Holy shit. I have not felt this terrifyingly uneasy because of a film in a very long time. I do not know why it took me this long to finally catch it, but I regret not seeing this in theaters. Hereditary is an astounding horror film that combines elements of psychological and supernatural terror that will keep the audience thinking for a long time. With some extraordinary performances and technical aspects, this film is one of the absolute must-sees of the year.
Every piece of this film was incredibly well thought-out and executed which upped the level of horror immensely. The performances in this film were unquestionably stellar. Alex Wolff plays Peter, the son of Annie, played by Toni Collette. These two carried this film more than anything. Wolff was able to display so much horrid fear in just his face alone in this movie's many beautiful shots. I also firmly believe that Collette deserves an Oscar for this performance as the grieving and disturbed mother Annie. She is able to portray so many different human and demonic emotions in her acting that I have not seen from a leading actress in a while. Accompanied also by the creepy Milly Shapiro and the incredible Ann Dowd, the cast throughout this movie was perfect.
The cinematography in every scene was very spacious in order to create the spooky environment of the house and areas around it. The long tracking shots gave the audience a good look at what this family lives through every day and in the more intense scenes, followed the characters to really show the full effect of their actions. In fact, the framing and choreography helped create some of the most uncomfortable shots, including the mother crawling up the walls and the cult worshipping in the treehouse. This eerie tone was also aided by the editing as well. Every shot lingered for so long in order to enhance the haunting vibe that every scene carried. Because of these elements, the film felt painfully long to sit through, but if it were a quicker film, it definitely would not have had the same effect. Director Ari Aster knew this too, of course, and did not hesitate to keep me on the edge of my seat with my heart filled with terror during the entire two hours.
Aster wrote and directed this film, which seems to be the mark of a solid film as of recently. His writing in this movie is unforgettable, as he brilliantly mixed elements of psychological and the otherworldly. All of the rising actions in this movie led to the well-hidden reveal that the recently-deceased grandma had been the leader of a demonic cult dedicated to worshipping Paimon, the King of Hell. Even though this cleared up a few of the supernatural happenings that happened to the family, it did not make the overall story any less creepy. The message throughout this film touched on mental health and family ties and cleverly examined how the loss of a loved one can affect people differently, even if the horror aspects exaggerated it. However, I feel that one might even need a master's degree in psychology to truly understand how the events of this film horrifically affected the characters.
Hereditary's motifs and hard R-rating also made its content so interesting. There was an incredible, subtle use of the blue spirit seen floating around in multiple scenes that made it that much more spooky. At first, I thought it was light from the camera, but after many experiences with the spirit, I came to realize that it was purposeful. I almost did not catch this entire part of it, but I am glad that I did. I also very much appreciated how the film was unafraid of showing its most explicit parts. There is a reason why this film was rated R and even then, some directors might shy away from truly disturbing their audience. But not Aster. The most extreme violence and gore throughout were only utilized in the most pivotal scenes, such as the death of Charlie and possessed Peter making his way to the treehouse. Seeing Charlie's decapitated head crawling with ants was almost unbearable to look at and as Peter was walking out of the house, we see many dead or naked members of the cult showing up for Paimon's reappearance. And of course, I couldn't help but shiver at how frightening it was that floating Annie was sawing off her own head.
While I typically have a slight, jumpy reaction to scares in horror films, Hereditary is the first one I have seen where I couldn't hold back my screams at a few scenes. It does not help that I was by myself at night watching it, but I am in shock at how much I was affected by this. I would recommend this film to anyone looking for a light, feel-good movie to relax to while enjoying some popcorn with the family. I'm kidding, of course. Just watch out that your mother doesn't try to strangle you or light you on fire. Hail Paimon!
My Rating: ★★★★½
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