Horror movies that succeed best at getting under my skin are always spun from relatable scenarios. While I have not personally experienced tragedy to the degree that the characters of Ari Aster’s Hereditary have, key moments of the film can be reflected in the lives of nearly every human being, regardless of their upbringing or background. It is because of this that I will likely never forget some of the things the film has put inside my head.
Hereditary chronicles the Graham family as they spiral into grief and chaos following the death of maternal grandmother Ellen. Through a grief counselling session, we learn that her daughter Annie (Toni Collette) is having a hard time feeling sad about the loss of her mother despite a sizable list of family tragedies in her past. Having been estranged from her mother for what seems like most of her adult life, she is regretful of letting Ellen get very close to her daughter Charlie prior to her death. From here it’s difficult to explain where things go without giving away key plot points and running the risk of ruining the experience for new viewers. In true horror fashion, let’s just say things go off the rails pretty quickly.
Marketing for the film have been hailing it as “the scariest movie since The Exorcist” which honestly may be a misleading way to benchmark the genre. The comparison is apt in the respect that the pacing and tones of each film are very similar. Both films rely on scares through atmosphere and creeping dread rather than sharp bursts of sudden surprise. Don’t get me wrong, both films go for shocking moments occasionally, but they’re used to punctuate moments along a well-paced buildup. A more accurate recipe would be equal parts Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby with a splash of something like Poltergeist at times for flavor.
Acting is fantastic pretty much across the board, with special mention going to Toni Collette. Being at its core a family drama, she holds the film together, grounding some of the more fantastical and outlandish elements, serving as focal point for everything to pivot around. One of her highlight scenes comes smack in the middle of the film with a confrontation between her and her son Peter (played by the almost-as-excellent Alex Wolff) over dinner where both sides let out pent-up frustrations with one another. Husband/father Steve (Gabriel Byrne) lays low, acting as an almost passive mediator to the fight in a very understated and nuanced performance as he struggles to pick up where he left off eating. It’s a shame that Byrne doesn’t get much else to do throughout the film.
Hereditary is not a film for everyone. It is a quiet and deliberately-paced film that requires your attention and takes its time to earn its payoffs. There are little to no abrupt jump scares or sharp audio cues for fleeting, cheap shots. The goal here is not to catch you off guard, but for you to let your guard down. It’s working against you to leave a lingering impression on your soul.
10/10
Pros: truly terrifying imagery, well-drawn characters, top-notch performances, beautifully shot
Cons: slightly bumpy transition into finale, underutilized Gabriel Byrne