Hereditary

(spoiler free)

Only a few years back A24 released the critically acclaimed horror film, ‘The Witch’. It was a horrifying folk-tale which avoided the modern tropes which plague much of the horror genre today. It disturbed me so much that I actually left the screening I was in. So you can imagine my joy when I learned that A24 had a brand new horror ready to deprive us of any good nights sleep in the near future, enter ‘Hereditary’. With claims from critics of a truly terrifying experience the fear for this film was so real, even before watching it.

After the death of their secretive grandmother a family of four begin to experience seemingly supernatural occurrences in their home where she died. The overall narrative is similar to stories already told in the horror genre, and after watching it there’s no surprise as to why it’s been compared to the likes of ‘The Exorcist’. What is refreshing about this horror film and this particular story though is the fact that this narrative is given real time to develop, fully exploring characters and plot points. As a result there are numerous stand out scenes that are incredibly powerful pieces of cinema showcasing the strength of ‘Hereditary’ not only as a horror but also as a family drama. This is made all the more convincing thanks to the superb performances of the cast. The characters are written in a believable manner and the cast bring them to life in impressive fashion. Toni Collette gives one of the best, if not the best performance of her career in this unforgettable turn as Annie, a mother haunted by both past and present trauma. Her supporting cast are all excellent too resulting one of the strongest group performances in recent years for horror film.

The style of horror in ‘Hereditary’ is so against the rhythm of recent horror beats and mainstream viewers may well be disappointed in this. Albeit, I didn’t think it was particularly scary but instead it’s deeply unsettling with some truly unnerving sequences featured throughout. The film has a constant sense of dread lingering over it and the often lack of any musical score is utterly deafening. In this vein, its style and content are extremely similar to ‘The Witch’ so you should be able to gauge your enjoyment and appreciation of ‘Hereditary’ from your experience with A24’s last venture into the supernatural. The technical skills used to showcase this story on the big screen are fantastic to watch and add so much to the atmosphere of the film. From the camera work to the lighting each element is so carefully executed resulting in several nerve shredding images that will be permanently etched into the memories of its audiences for years to come.

Don’t be expecting ‘Hereditary’ to be like the countless Blumhouse outings we’ve seen in recent years. This isn’t a ghost train full of jump scares, instead it’s a more methodical, patient and brooding affair but one with truly disturbing results. The cast are all tremendous and fulfill their vital roles to an excellent standard each dominating their time in the spotlight with confidence. This combined with the thoughtful character writing and impressive technical achievements bring a standard horror story to life in utterly compelling fashion making its horrific mark on the genre in distressingly hellish fashion.

Written by Hamish Calvert

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Rating – 8/10

Question: What’s the most disturbing horror film you’ve seen?
(Leave your answers in the comments section below!)

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