Review: Hereditary

Directed by Ari Aster

Starring: Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Gabriel Byrne.

The plot follows a family haunted after the death of their secretive grandmother.

One Monday evening, I finally decided to watch what was called "the scariest movie of 2018", A24 Studio's Hereditary. After seeing the 2 hour film twice, I can safely agree with that statement. It is not only scary, it is also very powerful.

The plot requires an open mind to understand the foreshadowing and the imagery behind it. The movie had many depressing themes, and this is backed by the actors and the chilling music. The movie's acting was phenomenal, especially Toni Collette, who gave the performance of her career which should at least warrant her a nomination for an Academy Award.

The film is truly upsetting, and is terrifying emotionally. The film's cinematography was great and set the mood perfectly with it's dark and gloomy atmosphere as well as the camera angles which in return made it feel like a Kubrick movie. Ari Aster filmed the indoor scenes in a set and wanted the actors feel like they were in a "dollhouse" which corresponds to the theme about miniatures in the film. this movie proved that originality still exists within the horror genre, and it's use of realistic tension and relatable circumstances, can beat the current use of cheap jump-scares in horror we see today. The only thing, I have an issue with, is the ending.

SPOILERS BELOW (Skip the paragraph below, if you don't want to be spoiled).

The ending was really weird. Don't get me wrong, I see what they were trying to do, but, I felt it was executed a bit poorly. After multiple viewings, I kind of get the ending? I felt if they didn't go the supernatural route and instead kept it as the psychological horror movie that it was the majority of the film, it would be better. While we are still in spoilers, Toni Collette's scene after Charlie's death, was truly heartbreaking, This is what makes this movie a masterpiece, how it connects to the audience over something everyone can/will feel, to dread the death of a loved family member, instead of the overuse of predictable jump-scares.

In conclusion, the movie really needs multiple viewings, and the movie's addition of subliminal messages and foreshadowing, really makes the movie worth watching multiple times. One of the best horror movies I have ever seen, and in my opinion, the best movie of 2018 so far. I definitely recommend this masterpiece, and what a directorial debut for Ari Aster, can't wait to see what he has in store next.

My rating: 9.0/10

#FilmReview #2018 #CTRecommended