Most Brutal 'Midsommar' Deaths

Simon's body, strung up in the barn, forms a haunting scene in the film. Christian finds him naked while trying to escape the commune. His ribs were severed from his spine, and his lungs were pulled through an opening to mimic wings—a method called the blood eagle.

Seeing Simon confirms Christian's suspicion that something is wrong with this group. He realizes he faces far greater danger than he thought.

After finding Simon's ripped body, Christian becomes paralyzed by an elder. He wakes up unable to move, forced to stay still while members stuff his body into a disemboweled bear carcass. Then, they place him in the triangular wooden temple. Christian sees all his dead friends around him. The temple catches fire, and Christian stares ahead, horrified, hearing the screams of the two Hårga members who volunteered for sacrifice.

The May Queen, Christian's traumatized (and drugged) girlfriend Dani, chooses him for sacrifice. A cult member delivers the final words before the temple burns: “Mighty and dreadful beast. With you, we purge our most unholy affects. We banish you now to the deepest recesses, where you may reflect on your wickedness,” before the temple ignites.

Mark becomes the stand-in for the jester the Hårga people need for their ritual after he urinates on a sacred tree. A woman from the commune leads Mark away, thinking he will get lucky. Instead, they find Mark stuffed with hay, looking like a human scarecrow.

Mark's death involves skinning. The reveal is shocking: a cult member wears Mark's face. Connie and Simon are already dead, but seeing another main friend killed adds to the horror.

Dan (Björn Andrésen), another willing sacrifice, jumps after Ylva. This should be less shocking. However, he does not die instantly like her. Commune members using a large mallet help him finish the job. This act shows mercy, but the gore makes the intent disturbing.

The scene feels even more gruesome after the initial shock. It shows the audience that Dani's death was just the start; much more gore and death follow. The commune members already having this backup plan shows this tradition has happened for ages.

MidsommarThe film starts with the shocking death of Dani Ardor’s entire family, immediately signaling brutality. Dani gets a disturbing email from her sister, Terri, stating, “I can’t anymore - everything’s black - mom and dad are coming too. Goodbye.” Dani panics. Her boyfriend Christian shows no sympathy. He dismisses her fears, ignoring Terri’s bipolar state and depression, suggesting something is wrong. Dani was correct. Her sister committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning, bringing their parents with her.

Less than fifteen minutes into the movie, three people die. These deaths start the story. Christian cannot break up with Dani as he wants. Guilt hits him. This guilt strains their fragile relationship. It lets Dani join Christian and his friends on their summer trip to Sweden. Close-up shots on the bodies, especially Terri’s, disturb viewers. Things get worse after this.

Connie (Ellora Torchia) and Simon (Archie Madekwe) demand a train station trip right after the terrifying ättestupa ceremony. Everyone watched two elders jump to their deaths. Connie tries to get her things. A commune member then tells her Simon already left for the train station.

Connie questions the claim that only two people fit in the car. She lacks a better choice. The driver promised to take her to the station upon return. Instead, commune members ritually drown her, making her one of the nine required sacrifices for their festival.

The ritual inMidsommarThe Midsommar requires nine sacrifices. Four must come from Hårga; four must be outsiders. Mark, Josh, Simon, and Connie were the outsider sacrifices. Ylva and Dan volunteered from Hårga. The May Queen, Dani, chooses Christian as the final sacrifice, not another commune member. This leaves room for two more volunteers from the commune. They walk into the triangular wooden temple by choice. They receive drugs to dull the pain, but the drugs do not work as expected.

The pair watch each other. They are the only fully functional humans left alive in the temple. When flames reach one, the man screams in pain. The rest of the commune members mimic his screams of agony, showing solidarity.

Ylva’s death did not shock her or the commune members; she volunteered for the sacrifice. Elders who reach 72 take pride in volunteering to help the cult instead of aging and dying. This scene remains deeply unsettling for the audience, including Dani and her friends.

Pelle (Vilhelm Blomgren) chooses not to tell his friends the ritual's gruesome details. The little old lady throws herself off the massive cliff. The visual of the woman hitting the rock and the sound stay with you after the credits.

Josh's (William Jackson Harper) murder disturbs greatly. The killer wears the face of his dead friend, Mark. Someone told Josh not to take pictures in their temple. Still, the student valued his thesis over safety. He snuck in during the night to take photos.

A Hårga cult member chases Josh with a large mallet. They use the same one to put the old man out of his misery at the ättestupa ceremony. Christian later sees Josh's severed leg emerge from a flowerbed. Josh appears inside the burning temple with his friends.