SPEAKER_02 0:04

Just get it right, stick the landing, and just boop, you did.

SPEAKER_04 0:12

Greetings and salutations, and welcome to Hacker Slash. If you're joining us again, welcome back. It's the summertime, and while our living ain't exactly easy right now, we do hope to provide you at the very least some entertainment. If this is your first time listening, welcome to the party. We are a horror movie review podcast dedicated to telling you whether a movie is a hack, a total joke, and a waste of time, or a slash. Totally killer pun intended. My name is Chris, and I'm your friendly neighborhood slasher enthusiast. This week I'm joined by the Gore Lover Alexis, everyone, and the Scandinavian Scream Queen Paris.

SPEAKER_02 0:48

Hey sweets.

SPEAKER_04 0:49

We are a small but mighty crew this week, and we're unpacking an A24 film that was all the rage last year. First, though, we do have some follow-up.

SPEAKER_02 0:57

We do have some follow-up. So, first things first, I want to shout out our friend Spencer on Twitter, who posted a picture of himself in his new hack or slash t-shirt. Looking great. We shared that photo on our page if you guys want to check it out. We also now have new merch available at hack or slash.com slash store if you guys are interested in capturing some of that swag. Now, recently we reviewed a movie called Prom Night from 1980, as well as its 2008 counterpart. It was kind of a remake, but not really. So we asked our friends on Twitter uh which prom night they thought was the better film. Uh 60% preferred the 1980 version, the original, and actually 40% gave the 2008 their vote, which I was really surprised by because I feel like there was a stark contrast in the quality of those movies. We also have a few new patrons that I'd love to give a quick thanks to. So we have Joey, we have Gwen, uh, we have Zach, and then Rafael. Uh we love the support that you guys are showing us. We really appreciate it. Uh, you can help us to uh rent more of these movies so we can review them. Your support is always appreciated.

SPEAKER_04 1:57

Definitely for sure. Every single time we get a notification about a new patron, it kind of blows me away because it's like, oh man, people like are actually supporting us, and in there are no words in existence that can convey how much that means to us as as we continue to do this little passion project. So thank you so much. Um now let's talk about what we have going on this week. This week we have a film coming to you from the same mind that brought you Hereditary. This film explores the events of a relationship on its last legs, a young woman burdened by trauma, and a village celebrating one of their longest traditions. What we end up seeing though is the intersection of so many subgenres of horror, all neatly wrapped into one psychedelic trip. Now, this week we're talking about the 2019 film Midsommar. I I personally have not seen this movie prior to this episode, have either of you? Oh wow, you haven't?

SPEAKER_05 2:49

No, and I have reasons, but we'll get there. I had seen this before. I actually saw it a month ago. Um for the first time. I think I was just waiting for it to come out um where I could rent it. Um did not see it in theaters, but was very I was definitely anticipating watching it.

SPEAKER_02 3:06

So I actually took myself on a little date last year to see this movie um in the theater. I was like one of five people, and several people got up and left during the movie, like throughout it. What? By the time the movie ended, it was me and one other girl left in the theater.

SPEAKER_04 3:21

Were they getting out because they disliked it or just like the shock?

SPEAKER_02 3:25

I will not pretend to know their motivations, but I think they might have just been like not feeling the vibe, or like maybe they were bored, because there's definitely some long stretches of of awkwardness in this movie.

SPEAKER_04 3:36

It is two and a half hours.

SPEAKER_02 3:37

Yeah, so it's hard to say. I can I can come up with a few different reasons why.

SPEAKER_04 3:41

Yeah, I I feel that. So this movie is a tough one for me, particularly because it came out and I feel like it just instantly exploded. Everywhere I turned it was, have you seen it? Oh man, you have to see it. Let me tell you literally every detail about this movie.

SPEAKER_02 3:56

Oh, right, and you hate that.

SPEAKER_04 3:57

Right. Uh uh on one hand, it's really cool to like share an excitement, right? I'm all about that. But some folks take it a little bit too far and then they spoil things for you. Or like there's a fine line between sharing excitement, building hype, and ruining the experience for someone, right? And I'm very much someone where like it's hard for me to let go of those kind of preconceived notions. So when I got those all those spoilery details about it, it made it impossible for me to go into it as a blank slate. I decided I wouldn't watch it on my own, but would rather just save it for the podcast for when the time was right, just so I could have some separation from that initial craze and like really just take a look at it for how I felt about it. Now and trying to keep an open mind. That means I didn't really expect much, but what I did expect at the very least was shocking imagery and little nuggets hidden everywhere. I feel like this was gonna be super dense, uh, at least based on what I heard about hereditary. But what about you guys? You know, before you watched it, what did you expect going into it?

SPEAKER_02 4:56

I remember seeing the trailer and being like, what the fuck is this? Um, which is usually like a good sign that I might pay money to find out. Uh, because I'm always interested, I'm always interested in like seeing things that aren't what you expect. And I was like, this looks like it's a horror movie set in broad daylight. And I was like, oh, I'll give it a shot. The the main actress, Florence Pugh, at the time, I feel like she was pretty unknown. And I was like, Oh, she's beautiful, and let's see. I was just I was intrigued enough to go and pay my money and then sit through the whole thing because I'm not the kind of person that will leave a theater once I've given them my money. The only time I've ever done that was with the sequel to Annabelle.

SPEAKER_05 5:32

Interesting.

SPEAKER_02 5:33

Because that was just like that.

SPEAKER_05 5:35

When I saw this, I I just remember being like super excited. Like I had saw hereditary, and it was like something, you know. I'm not sure how I feel about new horror. Like, I just I I really am not sure. I I saw It Comes at Night. I I think what it uh does is I psych myself out for it. Like it comes at night. My sister went to watch it like on a Wednesday at the movie theater, which is like terrifying because no one's in the movie theaters like late at night.

SPEAKER_04 6:01

That's when it's the best, and that's peak horror movie time.

SPEAKER_05 6:05

But me, no, because I was like, didn't know what to expect with this movie, didn't see much on that, and I enjoyed it, although it was not what I expected. I was like, oh, that's it. So I was kind of thinking that that that that's what this is gonna be like, but um, I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't. I love the idea that it's like cultish, and I love those kind of things. So I feel like you can play with um it does end up being a little bit tropey, but you can take cults and make them like kind of your own.

SPEAKER_04 6:30

Yeah, I feel like cults is something that I've seen a few movies do it well, but it's still not like it's still like this little subsection that I haven't explored too much. Like, okay, zombie movies. You see one zombie movie, you've probably seen them all. Trying to basan is like the closest I've gotten to feeling something fresh lately. But this movie in particular does a few things really well. Alexis, how you're saying, you know, you don't know how you feel about new horror. That's exactly the reason why I needed to give this movie plenty of time and plenty of space so I could go in fresh, right? Because if you don't catch it within the first couple days, like it's ruined for you immediately.

SPEAKER_01 7:07

That's why you gotta act fast.

SPEAKER_04 7:08

Yeah, but at the time I was like working two jobs. I didn't have time to go to the movies, you know what I mean? It's like working two jobs and then doing this podcast. I just for some reason it slipped through the cracks. But here we are. Now, I will say that this movie does a few things very interestingly. And one thing it does exceptionally well is leaving you suspended in the middle of anything that the characters are feeling, right? Discomfort, betrayal, awkwardness, isolation. There's even like the subtle detail of how sections of the Swedish dialogue aren't subtitled, just so we feel as disconnected from this story as the characters themselves do. But what about you guys? What were you feeling while you were watching it?

SPEAKER_02 7:48

I definitely agree with that, Chris. The the portions that weren't subtitles really helped to make you feel like an outsider in this situation, uh, which in turn makes you feel more isolated and vulnerable. But I remember watching it, it was just I was really interested with the way they were telling the story because right from the jump, it's like you have a very dramatic scene, and then you have these characters kind of just like tiptoeing around it for a while, and I was like, oh, this is so awkward. I hate this, I want to die. And then, like, as they go on their journey, there's like layers and like levels being revealed about this culture that they're exploring, and I was really just mostly intrigued. I was like, where are they going with this? And like, what are they building on? Because it feels like they're building on something.

SPEAKER_05 8:26

Yeah, I think I was just following along and I was just they just had this mystery vibe. And it, I mean, we'll talk about visually, but like it was just like I was just like intrigued, even though like there were some I'm an account column drought, uh, where they were just like, okay, uh, I'm here and I'm watching this movie. It's cute, it's colorful, I'm getting some sort of background information that I don't know if I need or not need, but it the mist the mystery behind this cult and like you know, what is what's happening to them. And at some point I'm like, is this a dream? Is it you know, like I'm always waiting for I think now that surprise twist ending on everything, which I think why new horror does not is not my favorite cup of tea because they don't normally just do that.

SPEAKER_04 9:11

I don't know. I feel like some things that we've seen, like us had a really good ending that I felt good about. I was surprised by how they approached the ending in this movie with such like finality, but I didn't again I haven't seen hereditary, so I don't know if that ended in a similar way.

SPEAKER_05 9:26

I feel like I need to see it again because I totally forgot everything but one scene.

SPEAKER_02 9:30

Hereditary?

SPEAKER_05 9:30

Yeah, two scenes.

SPEAKER_02 9:32

Uh well, it's more like a new beginning for uh, let's say uh an antagonist.

SPEAKER_04 9:36

Interesting. Well, we'll cover it one day. We've established pretty well that this movie got spoiled, spoiled for me. So it bummed me out that going through it, it was less of a surprise of what happens to some characters or you know, some events, and more so like a recognition of like, oh yeah, this is that thing that guy was talking about in the break room that time because my air my uh airpods didn't have noise cancelling at that point. But what did surprise me though was how much I was still able to enjoy the story and appreciate the cinematography in spite of those spoilers. So I feel like when a movie's perceived quality doesn't hinge solely on a few shocking moments or who remains at the end of the runtime, I think that's a pretty good testament to the quality of the work that the filmmakers behind this put into it.

SPEAKER_02 10:21

Um, I was definitely surprised by the ending, um, but we can have a deeper conversation about that later. I feel like if you don't know what happens in this movie, the ending will probably surprise you. I'd be shocked if it didn't surprise you, actually. But the thing that I was the most surprised by, and I was actually really impressed by this, it's kind of random, but the way that they conveyed like a hallucinatory drug experience was so accurate and the most like realistic that I've ever seen in media.

SPEAKER_05 10:49

Oh, it was accurate, right? It was accurate. Yeah, it was so accurate because like I don't know, I've never tripped in my life, so I couldn't tell you.

SPEAKER_02 10:56

Oh, and I know Chris hasn't either, but I can speak from experience, light dabbling, I can probably count it all on one hand, but you always see in like media that it's like all these like crazy colors and shapes, and like it's a completely different world, and it's like all these like graphics and like cartoony kind of effects. And I'm like, no, that's not it at all. But what it is is you see everything like you do normally, except everything's not quite right. Like the trees are kind of pulsating, and like, why is that flower winking at me? And it's like real subtle details. And also, one thing that they say not to do when you're tripping is like look in a mirror because it your face just looks so distorted and it's like moving around, and that's exactly what happened when she looked in the mirror. Uh, so I was like, yes, this is accurate. That's what it's like. Don't do it because it's spooky.

SPEAKER_04 11:39

Okay, I will say that you're right, Paris. It is very different from the way I've seen it portrayed in other movies. But I think because I don't have that personal experience, it like does nothing for me when I see it. It's like, oh, okay, this is what drugs are probably like, maybe. I don't know. I've never like had done it, had the desire to do it. It doesn't like ring my bell or anything like that.

SPEAKER_02 11:59

Interesting.

SPEAKER_05 11:59

This movie did definitely made me want to like try all of that because I was like, damn, like everything's like breathing in this movie.

SPEAKER_04 12:06

I also want to wonder why the sky is blue.

SPEAKER_02 12:10

If you do it, do it with a group of friends you trust, do it in a safe place, have a plan before you go into it, and just make sure you stay hydrated. Be responsible.

SPEAKER_04 12:19

I love it. So when we look at the things that transpire in this movie, I feel like one of the most alarming things is, you know, Paris, you mentioned this happens all in broad daylight, right? So I feel like the filmmakers are really trying to make this point of like, look at the horrors that can unfold in like this false sense of security you have about sunlight. I will say beyond that though, there's nothing particularly frightening. It's more just like shocking. I think this walks a really interesting line of being shocking without being super exploitative. But what about you guys?

SPEAKER_05 12:50

Did you find anything frightening? Uh I wouldn't say frightening, but like going back on like I back on the shocking part, it was definitely shocking to me. And I think, you know, what also surprised me was how full front they were with like death. And I think Chris, like like tying everything, uh actually everything we've all said is I think it was they made me feel the right moment. Cause I wasn't saying I've seen plenty of upfront death in all the Saw movies, and clearly don't have any feelings towards those. I thought you were gonna start talking about full front on Unity. Glad you went this direction. Well, all that also that too. I guess I've just seen so many penises in my life. I'm just like, no, because no, I'm kidding. I haven't seen so many for anyone listening right now. Mom. Seen them once, seen them all. That is very true. Very true. But yeah, I think it just really um shocked me how like I'm like, oh my gosh, they're doing that right there. And I don't know, it just felt more real to me than it would necessarily watching any other movie. So that's it, it wasn't terrif terribly frightening, but very shocking. And that's what also surprised me.

SPEAKER_02 13:58

Yeah, they definitely didn't turn away from any of like the shocking imagery. And part of that was that like you're in this culture of you're in this culture of people who like this is normal for them. They don't bat an eye when this happens, like they they're here for this. Um, so as a viewer, you're kind of like put in like an awkward position of being like how you feel about it and like how the culture around you feels about it. And you're like, am I the crazy one for like thinking this is nuts? Um, and maybe you are. Um, but I feel like this movie didn't really scare me so much as it like creeped me out. I was it was unsettling, uh, it was definitely shocking. Um, I'd say the closest to fear that this movie got me was just the general uh like the escalation of the vibe, if that makes sense. Like, cause I say this as a white person, like white people are fucking crazy sometimes. So the way they just like normalized a lot of the stuff that was going on, I was like, this is nuts, this is crazy, anything could happen at any moment. Get me out of here. Um, but fear wasn't one of my top ten reactions.

SPEAKER_04 15:00

I mean, that's totally fair. I think this is one where I it's not like a hellhouse for me. Like Hell House was the first movie I had seen in decades where I was like, oh, I actually feel a little uncomfortable watching this at night with the lights turned off. I started watching this last night, and there was a point where I fell asleep. So I think the pacing, while it was pretty strong in a lot of other ways, it it kind of drags a little bit. Uh we'll start talking about that in the second half because I don't want to spoil anything. But looking at that ending, Paris, you did mention that it was surprising. I was so satisfied with how much resolution we get. It's just it's there, there's a choice that is made. It wraps itself up neatly. But what did you guys think about the ending?

SPEAKER_05 15:44

I think this is I don't know, I'm always conflicted on certain things on ends. Like sometimes I want it to wrap up and don't give me, you know, hey, there's gonna be a a sequel, but um, I love a sequel for this, so therefore, I don't know if I love the cut and dry ending. No, I'm kidding. I actually love the ending. I think she takes this, you know, there's a part where um try not to, you know, give too many spoilers, but there's a part where I feel like her instead of being a victim, she's actually like in charge of her own destiny, and she's just here. I I I loved it. Try not to go into too many spoilers.

SPEAKER_04 16:19

Yeah, it's okay. That's safe to say about literally any horror movie. So there you go. There we go.

SPEAKER_02 16:25

I was also pretty satisfied by the ending. But I was definitely like for the last maybe 15, 20 minutes, I remember seeing this in theaters. I was just like silent with my mouth agape, just kind of like watching everything. And there were parts where I was like kind of laughing, where I was like, this is a little goofy, this isn't really scary, but also like what the fuck?

SPEAKER_04 16:44

Was it the butt touching?

SPEAKER_02 16:45

Yeah, like it was it was a very interesting ending.

SPEAKER_05 16:49

Yes. Also, that whole scene. I was like, what the hell? Is this kind of cold?

SPEAKER_01 16:54

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 16:55

I was really glad I decided to watch that in my room and not in my living room while my niece and nephew were visiting.

SPEAKER_01 17:00

Oh, yeah. Good call.

SPEAKER_04 17:02

Now, there's so much to unpack about this movie, and I know we're gonna get there in the second half. Two last final thoughts I'll say to this. For anyone who hasn't seen this movie, this movie is really rich with dynamic characters, and it has solid dialogue. I love the way the dialogue for this movie is written. There are a lot of quotable moments that I took note of, but did that stand out in any particular way to you guys?

SPEAKER_02 17:25

I definitely thought that the characters were realistic, believable, and lived in. Even the ones like you didn't like, you didn't like them because like you recognize them as people you know and you're like, ugh, you're such a douche, or like, why are you so dumb? Um, and I always like when characters are believable. Uh that also made their their choices and their decisions and their behaviors uh more believable to me, uh, which made it all the more satisfying when things happened to them because I was like, Yeah, this this feels right.

SPEAKER_05 17:50

Yeah, I think they were so lived in that I wasn't paying attention to like necessarily everything that they were saying.

SPEAKER_02 17:56

Um, like it didn't draw too much attention because it felt like casual and real.

SPEAKER_05 18:00

Yeah, and it didn't say I mean to me it was all serious. I didn't see I didn't really laugh that much. Oh, there are so many funny moments. Maybe I forgot about them. I don't know, since I I watched this a month ago and rewatching it again, it was like just enough time, but not enough time to be like, yeah, let me watch it again.

SPEAKER_04 18:18

Oh yeah, it's a conundrum.

SPEAKER_05 18:20

But visually I picked up on a lot of stuff. I was like, oh damn, I didn't notice that before.

SPEAKER_04 18:24

So well, there's gonna be a lot to unpack here in the second half of this episode, so let's go ahead and start making our way there. We got some relationship issues to talk about, we got some cults to talk about, but before we do that, Alexis, how many people died in this movie?

SPEAKER_05 18:39

We got a solid 12 deaths in here, all pretty much gory or some sort of fraction of gore in this.

SPEAKER_04 18:47

And of those twelve, how many were animals?

SPEAKER_02 18:51

So this is sad um because there is an animal death, and it's an animal that a lot of people love. I think this animal stands for a lot of things symbolically. It's cute and it's soft. Um and when you watch the movie, it's probably the first animal that you'll see, so there's kind of a spoiler there. But it is an animal death and it is kind of a gruesome one. So PETA be warned.

SPEAKER_04 19:13

Let's go ahead and start getting into our scoring then. Mitsumar from 2019. Was it a hack or a slash?

SPEAKER_05 19:18

This movie to me was so visually visually appealing. Um, I watched it at home too. 4K, I recommend if you're getting it on Amazon or wherever you're getting it from, 4K for sure, if if if uh the TV permits. Um the characters are lived in. I feel what I'm supposed to feel during a movie. I got the gore I wanted. Um, you know, and there was no like twist ending, but I think the mis the mystery behind this cull and like what's maybe real and not real. Um, spoiler, it's all real. Uh but um, but yeah, I don't know. I I have to give this a slash. This is just a really uh to me, it's a good time. It's a really good time. It's something I would definitely watch again too.

SPEAKER_02 20:03

I love that, Alexis. Um, so I watched this movie in theaters, like I said, and I was one of two people that made it all the way to the end. And boy am I glad that I did because this is a movie that is mostly build-up, but the ending makes it so worth it. And it kind of makes the build-up make more sense too when you kind of understand it all. You can kind of go back. This definitely has a lot of rewatch value for that reason because there's lots of like clues and foreshadowing that you may not pick up on the first time. Um, but this was actually my favorite movie of 2019. I was so glad that we did this. Uh, this is one of my top 10 horror movies of all time. I love new horror when it works. That's why I always give it a chance. Um, this case for me was just like a slam dunk. The it was just a beautiful film. The cinematography was like stunning, set design, uh, styling, all of it was just like perfect for creating what they were creating. Um, and then just the way it escalated and the sheer level of let's just like casual brutality in this community was just like jaw-dropping. Um, so I love this movie so much, and it gets a big slash for me.

SPEAKER_04 21:13

Oh, nice. All right. I am uh relieved to know at least that this was your favorite movie of 2019, because I feel like you've made some pretty big statements about these mystery movies, and I feel like I just crossed one off the list.

SPEAKER_02 21:24

This is one.

SPEAKER_04 21:26

So this movie it's really, really strong in some ways and has some weak points in others, but where I think it it shines is in its pacing. Now, earlier I mentioned, you know, I did fall asleep at one point, but that was one point out of a two and a half hour long movie. And if you're watching the director's cut, it's three hours long. So I think that says a lot. When I think back on this movie, it really just stood out to me in terms of its shocking imagery. Uh, but what lasted in my memory more than that shocking imagery, this movie reminded me of what. It's like to be in a terrible relationship where you know you're two good people, but you're not good for each other. And looking at how that breakdown in communication can take you to really weird places in your life and um how it can ultimately be your demise in some ways, right? So for that, for that very personal connection, for the way that this movie can make me feel, it gets a slash.

SPEAKER_02 22:24

I mean, this is a universal slash. Granted, there's only three of us, but it still counts.

SPEAKER_05 22:28

I think it would have been a universal.

SPEAKER_04 22:30

I'd be curious to know what Ryan would have thought of this. I'm sure Mac would have liked it. But I jury's out on Ryan.

SPEAKER_02 22:37

We'll have to get her to watch it and find out.

SPEAKER_04 22:39

Well, there you have it, folks. Midsommar is a universal slash, or at least as universal as it gets with a small and mighty crew. You can find this movie streaming included in your Amazon Prime membership if you're into that kind of thing. You find it available in 4K UHD, as Alexa said, May Your TV permit it, or you can find it streaming online. So check it out, give it a watch, and join us in the second half because this movie was dense and we gotta unpack it. See you in a bit.

SPEAKER_00 23:15

Available at IKEA. This summer we've got the Midsumar collection from the hit film Midsumar. We've got all the ornate chairs that you could want for your Midsumar summer cabin. Every chair is unique and none of them match. We also have small area rugs woven by hand, the hands of our deliberately inbred children, because their hands weave better. We also have signature pieces like Songen Sand, Malmenhanis, Rastintarva, and Schlagendurg. We also have tapestries, tapestries with bears, tapestries with vaginas, tapestries with more pubes than you would want on a tapestry. The Mitsumar Collection, available at IKEA.

SPEAKER_04 23:57

Alright, welcome back. Earned a universal slash, at least from the three of us that are here tonight. We have so much to break down, especially looking at the dynamics of Danny and Christian's relationship. But before we get to that, good stuff. Alexis?

SPEAKER_05 24:12

There was some some gore to talk about. Oh, was there? I don't even know. Like, like I I had said it before the spoiler break, but like this all seems super like real and like I think it was just so forward and in front. Uh what's that? There's a show on Netflix that you know they show suicide and they show it like right there, and you're like, oh my gosh, I have to look. And that's how I felt during this movie. Crazy. I like I was like, oh my gosh, I can't believe they're doing this, but I mean I get why they were. And in this movie, I'm like, oh my gosh. I mean, I I guess I could talk about this whole movie, how like every kill is kind of sort of gory. I thought what the kills or like the ones that affected me most were the the parents and the sister dying.

SPEAKER_04 24:54

Oh yes, so sad.

SPEAKER_05 24:55

Yeah, it was. There's a lot of ties to it, and I wasn't sure, like in the beginning, you're just plopped in the middle of this scene. You're not really sure the dynamics or what's going on. Um, and literally, like this girl had clearly like thought of this whole plan, you know, also um had severe mental health issues, and I just felt for all of that, and then she's finding all of this out. And I've never seen okay, I get annoyed by crying in horror movies because it's mostly like really cheesy, right? So, but her cries were like ugly cries, those were real cries, yeah, like a real cry. Like if your parents died, your family's dead, you don't have anyone else.

SPEAKER_02 25:37

Yeah, just like heaving.

SPEAKER_05 25:38

Yeah, you have this shitty ass boyfriend. And I, Chris, you said he was good. I'm gonna throw it out there. He was never good.

SPEAKER_02 25:44

I don't think she said that. Who said that?

SPEAKER_05 25:46

I thought she said two good people.

SPEAKER_04 25:48

I was like, no, like I'm just saying, like, I've been in the place where like you can be two good people who are not good for each other. That dude had some flaws for sure, but I think it's also important to remember that we are told the story exclusively from Danny's side of the things. So, you know, he maybe he started out being a good guy. Who knows?

SPEAKER_05 26:07

Maybe I think he was very swayed by his shitty friends, too.

SPEAKER_02 26:10

We'll we'll we'll get we'll get to that point because there's like a lot to talk about about that guy. We're talking gore.

SPEAKER_05 26:16

We're talking gore. Um, second, I I mean, I think I that just made me it was like all in all the feels, but like graphic, I I don't know, there's just like so much stuff, but it has to be the elderly people when they they're like, okay, she's dead. Literally, you see the head, and I was like, got so many hereditary vibes from that.

SPEAKER_04 26:38

Yes. She comes down onto that rock but then bounces up, and I was like, Oh my god, her head's a rubber ball.

SPEAKER_05 26:45

And you know it's gonna happen too. So you're like, are they gonna just show it from far away? Or no, they're gonna do a close-up. And oh shit, the other old guy. That was the saddest part was when he didn't die at first.

SPEAKER_02 26:58

I mean, his technique was terrible.

SPEAKER_04 27:00

Yeah, he didn't he didn't fling forward, he just stepped off feet first. Like, that's how you step off the diving board in Navy boot camp to do your swim test.

SPEAKER_05 27:11

That's not how you die, and how brutal those people were with just like, you know, taking the hammer. Bang! And I was like, I thought one would be enough, but they all had to take a hit at him.

SPEAKER_02 27:20

Yeah, my boyfriend at that part, he was like, Oh no, is this supposed to happen? And I was like, I mean, they had the hammer ready, so like I bet this has happened in the past. They were prepared.

SPEAKER_05 27:28

I would be like, please just don't break a leg. Just go out there.

SPEAKER_02 27:34

Just get it right, stick the landing, and just boop, you're dead.

SPEAKER_05 27:37

I know. And on top of that, I just didn't get, was there a point where they burned them, right? Right.

SPEAKER_04 27:43

Very Darth Vader on endor-ish.

SPEAKER_05 27:45

Yes. But I want to hear what you guys think because I think it's filled. There's a lot I could talk about, but I know this is like somewhere where something that I'm super into, but I want to see like what you guys thought because I don't necessarily think it took away from the movie.

SPEAKER_04 27:57

Right.

SPEAKER_05 27:57

Um, so I'd love to get your thoughts.

SPEAKER_04 27:59

So the gore was shocking, but I will say this the most satisfying moment in this entire movie in terms of a kill or the gore was Leatherface.

SPEAKER_05 28:10

Really? I wasn't sure what I was looking at at first. It was crazy, right?

SPEAKER_04 28:13

Yeah, when he was wearing Mark's skin, I was like, oh, okay, this is a kind of violent shit that I'm in for, all right? Not just people throwing themselves off of cliffs. Like the the elders dying could be written off as like this is a really, you know, weird, albeit weird tradition. These people were doing this of their own free will.

SPEAKER_02 28:32

Yeah, not necessarily malicious.

SPEAKER_04 28:34

But when you see that guy wearing Mark's skin, wearing his skin, very like Kemper in uh Texas Chainsaw Masqueremic, that moment I was like, okay, they're all in for it, and it's gonna be a good time.

SPEAKER_02 28:49

Yeah, and that gross little wiener was out.

SPEAKER_05 28:52

I didn't even notice that.

SPEAKER_02 28:53

Oh, he was fully pantsless, Chris.

SPEAKER_05 28:54

And the part where they find Simon, I believe. They find him, and I don't know how your lungs are up behind you, but somehow like he's hanging there. Do you guys remember that?

SPEAKER_02 29:05

Yeah, that was fucking insane. For me, that was like one of the most memorable parts because of how like nasty it was. I actually looked it up. It's called a blood eagle. Um, and it it may or may not be a thing that they did to people, like in whatever times. It's like basically like, are people interpreting the text right or not? But basically, it was this idea that you would like kind of dissect somebody but keep them alive and then like pull their lungs out while they're alive, and then like put them in a place where they just like can't do anything about it. So he was alive that whole time because his lungs were breathing and they just like covered his eyes with flowers. So for me, I was just like, What the ever-living fuck? I didn't know that that was a thing that could happen to me, but now that I do, I want to die more. Not that way though.

SPEAKER_04 29:44

I could not quite understand exactly what I was looking at. Same because even though they took their time showing you everything, I was still like, how what where?

SPEAKER_05 29:56

Yeah, what is this?

SPEAKER_02 29:57

Like something you'd never seen before, even remotely close.

SPEAKER_05 30:00

Yeah, and I've seen them, I've seen a lot. Yeah. This is something that needs to be on a song movie.

SPEAKER_03 30:04

Oh, oh God.

SPEAKER_05 30:06

It was hard to look at though. I was just like, what am I looking at? You know, and it's crazy because you know they've disappeared. And at that point, I was like, okay, I know they didn't just leave. And then the first point where I'm like, oh my gosh, is when they saw the when I saw the hand, it was like, oh, we're just using it. One, maybe it's fertilizer, or two, it's we're planting it like it's a hand. Like we're gonna grow many hands.

SPEAKER_04 30:28

I did feel very badly for Josh while he was super disrespectful by trying to go nab those pictures. I was disappointed when he died because he was one of the only ones I felt had a really good head on his shoulders.

SPEAKER_05 30:41

Yeah, especially when his friend was like trying to take his thesis, like oh my gosh, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 30:46

It was horrible. It was one of my favorite quotes when he says, You know what you're doing is unethical, lychey, and lazy. And I was like, Fuck yeah, Josh, get him.

SPEAKER_02 30:56

A little bitch, yeah. That was just like one of many things where I was like, This guy is garbage. And if the the thing about it that really got me was just he was so naive to it. He was just like, Oh, I don't understand why this is lazy and lychee and like scummy. And it's like, mm-hmm, well, if you were a decent human being with a smidge of self-awareness, you would.

SPEAKER_04 31:16

But here's the problem. Many of the people in this movie are severely lacking in self-awareness. None worse than that asshole Mark.

SPEAKER_02 31:25

Yeah, he was crass.

SPEAKER_04 31:27

Pissing on the ancient tree.

SPEAKER_02 31:28

That they just like put those ashes on. Like P further away from everything. He didn't walk very far.

SPEAKER_05 31:34

His character for me, like I guess because I seen him in so many funnier roles that I just like could not take him seriously. But maybe, I mean, not in a bad way. I think he was just like portraying his character very well. So maybe that's why I was so annoyed.

SPEAKER_04 31:49

Good performance, shitty character. Have you guys ever seen the TV show What We Do in the Shadows?

SPEAKER_05 31:54

No, no, but it's been on my list.

SPEAKER_04 31:57

It is hilarious. I haven't laughed that that much in so long. But there's one of the vampires named Nandor, and every once in a while when he's really frustrated, he goes, This fucking guy. And I shit you not, when I saw that actor on screen and his character was introduced, I'm like, oh, this fucking guy, the eyebrow guy. That's all that's the only way I know him. Yes, yes, from his eyebrows. Yes.

SPEAKER_05 32:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 32:22

Immediately just felt like he was a repulsive douchebag.

SPEAKER_02 32:25

Which was a great casting.

SPEAKER_04 32:27

And he always plays someone like young and naive. I also don't get why they're friends. It seems to me, to the best that like that I can guess, is it's a proximity friendship where you have to form bonds with people you're surrounded by. Because when you look at it, Josh seems incredibly intellectual. Christian must be to have gotten to this point. But then you have Mark, who's just crass, so unaware of how he moves in the world.

SPEAKER_03 32:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 32:51

There's a point where like these women are doing their thing when they get to the village. He's like, someone should tell those girls or walking stupid.

SPEAKER_02 32:58

But for me, I feel like that added a voice that was missing otherwise, you know, because those guys are real. And I'm sure some of their girlfriends made them see this movie. So they probably heard those parts and were like, Yeah, am I right? I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 33:10

I don't know. It just seemed weird that he was friends with them. Like, why not be a another person who was poached or picked by another villager coming in, you know, after the ceremony? It just seemed a little weird that they'd all be friends.

SPEAKER_05 33:23

Yeah, and maybe he was like the person they partied with or something, or they kept him around because he's a good laugh. Yeah, maybe.

SPEAKER_02 33:28

Or maybe his dad has a lot of money. I think straight guys are more like, you know, forgiving for things like that. They're like, oh yeah, you're cool. We can hang out.

SPEAKER_04 33:36

I will say, in terms of him being a good laugh, like you said, Alexis, one of his only funny moments for me came when he was tripping balls and he was freaking out. It can't be nine, the sky is blue. That that feels wrong, and I don't like that.

SPEAKER_05 33:47

That was trippy though, because I didn't understand that either.

SPEAKER_02 33:50

It was like the opposite of 30 days of night, where it's daytime at night. The summer solstice is like when the days are the longest. That part was trippy. I couldn't imagine trying to sleep when it's daytime all the time. Obviously, they had that like weird commune bunk bed situation where they like blacked out all the curtains. But you definitely like not only are you thrown into like this weird Swedish cult town, but you also like have no sense of what time it is. So it just adds to the level of like how disoriented they must have been.

SPEAKER_05 34:17

Yeah, and also like the amount of time. Like, I could even tell in this movie how long they had been there. To me, if they were there for like a month, I would have fallen for it. If they were there for three days, could have believed it too.

SPEAKER_03 34:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 34:31

I feel like it was mostly like a week, but maybe that's just me.

SPEAKER_04 34:34

I would be curious about the exact timeline because they know that like the whole trip is gonna last like a month and a half. And we know that they're supposed to get there on Danny's birthday. Which, like, first off, Christian, dude, regardless of whether or not you're gonna tell Danny about this trip, you're about to leave her in America on her birthday?

SPEAKER_05 34:52

I mean strike 50. No, he probably had strike two by then, two or three, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_02 34:58

It was just like so careless, so checked out, but didn't have the balls to check out, which annoyed me the most. And I get like it's the most awkward situation. Like you're planning on breaking up with this girl and then her entire family dies, and you're the only like support she has. Like, that sucks ass. That's a horror story of its own.

SPEAKER_05 35:14

It really is. Um, I'm not sure if whose bedroom we're in, but there's one point where she wakes up and then he's like, they're going, they're about to go to a party. If you look above the bed she wakes up in, there is a picture of a grizzly bear with a blonde. I was like, Oh, I did not see that the first time I watched this. This is great. Your boy likes bears. I know. Good for him. He ended up dying in one.

SPEAKER_02 35:38

It was a it was a grizzly bear and a little girl with a crown on.

SPEAKER_05 35:41

Yeah. And then in the first scene, when you see like it's panting to their parent, her parents sleeping, like the very first scene before you find out they're dead, and that's when you see their bodies. Um, on the nightstand, there's like a flower, a floral like flower frame.

SPEAKER_02 35:55

Ooh.

SPEAKER_05 35:56

And it has like some sort of picture in it too, which I thought was really cool. So I like when movies put little like extras in there for people who have seen it like more than once.

SPEAKER_02 36:04

This movie and hereditary both had that in common, where there's just like little morsels and like little nuggets of continuity that are like, hey, you can watch this like three times and find more like uh hints as to what's about to happen.

SPEAKER_05 36:17

I do have to admit, watching this a second time, um, it ended up feeling shorter. Like I was like, oh, we're already at that part. Like, wow, interesting. This went by faster than the first time. I think because there's a lot of anticipation. It's because you know what's coming versus like, when the where the hell is this going?

SPEAKER_04 36:32

How what year is it? When am I?

SPEAKER_05 36:34

Yeah. I do like how they um in this movie, how they did I mean, visually it's great, but also auditory. Kind of like when she's checked out um in the beginning, like when she's at the party, like you everything's like muffled.

SPEAKER_03 36:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 36:48

And then as she comes into awareness of where she's at and she's like, oh, someone's asking me a question, then you hear it. Which I'll admit I know people do, but I don't believe it. Because I hear, like, I I don't know what it is about me and my boyfriend's like this, and he's like, huh? Like, I'm like, how did you not know what I just said? Like, I've been talking for a full I think I'm always just aware all the time.

SPEAKER_04 37:08

You just zone the fuck out.

SPEAKER_05 37:10

Sometimes I just tune out the whole world. I wish I could do that.

SPEAKER_02 37:13

Not if it's brought on by trauma. Another thing that I loved about like the like the audio visual elements that they used here was there were a lot of like ultra-wide shots of like dialogue. Specifically, I'm remembering the scene where like Connie goes into like the weird like bedroom hut or building uh and he's like packing up her stuff and like storming out, and that whole shot takes place in like an ultra wide where you see like the whole outside of the building, the door's wide open, so you can see inside as well. You don't even see Danny talking to her, but you hear the audio like just enough as if like you're not even in that same building, but you're like in the commune itself. Eavesdropping. Exactly. And that was something that I thought was really effective and specific, and not something I'd ever really noticed before in other films.

SPEAKER_04 37:56

For me, the the sound stood out the most when the old man's jumping off the cliff and all the audio just drops out as he plunges. That shit was wild.

SPEAKER_02 38:05

And then you just get this tiny little like but it felt right, it felt real.

SPEAKER_04 38:12

Him being hit with him with the mallet sounded louder than his actual impact.

SPEAKER_03 38:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 38:17

The creepiest sounds in this were like one when they're all all the girls are like in the room when I don't even know what you call this. I think I guess they're having sex.

SPEAKER_02 38:29

The mating ritual.

SPEAKER_05 38:30

Yeah, they're all making the same noise, but then also when you know you have the girl crying and everyone's crying too, and then at the end when they're all like doing this dance, I mean, like, oh my gosh, like you feel utter chaos during those times, you know, and you it really like puts you in it. I I really feel like I'm in this movie with them, but like far enough back where I don't have to participate in anything.

SPEAKER_04 38:54

The moans and the chanting, they walked right up to the line of the Babaduk child screaming and stopped right before I got to it. So I was like, ah so I think if we had gotten any more of that, it would have been way too much to bear. But that parroting of those emotions, right? Either them moaning or them crying, it was crazy to see them taking on and like being like empaths, right? Like they're taking on the feelings of whoever they're imitating, right? Especially at the end, when you have the two guys who are both given that fluid from the tree, and they're saying, Feel no fear, feel no pain. And then of course this guy looks at their, you know, they're looking at each other, and one catches on fire and is like, oh shit, I'm feeling pain. Everything I've been told is a fucking lie. But it's too late. It's like such anguish, and the girls outside are recreating that, but they don't even understand what it is they're recreating exactly.

SPEAKER_02 39:50

Yeah. I think actually my favorite scene in the whole movie is when uh Danny finds out or sees her boyfriend fucking that redheaded underage child, um, and it's just so just it's like the final blow for her. Um, and then she's just so disoriented, she just collapses in the the com the communal like sleeping space, and then all the women just like collapse with her, and then like you said it, Chris, like they're they're empathizing with her. It's like a truly like visceral empathic moment where like all of these women are like, Hey, you're feeling the most pain of anybody here right now. We're gonna share that pain with you, so it's not as hard for you specifically. We're gonna like distribute the burden and we're all gonna take this on.

SPEAKER_04 40:32

And what's really cool is that they're doing that, and and Danny's finding her acceptance when Christian may have thought he was being empathetic by staying with her, but really what he was doing was taking pity, and pity is almost worse than not being there at all because you're just kind of undermining that person altogether.

SPEAKER_02 40:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 40:52

I've been cheated on. Obvious, I didn't say obviously, but that's like not really the right thing.

SPEAKER_03 40:59

That's obvious.

SPEAKER_05 41:00

Obviously, I've been cheated on. I've I don't know. It's a bad thing to say that everyone's been cheated on more times than not. I don't know, I've never had that reaction, but maybe I did. I just never vocalized that kind of like you know, feeling before. So I was like, oh, I wonder if like if whatever I had on the inside just came out of my mouth.

SPEAKER_02 41:18

Like if you actually let it out?

SPEAKER_05 41:20

Yeah, if I just let it out, if that's what would happen.

SPEAKER_02 41:23

It might sound like that.

SPEAKER_05 41:24

That's interesting because I was like, that's not how I'd act. I'd walk in there, but then like, you know, you've been hanging out with these people, and that you know, you're the May Queen now, and they're looking up to you. Is that something like a May Queen would do? Probably not. She'd be like, off with your head, bitch.

SPEAKER_04 41:40

Assumes his identity. Well, I have your reputation now.

SPEAKER_02 41:45

Yeah. I feel like it's also just like uh like the final pillar that she had keeping her up. Like everything was like taken from her except her boyfriend Christian. And then she's like, Okay, I'm gonna go on this trip to forget, and then like all this crazy shit starts happening, and like the last thing that she has is him. And then, like, for that to be taken away, that was just like caused another panic attack and like another emotional collapse for her when she was already so vulnerable.

SPEAKER_05 42:09

Yeah, and then she's probably like, Well, I'm just really gonna stay here and uh be the May Queen for everyone. Yeah, going on with the little mating ritual, weirdest one I've seen. Not that I've seen many. I I I've seen people rock back and forth, and or I've heard people rocking when they're trying to get pregnant, but I was like, yo, when she said I feel it, that's like my worst of dream. I would be like, no, I don't want to feel it.

SPEAKER_02 42:34

Like, get it out of me.

SPEAKER_05 42:36

Get it out.

SPEAKER_04 42:38

Also, may I just say how ballsy it is of them to just let this guy mate with her, assume it worked, and then just kill him right there.

SPEAKER_02 42:47

I don't know. I feel like they took all of the necessary precautions.

SPEAKER_04 42:50

Yeah, but even then, it's still not a guarantee that they're gonna that she's gonna get pregnant. Like, what if she was infertile and had no way of knowing? Oh, yeah, that is true.

SPEAKER_02 42:59

Yeah. I mean, I think that's how they keep their population low. Like one year we don't have any any crops. Just one less thing with the the scene with the all the women like feeling Danny's pain. It reminded me of the conversation that she had had earlier with uh Pele, where he was talking about like family and how you know she had a family, but she, you know, she lost them and he had too, but probably because his parents committed a ritual suicide. Um but he said that like when he was in this family, this community, he felt truly held, and that was something that he wanted her to have. And I feel like that scene where they're all crying with her is when she kind of was like, Oh, I feel held, I feel supported. Maybe I will stay here or at least just live out my reign as May Queen.

SPEAKER_04 43:43

Oh man, that line in particular when he's having that moment with her, and he asks her if she feels held by Christian. Yeah. If he feels like home to her. So I was in this relationship for several years, and it started out really, really great, and then over time it's You know, it seemed like to unfold similar to what the way this movie does, where one partner has this great burden, right? Or like within their emotions and the other person just doesn't know how to support them. And I was a person who didn't know how to support in the way that I should have. While that relationship was never going to end well, I wish I had been been better. I wish I had been better than Christian even then. But when looking at that quote, I remember the moment where I stopped feeling supported, right? And you notice like they don't kiss this entire movie. And then it's like they don't even realize how how long ago their intimacy died. There's a point where Danny is talking about how long they've been together. He thinks it's three and a half years. She says four years. In his mind, they broke up six months ago. That is the true weight that kind of lingers over both of them.

SPEAKER_02 44:52

Yeah, they're not on the same page whatsoever from the very beginning.

SPEAKER_05 44:56

I didn't notice that. I mean, I've you're right. Like, I didn't see them as a couple like at all throughout this, but I never noticed like the affection part.

SPEAKER_02 45:06

Yeah, I didn't notice that either. For me, it was more like the emotional distance that I felt.

SPEAKER_04 45:11

Right. I mean, he that dude's checked out from the first phone call, like right, the first time that we see him as her boyfriend. He's so emotionally unavailable, and he's it's kind of like shitter get off the pot at this point, Christian.

SPEAKER_05 45:21

Um yeah, the stuff he says about his her family. I was like, I wish someone would say that. Like, oh yeah, that's just so rude.

SPEAKER_02 45:29

Yeah, he's absolutely gaslighting her from the jump.

SPEAKER_04 45:32

I felt I felt that, Paris, right? He sounds gaslighting that conversation, and then it also sounds like it physically pains him to tell her he loves her.

SPEAKER_03 45:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 45:42

Right? So why would that be such a labor? And he's detached there, and you can see just you can even feel how checked out he is just by the sound of his voice without even having to see him. And the shitty thing is that Danny needs a support system. Who knows what has happened in their relationship up to this point? But she is in need of a support system, and he's trying to be that, but he's just like this hollowed, rotting beam. So instead of it being replaced, right? Instead of it being replaced, she's continuing to allow that beam to hold up the foundation of her home, and it's gonna come crashing down, and it's gonna come crashing down soon.

SPEAKER_02 46:18

A hollow rotted beam. That is a drag.

SPEAKER_04 46:22

He's trying his damnedest, I guess. You know, like his heart's in the right place, like he wants to be there for her, but he's not the support that she needs.

SPEAKER_02 46:31

Yeah, he's just technically there.

SPEAKER_04 46:33

Right, right. You know, had they broken up, maybe she could have gotten more support from that friend she was on the phone with.

SPEAKER_02 46:40

Yeah. Who knows? Now, one thing I do want to bring up now that you're talking about like how important home is to Danny. Um, it is confirmed in the film that Danny is a cancer.

SPEAKER_04 46:51

Unsurprising.

SPEAKER_02 46:52

This movie plays a lot into astrology. At one point, some people in the community are like, Oh, you've been approved to mate with this girl because you're an ideal astrological match. So, like, that's definitely woven into their culture. When Danny has the conversation with Pele in the apartment before they go on the trip, he meant she mentions that like her birthday's gonna be then. And he's like, Oh. And at that point, I was like, okay, late June, early July, she's a cancer, which really fits uh in a lot of ways because I'm passionate about astrology, let's just say that. But I do recognize that it's to be taken with a grain of salt. If you're a skeptic, um, just know that astrology is mostly just for fun. If you're a believer, just enjoy it, you know? It doesn't have to be that serious. People get so bent out of shape about it, but it's like, relax. Who cares? But that being said, here we go. So Danny's a cancer who are very emotional, they're very intuitive, and they really value home. So having a protagonist of a film be somebody who really values those things and then has them just stripped from her immediately, she's gonna cry, and she's gonna cry a lot. And Danny did a lot of crying in this movie. Um, I feel like Florence Pugh's performance of all of that was one of like the shining beacons in this film. Like what a breakout role for her. Um, but there's actually another character whose sign we know of. Do tell. So in the original script, which I dug up, there that conversation with Pele is actually a little more detailed. And she says, or he's telling her about like the community that they live in, and he's like, Yeah, you know, we're we're like into some interesting stuff, like we're into astrology. And she's like, Oh, what's your sign? And he says, I'm a Taurus. And she says, Oh, I'm a cancer. And he's like, Oh, okay. And there was supposed to be a moment there where he's like, Oh, you're a cancer and I'm a Taurus. You're an ideal astrological match for me. Let's mate and come to my come to this thing and let me pick you as my bride, or I don't know, mating partner or whatever. Um, so I thought that that was super interesting, that it was omitted, but you can still kind of like see the artifacts of those two character choices in how the two characters play out.

SPEAKER_05 48:53

That's really cool. I like that. Also, I believe in all that sort of stuff.

SPEAKER_04 48:57

I I definitely don't put a lot of weight into it. Like I'm not well read or well-versed. Like Paris organizes his phone book in such a fun way that I can respect and appreciate as a fellow Capricorn, but I just don't understand it. When Danny, when she looks at all the situations playing out in front of her, and her gut is telling her reality, but she's like almost apologizing for it.

SPEAKER_02 49:18

Because cancers, they often put other the happiness of others over their own, uh, which is sometimes a detriment, sometimes it's like a nice way of showing love. Uh, but yeah, she was definitely like a people pleaser all through this movie. Like when she took the shrooms and she didn't want to. She did so many things that she didn't want to do to make other people feel more comfortable, and that's a very like nurturing cancer trait.

SPEAKER_04 49:38

Okay, so we know what Danny is. We know what this fool bringing her to the village is.

SPEAKER_02 49:44

I don't think he was a fool. He did a really good job.

SPEAKER_04 49:48

Right. He was effective. Given those two pieces of information, and us knowing that Christian is a polar opposite of him, and also incompatible with Danny. What is his sign that you would best guess?

SPEAKER_02 50:00

Honestly, uh yes. Let me think.

SPEAKER_04 50:04

Search the data, you know it to be true.

SPEAKER_02 50:06

He's not an earth or a water sign, so he's air or fire. Okay, I'm gonna say Leo. Oh damn or Sagittarius. He could also have been an Aquarius, who are just like very aloof and come kind of hard to peg, which I would kind of describe him as.

SPEAKER_04 50:20

Interesting.

SPEAKER_02 50:20

With Pele being a Taurus, he actually, and I didn't really realize this until you mentioned the lack of like physical intimacy between Danny and Christian. He had the most physical contact with Danny throughout the entire movie. Like anytime they were having a conversation, he would like put his hand on her knee and they were like holding hands at that uh at one point in the conversation. Um, and Cancers and Tauruses, they love like intimacy, especially like physical intimacy with somebody they can trust. So when they were having that combo, I was like, these two are in love. This is this is definitely what it's gonna be. I'm not a huge fan of this guy, but he's definitely being much better to her than her current guy is.

SPEAKER_04 50:56

Yes, physical touch, what a love language. So there's so much that we see, right? And looking at the fact that we don't see that intimacy with Christian, the fact that we do see that intimacy between the two of them and looking at how compatible they may be, it just shows how much love and attention was put into every crevice of the film experience, right? I think earlier we're talking about some of the cool things, right? We're talking about all the deaths and things like that, but there's one element of this movie that stood out to me, and I think that is what I'm gonna remember this movie for most, and that is their use of transitions and how every single transition in this movie was an artistic experience versus just like the obligatory progression of a plot point, right? So when we look at her in the apartment, going to the bathroom, and all of a sudden she's in the airplane lavatory.

SPEAKER_02 51:45

That was so good.

SPEAKER_04 51:46

Every single thing was beautiful. There's also a transition we get where Josh sits down and then all of a sudden they're back in a little sleeping area. I've never seen another movie like it.

SPEAKER_02 51:55

Well, you would like hereditary. It's pretty similar visually. Um, it has a very similar style, and that's one thing I loved about both of them because it's sort of like what if a horror movie was also an art film and just like really thoughtfully just packed to the brim with like specific intentional details like that, and like like my personal favorite element of like the visuals of it all was the set design, just because it the whole space was it was confined, but it was completely out in the open, but it was isolated. Um, and the shapes of the buildings to the paintings on all of the walls to the tapestries. Um, I remember at one point towards the end when um when Christian's like called in to talk to like the matriarch or whatever, and he he sits her down, she sits him down in this room. I noticed that like it's like a wide space with like beautiful paintings on the walls, but there's like four tiny area rugs like scattered thoughtfully about. And I was just like, I have one giant area rug at home, and I was like, should I sell that and buy like four little area rugs? It created such a specific space with a specific vibe.

SPEAKER_04 52:58

It's a statement, it's all it is.

SPEAKER_02 53:00

Yeah, and like there was a part where they had like three completely different wooden chairs sitting like side by side against a wall, and I was like, that looks so good, it's so impractical, but it looks so good.

SPEAKER_04 53:10

I don't I feel like that would bug the hell out of my OCD. Like everything has to be symmetrical, cohesive, and functioning. Yeah, yes, exactly. One thing that I think can be so easily lost in this movie is how within its visual elements we have those tapestries that tell you exactly how the movie's gonna unfold from the very beginning. It was just like such this complex process of like even looking at the tapestry that features the menstrual blood. Also, additionally, why the hell does Christian not notice that he has the only cup that's not completely clear?

SPEAKER_02 53:44

Yeah, I noticed that too when I saw it in theaters.

SPEAKER_05 53:46

I don't know. I don't think he noticed anything in this.

SPEAKER_02 53:49

He was very oblivious.

SPEAKER_05 53:51

Yeah. He's just like, whatever, I'm here.

SPEAKER_04 53:53

For a brief moment, I wanted to think that he was just like willfully accepting it, like, oh, I'm studying this, I'm in this, I gotta like live this now.

SPEAKER_02 54:02

Oh, that's generous of you.

SPEAKER_04 54:03

But I also think he was a dumbass, so yeah, I'm I'm team dumbass. Yeah, same. I know we've said a lot of good about this movie, but did anything stand out to you as particularly egregious?

SPEAKER_05 54:16

It was a tad bit long. But the thing is, I I I'll take those like dead kind of points, and they're not dead, they're you're you're still getting a visual, you're still getting dialect, you're still getting something from those points. It's not like totally a waste. So, I mean, I do appreciate it. I just wish it was a tad bit shorter.

SPEAKER_02 54:39

I agree. I thought the same thing. I was like, I could probably cut 15 minutes out of this movie. It would be hard because you're definitely gonna lose some of the texture um and some of like the the ambient stuff that really helps to create a mood. Um, but towards the end, when things started like picking up, I feel like there were a couple a couple scenes we could have chopped a few minutes off here and there.

SPEAKER_05 55:00

I don't need uh I get it that they're you're putting them all in the building. I don't need a visual of you setting everyone down. Like every single person. I'm like, I get it.

SPEAKER_02 55:11

Yeah, and then like the crowning of her as May Queen, that whole process, I was like, okay, you can cut out a few steps or like give us the abridged version because we kind of get it.

SPEAKER_05 55:21

Yeah, they lost a they they gave us all the time during the dance part. I'm pretty sure too. I'm like, all right, we could get it if she did it a few laps, and then all of a sudden you cut and there's like four people left.

SPEAKER_02 55:33

Yeah. That was like a solid 10 minutes of her tripping balls and just dancing her ass off and around a maple.

SPEAKER_04 55:39

God, yeah. I think the only thing that stands out to me is like a little problematic in hindsight is the fact that when they're driving up to the village, the camera turns upside down.

SPEAKER_01 55:50

Oh, I love that.

SPEAKER_04 55:51

Oh yeah. No, I still have no idea why, because it seems a little ominous to just say, Oh, your world's about to turn upside down, and you don't even know it as soon as you cross through here. Um, I just don't get what the motivation was for that, and it doesn't really like it feels like kind of out of place with the rest of the movie for me.

SPEAKER_02 56:06

I I thought that was more like, you know, like you're going into Wonderland and like this is where the disorientation begins. Like you they were crossing a threshold when they crossed by that like midsomar sign, which is why it was like the only time that something like that happened. I actually I didn't hate it, but I can see why it would feel kind of weird. It did feel a little like cheap.

SPEAKER_05 56:24

My other thing was, you know, where you get that like you know, Ed Geen person, and there's that there's a person that's like in this movie that's like disformed. Yes. The inbred one, yes, and I just didn't know the purpose because at the end it was like a side character on this like panel of people. So I was just like, okay, like I get, you know, these are all you know, your servants or like the not servants, but these are all the people in your community. Like, I get that. I didn't need to know every specific what every person did, but I just was wondering why that was just put in there.

SPEAKER_04 56:59

So looking back on that, right? What I found really interesting is that when Josh is getting the explanation of everything, their books are continuously written, right? As opposed to some most religions were like, here's the sacred text, it is done. We ain't touching this shit, it's over. When they have that inbreeding, the way I understood it was they have that particular inbreeding because they think only those who are inbred, only those who are like him are the freest to see the world and to see uh their future as it is, right? Like they're the only ones with clear vision, whereas everybody else is just clouded by like the complexities of like just being an average ass person.

SPEAKER_02 57:42

Yeah, the I think they called him unclouded, and then he's even like, Well, what do you do when he dies? And they're like, Oh, we deliberately inbreed to create a person who is unclouded and has these like defects, these birth defects, so that he can continue to write our or he or she could continue to write our our texts, which he also explained, then get interpreted by like the people of the council. And I'm like, so if the people of the council are just interpreting these finger paintings, like they can really make it whatever the hell they want.

SPEAKER_04 58:13

It's the honor system, you know. Yeah. You know, they're just being unbiased.

SPEAKER_02 58:19

Also just like the fact that like the idea of deliberate inbreeding and like pure bloodlines is truly some white people shit.

SPEAKER_04 58:26

Well, here we are.

SPEAKER_02 58:27

Pure bloodline, my ass.

SPEAKER_04 58:29

So we're talking a little bit ago, Paris, about uh yeah, the signs and certain behaviors and traits. I feel like, as a Capricorn, if I were in if I were in Danny's shoes and I'm crowned May Queen, and I'm told that I have to do a blessing. I'd have some serious logistical questions first, right? Like, what am I blessing? How does one bless? Is there like a hand gesture? Is there like something to say? And I feel like that moment almost stressed me out more than the entire ending of the movie. I'm like, how does she know what she's doing? And I know like it's a movie. Obviously, I'm not like seriously dinging the movie about that.

SPEAKER_02 59:03

She was definitely slapped with some responsibilities pretty quickly after winning that title. Um, but to her credit, she did also learn Swedish while tripping balls. She was just she was just picking up on the vibe at that point.

SPEAKER_04 59:13

I guess, I guess. Good for her. Good for her. She she has an agility that I can only aspire to have.

SPEAKER_02 59:20

I mean, we don't know what she was drinking, but she was Rosetta Stoned.

SPEAKER_05 59:25

I love it. Sorry.

SPEAKER_02 59:26

I'm I'm moving on. I think we should dive a little deeper just into the the overall progression of our girl Danny. Because, like, what an arc, you know. She starts off in the lowest point of her life, and probably the lowest point her life ever will be, kind of just does her best to cope with it, doesn't do a great job. Uh, not to her, like, not her fault, but how do you navigate something like that? Um, she made a bunch of choices that she thought would either make the people around her more comfortable, or maybe just switch things up enough to make her forget what was going on. But you could tell there's so many times where you can see that she hasn't fully processed it or moved past it, which is totally plausible and totally understandable. Um, but then she ends, and it's my favorite shot of the film. She decides that her boyfriend dies. She's like, Okay, after all this, fuck you. We're gonna put you in this bear suit and set you on fire.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:23

We're breaking up, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:25

And and then she's you know, devastated while it's all happening, and she's like walking around in that like flower thing, which I thought was just a beautiful visual element.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:34

It looks so uncomfortable. Also for allergy people.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:38

Oh yeah, this movie would not have gone well if that bitch had seasonal allergies. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:44

That's absolutely true. I didn't even think about that. Um, but then she ends it like heaving in pain, crying, and then she smiles. She kind of gets to a place where she's happy, she's found some semblance of joy through all of this. Like it's the light at the end of the tunnel. And I was just like, oh, you go, bitch. Kill that boy.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:04

So, what I love about that is that it's entirely possible that that ending can be interpreted in so many different ways, right? Either she's losing her damn mind, right? And this is her psychotic break, or she's realizing that for the first time in a long time, she has and has accepted control over what happens. And this village is the first people to give her that.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:28

Yeah, and she feels held. I think both of those things can be true.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:31

Yeah, but I mean, even looking at that, right? Like looking at the age breakdown of like her sister, I'm not sure exactly how old she was, but they look to be a similar age. Danny has lived a lifetime of being concerned about her sister and the fact that like you know, her her sister is living and is kind of like at the mercy of being bipolar. And Danny's always having to account for that and be worried about that and communicate those fears to her parents, and that's fucking terrifying.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:04

Yeah, I can't imagine, you know, you're just always on high alert all the time, always looking out for other people that you never you just neglect yourself and you're always worried, which I think comes across with Christian, you know. I think she still isn't trying to like process this herself. She's like, Yeah, I'll go to the party. Like, you don't need to be going to a party. Tell him you can go by himself. Also, a good boyfriend should be staying home with you, but and just being in your in your misery with you.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:32

We know that good boyfriend stopped being a good boyfriend before this movie ever started. That is very true.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:37

And just like watching him paralyzed in that bear costume as it panned out of that room and it was set on fire was just like it was just so powerful for her because she was finally free of all of it, every little shitty thing. She was free, she found a home. Um, and she, you know, made a good life for herself. I like to think.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:00

No one's gonna ask any questions, it's gonna be fine, probably. One thing that I also loved, and this is you know, going back to just how incredible her performance was, there was a moment where she's in the apartment, and then you know, he says, I'm so sorry for your loss, and she just starts to lose it. She's like, Oh no, right? And she's trying to stop it from happening. Yeah, I've been in that position where like not obviously not in her exact position by any means, but like something terrible happens and you're just trying to keep your shit together, and like all you need is no one to acknowledge that something's wrong. You just need to like be allowed to just move on, and the way she breaks down so quickly, I I feel like this might be one of the most meaningful performances I've seen in an incredibly long time.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:48

Yeah, after this movie, I was like, who the fuck is Florence Pugh? Because damn, what a performance from her.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:55

So I love Little Women. I read it, I appreciated the other version of the movie that I've seen. I haven't seen the most recent one, but I know that she's in it, and I also know that she wears a floral crown in it, so I'm very excited to check it out.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:07

I also just want to bring because there were a few like small little kind of jokes, kind of teasers in there, but when they're when all the boys are back home and they're talking about the trip, uh Pele says when they're talking about like all the why Christian should break up with his girlfriend because they're gonna go on this like Euro trip and see all these hot girls. Uh Pele says, Yeah, and think about all the Swedish women you can impregnate while you're over there. And like he fully meant that. He was like, We need diverse genetic material for my home, and you can contribute to that.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:40

Not too diverse though, because we still want a redhead.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:42

Yeah. Did he get more and more redheaded as the movie went on? Because I thought that both times.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:47

Because that motherfucker did he had me fooled. I did not realize he had red hair until like he's all of a sudden having sex. Yeah. Two and a half hours later.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:55

Yeah, it was like slightly before that when he was walking outside. I was like, he literally, when he's running around naked, yeah. Hiding his balls, uh, or all of it, I guess.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:04

Um wait, you guys, last thing, our girl Florence Pugh is also a Capricorn.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:09

Hey! Oh, when is her birthday?

SPEAKER_02 1:05:11

Uh she is a January 3rd Capricorn.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:14

Wow, wow, I love that. So close, so close to us.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:18

1996. Ugh, we're getting old.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:19

All right, folks, there has been plenty that we have discussed, and just as this movie is dense, so was the conversation about it. It's not gonna end here, but we do have a little bit to learn in fact or fiction before we can start opening things up to our listeners. You guys ready? Yes. Alright, number one, starting off semi-easy. Neither Danny nor Christian speak in the last 25 minutes of the theatrical release. They only cry and scream.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:44

Yeah, yeah. I that's fact. I I think that happened.

unknown 1:05:47

Fact.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:48

Alright, that's a fact. Now let's see then. You can move on to this one. Jack Rayner, who played Christian, took inspiration from the film The Last House on the Left for some of his actions as Christian.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:00

I would love for that to have happened, so I'm gonna say fact.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:03

I don't really see it, so I'm gonna say fiction.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:07

It's a fact.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:07

Huh.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:08

So interestingly enough, he had just recently watched it before production of this film. And originally, after the sex scene, the mating ritual, Christian was intended to flee, but still wearing the robe that he entered in. And he chose and insisted though to run away naked because he felt it was time for a male character to suffer the same indignation that uh the the way that women have in horror movies, right? So being disrobed, humiliated, and assaulted before their demise. Oh my god, I love that. Yeah, he's getting redeemed. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:40

Wonderful. I remember being like, oh, that's full peen. There it is.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:43

Alright, guys, let's move on to the next one. Production on this film was announced immediately after Hereditary's release in 2018, making this a very short runway for release. The reason for this though was Aryaster's insistence the film be released in time for the actual Midsummer in Sweden.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:02

Oh shit, I saw this in theaters.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:04

That was way too long, so I know there's something in there that's not true.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:07

Yeah, probably.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:08

But I know you. You just go for really cool facts and delivery.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:12

You know that I'm not Mac, alright? I'm not like Yeah, so I'm gonna say fact.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:17

I think the timeline plays out. I'm gonna say fact too.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:20

Excellent. It's actually fiction. It was released a few weeks after midsummer, which was like disappointing.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:26

I mean, I was honestly feeling, I was like, I feel like I saw it in the fall, but midsummer's like midsummer, so I guess it was still it was pre-fall.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:34

It was released in the US before it was released in Sweden. Huh. Moving right along. Jack Rayner, who plays Christian, and William Jackson Harper, who plays Josh, are the only American actors in this film.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:45

Oh. No, isn't eyebrows guy American? No, wait, I can I think he did a an accent for that Bandersnatch thing. Oh fuck, I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:53

Fiction.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:53

I'll say fact. This way we cover our bases.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:56

It is fiction. It is fiction. Now, Jack Rayner may have been born in Colorado, but he's actually Irish. Lawrence Pugh is English, Will, who's eyebrow guy, is English, and all other supporting actors are either Swedish, British, or Hungarian. William Jackson Harper, who plays Josh, is the only American actor in this entire film.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:15

Wow.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:15

Mm-hmm. And your last one here, Mark's phobia of ticks is actually a detail pulled from the life of Ari Aster. Fact.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:22

Yeah, fact. Ticks are fucking scary.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:25

Well done, well done. That is a fact. And just like Mark did in this movie, Ari actually wore two pairs of socks over his jeans just to make sure he wouldn't get bitten.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:33

Oh, that's why he had those socks over his pants.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:36

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:37

Because I saw that, I was like, what does that look?

SPEAKER_04 1:08:38

Alright, folks, well, there you have it. We've learned so much about Midsumar, and while two of our teammates may be missing tonight, it did get a universal slash from those of us who are here. Like I said earlier, this movie is dense, so there are so many little nuggets to uncover. There are little hidden details every step of the way that we couldn't possibly cover within one podcast episode. So please reach out to us. Let us know your thoughts, what you felt stood out above the rest.

SPEAKER_05 1:09:02

You can reach us a number of ways, starting with our website, hackerslash.com, and on our social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also email us at feedback at hackerslash.com.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:13

Mm-hmm. And if email's not your game, no worries. You can invite us to your traditions by shooting us a text, voicemail, or an audio message over to our Hackerslash Hotline, 757-606-0128. That number's also down in the show notes.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:29

And if you've enjoyed listening to our podcast, consider becoming one of our patrons. Check out patreon.com slash hackerslash where you can earn cool perks for as low as $1 a month. Also, check out the merch we have on our store, hackerslash.com slash store. There's some cute shirts, really everything you need to have a successfully fashionable fall.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:46

We'll see you next time. Bye