Ari Aster Announces ‘Midsommar’ Director’s Cut With 30 Minutes of New Footage
Zack Sharf
Horror fans better get ready for an even longer cut of Ari Aster’s acclaimed “Midsommar.” The director confirmed during his recent Reddit AMA that he’s at work on a “Midsommar” director’s cut that will include 30 minutes of new footage (via The Wrap). Aster’s first cut of the horror film clocked in at three hours and 45 minutes, which he trimmed around 90 minutes of to get the movie to its 147-minute theatrical runtime.
“Working on extended cut now,” Aster confirmed on Reddit. “Won’t be 1 hour and 20 minutes longer, but will be at least 30 minutes longer.”
Aster revealed to GameSpot before the film came out that he axed one of his favorite scenes from the “Midsommar” theatrical cut. “There [was] a very big argument between Dani and Christian in the middle,” the filmmaker said. “That was the only time that we see Dani fight back and argue with Christian, and that was a big debate in the edit room, about whether we keep that or lose that. If you told me that I would have cut that scene before we went into production, I would have told you that you were crazy.”
Considering what a big fan Aster is of this cut scene, it’s safe to assume the “Midsommar” director’s cut will include it. Another scene that got left on the cutting room floor depicted more overtly Dani (Florence Pugh) having a psychotic break after discovering boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor) cheating on her by partaking in a cult sex orgy.
“There were a lot of scenes that were cut, and probably a few that helped illustrate she was losing her grip on her sanity, which you hopefully still see,” Aster previously told USA Today.
The cut scenes of Dani’s psychotic break made Pugh interpret the ending of “Midsommar” quite differently than Aster. While Aster says Dani explicitly knew Christian was burning alive after being chosen for the cult’s human sacrifice, Pugh said she played the scene as if her character didn’t because her mind had broken so far past reality.
“That’s what made the ending possible [for me],” Pugh told USA Today. “I don’t think I would’ve supported Dani as much if she knew that he was in there. I don’t think anybody is that sinister. You’re not going to watch your boyfriend cheat and be like, ‘Burn!’ I know Christian was a bit of a [expletive], but I didn’t want her to be evil at the end.”
The “Midsommar” theatrical cut is now playing in theaters nationwide from A24.
