Haymitch’s Backstory & The New ‘Hunger Games’ Movie’s ‘Midsommar’ Inspirations Explained

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Spoiler Warning: Sunrise on the Reaping Ending

Haymitch Abernathy, famous for guiding Katniss and Peeta in The Hunger Games, is the focus of a new movie called The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. The film goes back to the year Haymitch won the Hunger Games—a particularly challenging competition with twice as many participants. For years, his past has been largely unknown, except that he won a special edition of the Games called a Quarter Quell and seemed to have no family. Now, a new book by Suzanne Collins and the upcoming movie reveal a surprising truth about the 50th Hunger Games and show that the seeds of rebellion were planted long before Katniss volunteered as tribute.

As a huge Hunger Games fan, I was so excited when the first teaser for Sunrise on the Reaping dropped! It really feels like a fresh start for the franchise – not just with the costumes and sets, but the arena itself looks completely different. Honestly, it’s a relief to see so much light and color after the grimy, industrial feel of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and the generally darker tones of the previous films. Seeing the teaser, I immediately thought of Midsommar – the way they’re using bright colors and flowers is really similar, and it even struck me that Haymitch’s story might share some emotional parallels with Florence Pugh’s character, Dani, in that movie. It’s a fascinating direction for the series!

The Lush Hunger Games Arena Mimics ‘Midsommar’s Festival

Each Hunger Games arena has a unique and surprising element. In Catching Fire, the arena was designed like a clock, with dangers appearing at specific times. The 49th Games featured a world of reflections, making it hard to tell what was real. But for the Second Quarter Quell, the arena is a beautiful, vibrant landscape with flowers, animals, and rivers that appear peaceful. Don’t be fooled – everything is incredibly dangerous, and the beauty is a trap designed to quickly kill the tributes.

As a huge fan, I noticed something really interesting in the new ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ teaser! The way they’re using bright flowers and that triangular cornucopia immediately reminded me of Ari Aster’s ‘Midsommar’. When Haymitch and Louella walk past those fields of red, orange, and yellow blooms, and especially in that overhead shot of the arena covered in flowers, it feels like a direct nod to the imagery in that film. Even the cornucopia itself – tall and triangular – looks a lot like the ritual building in ‘Midsommar’, with those strong yellow lines. It’s cool how both structures are rebuilt each year, emphasizing the cyclical nature of things. Honestly, the whole effect of the cornucopia surrounded by rows of flowers is so similar to the maypole in ‘Midsommar’’s promotional images – it’s a really striking visual connection!

One reason Midsommar stands out as a top horror film of the 2010s is its use of bright, natural light. Unlike many modern horror movies that are filmed in darkness, Midsommar keeps everything visible, making the audience confront what’s happening to the characters. The Hunger Games often uses darkness, especially during the final battle, obscuring the disturbing details of the mutated creatures. The upcoming adaptation of Sunrise on the Reaping seems to be taking a similar approach to Midsommar, using bright visuals to put the focus on the experiences of the young people of Panem.

Haymitch and Dani Lose Their Loved Ones in a Fire

The film Midsommar opens with Dani experiencing a devastating family tragedy – the preventable deaths of her mother, father, and sister – leaving her solely with her already troubled boyfriend, Josh. She clings to the relationship, afraid of being alone. However, by the film’s conclusion, Dani makes the shocking decision to sacrifice Josh, allowing him to burn inside the yellow pyramid as the festival ends.

Following his victory in the Quarter Quell, Haymitch faced consequences for his behavior before and during the Games. Despite being warned that winning would bring suffering to his family, the reality didn’t hit him until he returned home. President Snow deliberately delayed his return to District 12, keeping him confined and feeding him only bread and milk. When he finally arrived, he discovered his house was on fire with his mother and brother inside. Similar to Dani, the last of Haymitch’s family perished in the flames, though he wasn’t responsible for starting the fire. Immediately after, his girlfriend, Lenore Dove, died, leaving him with no one left to love and ultimately shaping him into the hardened man Katniss encounters.

It’s no surprise to see echoes of the film Midsommar in Sunrise on the Reaping, especially in how light and color are used. This installment features one of the bleakest storylines in The Hunger Games series, with devastating losses and a particularly ruthless portrayal of Snow. Given the grim setting and history being explored, the filmmakers cleverly draw visual inspiration from a film known for its striking and unsettling imagery. The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping arrives in theaters on November 20, 2026.

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2025-11-20 22:19