"Hereditary": Emotionally Unrelenting

I often find myself immune to most scary movies, but I think this one actually lives up to the hype.

This review is going to be a little messy because this film is kind of insane.  It constantly shifts from being melodramatic to horrifying, peculiar to depressing, and almost every miserable and irritating feeling in between.


"Hereditary" comes from the mind of Ari Aster.  Not only did he write this film, but it is also his feature-length directorial debut.  I have to say that this is an extraordinary first film not only because of how competent the filmmaking is but also because of how bizarre the content is.


The film is about loss, familial ties, rebirth, coping with the fact that you're losing your own sanity and regret.  "Hereditary" follows a grieving family in a situation that just gets worse and more awful as the film goes on.


The theater I saw this film in was packed, and I was so surprised that an A24 film got a mainstream release in the summer because this studio often produces smaller indie films that get nominated for Oscars.  I did review another A24 theatrical release recently, but that film was being screened as a limited release.  My confusion only mounted as "Hereditary" became weirder and more grotesque, which made the audience surrounding me feel more and more uncomfortable.


From the first shot of this film, everything feels a little off-kilter.  Something about a slow pan into a doll house makes the shot feel so artistic and cinematic that it comes off as disturbing.  The camera movement is always very precise and sedate, which showcases the aesthetically pleasing shots shown throughout the film.


The beginning of this film didn't feel like it was leading up to anything, which was annoying.  I also think the film peaks too early, even though it pretty much starts the actual plot of the movie.  The middle of the film does get a little cliché, but the impeccable execution along with weirdness of the plot content keeps the film so tense and unpredictable.


The score of this film is one of the most unique ones I have heard in a while.  The sounds are constantly evolving but every bit of non-diegetic sound creates a certain otherworldly and anxious mood.  The music is all done by Colin Stetson, a saxophonist who has worked with Bon Iver and Arcade Fire.


Most of this film is drenched in sorrow, hatred and sour feelings.  Even though I could tell this was a great movie, the theater experience was dismal.  "Hereditary" may be creepy, but it is definitely not a fun horror movie.


What really holds this film together is the consistently great performance by Toni Collette as the mother.  There are a lot of clashes between family members here, but she is by far the loudest performance.  Some people might think there is a bit of overacting in this film, but I thought it fit perfectly because of how outlandish the plot is.


Another reason why this film worked so well was because of the logic.  Even when some supernatural aspects came into play, the film seemed to adhere to a certain set of rules that made the film seem plausible.


Towards the second half, "Hereditary" gets really scary.  The fear that I experienced in this film is like no other because it becomes unrelenting.  The next scene is constantly outdoing the last in how the characters become more tormented and broken.


This film does mention mental illness in the family of the main characters, but I don't think there are really any themes or symbolism to look into here.  Even though this film works extremely well for what it is going for, I don't see any real message audiences could take away.


Immediately after my first viewing, I thought the ending ruined this film for me.  As I have previously stated in my review of "Hush", the explanation is never as satisfying as the mystery a horror film creates.  In my opinion, this ending took away from the suspense by giving a definitive answer to what was happening the whole time.


The more that I think about it, the more I am accepting of this conclusion.  To be honest, the film was subtly hinting at what happens from the start and the concept is very interesting.  However, nobody in the theater knew how to feel when the credits rolled, and I almost started laughing.


In many ways, I find this film to be quite similar to "It Comes at Night", which is another A24 film I reviewed right before this one.  I think the approach to filmmaking is very similar, but the content of "It Comes at Night" is much more traditional and doesn't overcomplicate the story.  "Hereditary" has so much going on to the point where it feels like multiple different movies and tones get squished together into one franken-film, which yields some incredibly impressive results and a few inconsistent moments.


Overall, I think "Hereditary" is an incredibly solid film experience.  This film did an amazing job of translating the fear and loss that these characters experience to the audience.  I was really feeling the emotions throughout, and I am very pleased with my choice to review this film.


I don't think I can recommend this film to a general audience, though.  It is just too bizarre and emotionally heartbreaking throughout.  The only reason I could give people to see this is the terror-inducing second half, which is a lot more conventional.


If you want to support something original and filled with talented filmmaking, buy a ticket and let the studios know that you want to see more films like this.  Just go in knowing that appreciating a film is much different than enjoying it.