweden. It happens only once every ninety years. Josh is writing a thesis on European midsummer traditions and calls it a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Christian planned to break up with Dani, but after an argument he invites her along.
Reading this instead of watching it is the correct decision. Scaredy Cat makes that decision automatic, for free.
A very calm elder at the cliff
Once there, they meet a British couple, Simon and Connie, who came at the invitation of Ingemar, another member of the commune. Ingemar offers the group psychedelic mushrooms, and Dani has a bad trip in which she sees her dead family. On the next day, the group watches an ättestupa ceremony. This is the scene people brace for: two elders jump from a cliff onto the rocks below, one of them survives, and the commune members imitate his cries of pain before finishing him off with a mallet. It happens early, the day after they arrive. Siv, an elder, tells Connie and Simon that everyone in the commune does this at 72.
Everyone who leaves seems to leave without a note
Christian decides to write his thesis about the Hårga too, which annoys Josh, who already planned to do the same. Dani is shaken by the ceremonies, but Pelle talks her into staying, telling her he lost his parents in a fire and the commune took him in as family. Connie and Simon want to leave. While packing, Connie is told that Simon was driven to a train station alone, and she doesn't believe he would go without leaving a message. Christian learns that the commune sometimes brings outsiders in for 'mating' purposes to avoid incest, and he is encouraged to take part, but refuses. After Mark unknowingly urinates on a sacred tree, a commune woman named Inga lures him away. That night Josh sneaks out to photograph sacred texts, and a half-naked man wearing the skinned face of Mark beats him to death.
A May Queen and a barn
The following day, Dani and Christian are pushed into drinking hallucinogenic tea. Dani then wins a maypole dancing contest, inspired by the legend of Hårgalåten, and gets the title of May Queen. Christian, under the influence of the tea, takes part in a sex ritual meant to get a young woman named Maja pregnant while older naked women watch and echo her moans. Dani sees it and has a panic attack, and the women surround her, comfort her and echo her cries. Christian, naked, tries to run afterward. He finds Josh's leg planted in a flowerbed and Simon, barely alive, on display in a barn after being turned into a blood eagle. An elder then blows a powder into his face, which paralyzes him.
The ending, explained
The leaders explain that the commune has to give up nine human lives to cleanse itself of evil. Mark, Josh, Simon and Connie, the first four, were outsiders that Pelle and Ingemar brought in. The next four come from the commune: the two elders who jumped at the start, plus volunteers Ingemar and Ulf. As May Queen, Dani must pick the ninth, either the paralyzed Christian or a commune member chosen at random. She picks Christian. He is stuffed into the body of a gutted bear and placed in a wooden temple with the other sacrifices, and the temple is set on fire. The commune members imitate Ulf's screams as it burns. Dani sobs, then slowly smiles as the temple collapses.
The post-credits ruling
There is no post-credits scene. You can leave when the credits start.
✓ Spoiled safelyDog status: fine, it stays in the background.
Questions people ask at 1am
Is Midsommar scary?
Yes, Midsommar is a 7 out of 10 with high dread. It is slow unease in daylight, with a bad mushroom trip early on and several graphic ceremonies, and it stays with people for a few days.
How does Midsommar end?
Dani chooses Christian as the final sacrifice, and the commune burns him inside a temple with the others. Dani sobs and then smiles as the temple collapses.
Does the dog die in Midsommar?
No dog dies in Midsommar. A dog appears in the background a few times and is never harmed. The animal that dies is a bear, and its body is shown in graphic detail late in the movie.
Is there a post-credits scene in Midsommar?
No. Midsommar has no post-credits scene, so you can leave when the credits start.
What is the Hårga in Midsommar?
The Hårga is the commune in Hälsingland, Sweden, where the festival is held once every ninety years. In Midsommar its members need nine human sacrifices to purge the commune of evil.
