The great horror films are the ones that have something important to say. Yes, scares matter, but they need to amount to something. For a while, it seemed like horror films had nothing of importance to say. Scares seemed to be the ultimate goal and story was put in the backburner, and that led to a long stream of lackluster horror films. In recent years, however, we have seen genre re-defining films such as The Conjuring, It Follows, A Quiet Place and Get Out restore some of the prestige that horror cinema once had. Hereditary is the latest film to accomplish this, and it is perhaps the most effective in doing so.
Hereditary is all about family. It’s about a family whose evil history comes back to haunt them and little by little begins to tear them apart. The film stars Toni Collette as Annie Graham, who at the beginning of the film finds herself speaking at her estranged mother’s funeral. Due to their strained relationship, Annie finds it hard to really grieve about her mother’s death and wonders out loud to her husband, Steve (Gabriel Byrne), whether she should be feeling more sad than she actually is. Annie’s son, Peter (Alex Wolff), is the outcast of the family and also appears confused as to how he should be feeling, so he retreats to his room where he can be by himself. 13-year-old Charlie (Milly Shapiro) appears to be the one who is most troubled by the death, since according to Annie, Charlie was always the favorite in the family. In the days following the funeral, Annie discovers certain things about her ancestry and the evils that her mother kept hidden.
There are many aspects of this film that were highly impressive, but none more than Toni Collette’s thunderous performance as Annie Graham. The range that Collette is able to bring is nothing short of incredible. She brings a tremendous amount of emotion to a character that is constantly teetering between sanity and lunacy. Watching her slow descent into madness is like watching a masterclass in acting. Hereditary’s success hinges on Collette’s performance and she does not disappoint. It is a career-defining performance that shows just how good Collette really is.
Hereditary is a bit of a slow burn, but every minute of this film is utterly fascinating. This isn’t a film that relies on jump scares. In fact, there are none. What makes Hereditarybe as frightening as it is, is the way in which it blends its ultra-creepy atmosphere with a perfect use of sound and horrifying visuals. In that sense, it is very reminiscent of the horror classic, The Exorcist. Much like the iconic scenes with the possessed Regan in that film, there are certain moments in Hereditary that are sure to impact pop culture in the same way as The Exorcist did. There are short moments of swift, yet disturbing, violence sprinkled throughout the film as it builds up to a completely insane third act. Hereditary offers the type of scares that stay with you long after the film ends. It truly is a haunting story that will leave you gasping for air by the time it is done.
Last year’s Get Out was a huge milestone for the horror community and it proved that the Academy is becoming more open to the idea that these films should be considered for major awards. With that being said, you should expect to see Hereditary make a big splash once awards season begins in the fall. Toni Collette’s powerhouse performance is far and away the very best performance so far in 2018, regardless of gender. The film’s screenplay is also phenomenal, as is the cinematography and sound design. When you put all of this together, you get one of the most disturbing, unsettling and horrifying films that you will ever see. 2018’s first real Oscars contender is here, and it should not be missed. This one will shake you to your core.
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