Review of Hereditary (2018) by Kyle L — 05 Jul 2018

Hereditary is an example of a Horror film that is over hyped and in the end is far from being a perfect film and not worth watching again but nevertheless is entertaining for all the right reasons. Hereditary tells the story of the grieving Graham family who lost their grandmother despite the circumstances surrounding the estranged relationship of the entire family.

Things just couldn't get any worse when the youngest daughter Charlie dies in a terrible accident that heightens the stress for the Graham family. With the help from a stranger name Joan, Annie decides to contact her deceased daughter who unbeknownst to her have severe consequences.

When she attempted to do what her friend tells her, Annie comes to the realization that her family is now being terrorized by a dark malevolent spirit as she began unraveling the dark mysteries and true heritage of her mother.

Ok, I admit this Horror film does have some smart ideas but it is also completely flawed from beginning to end. I just did not get the over hype of Hereditary and that people call it the best Horror film since The Exorcist? My answer to that is I don't think so.

This film is far from perfect in my opinion because I can already see the flaws of this right when the terrible trailers, promos and marketing popped up on the internet and not everything about what critics say are true.

At least the good part is its entertaining no doubts or arguements about that. One of Hereditary's standouts is the use of a few scenes that did not rely on too much jump scares or cheap thrills, the way this movie carries out when it comes to building suspense is better than most Horror films and by far one of the more creative ones since A Quiet Place's (which is a good Horror film for this 2018) use of silence.

Nearly there are so many scenes that are so nightmarish and will also give you sleepless nights which will make you keep the lights on than turning them off before sleeping (the super frightening part where Charlie appears in the dark and her head drops before rolling over like a ball, the terrifying head banging in the classroom, Annie trying to make contact with Charlie's spirit, the possessed Annie stalking Peter in the dark and the roller coaster finale where the possessed Annie chases her son Peter in the attic and starts banging her head really fast on the ceiling).

There are also a couple of scenes that are dark, horrific, gruesome and disturbing (Charlie getting decapitated through the telephone pole, Annie's grotesque nightmare when she sees ants swarming Peter, the haunting immobilization of Annie's husband before she gets possessed and Annie decapitating herself with piano wire while levitating in the air) it left everyone shocked and unsettled to the core.

The soundtrack fits well for the build up that sets the film's mood; there's a whole lot of creepy atmosphere and some nicely shot scenes in the dark and the miniature setting close-up scenes match the tone of the film.

Now, when I said that this film is far from perfect its actually true. One of the biggest flaws of Hereditary is the execution which is nice when it starts out first but it goes off the rails as the film goes on.

The movie has a number of cliches and dull moments and the film lacks creativity when it was too focused on style over substance that disrupts the film's perfect flow, making the movie downbeat and not having anything special which made it also not worth watching more than three times but at least the film is entertaining from start to finish.

The acting is the true highlight of this film, everyone did a good job with their performances in the film and at least someone from the cast should get an Oscar here because nearly everyone delivers an outstanding yet stellar performance throughout the film.

But the one who nails the performance the most is actress Toni Collete in one of her best performances since The Sixth Sense and About A Boy, she really did a good job with her acting here from the painful scene where she cries in Horror from the death of her daughter Charlie to the finale where she scares us with her scariest possession performance since Linda Blair's swearing in The Exorcist.

Director and Writer Ari Aster caught the attention of every Horror fan by surprise with his directorial debut and he does a good job in crafting suspense through slow build up before tricking you into riding a terrifying roller coaster ride, but it also felt as if he's trying too hard to make it perfect in some parts.

Nevertheless, he still kept us entertained and scared throughout the whole movie. Overall Hereditary is a flawed but fine Horror film that is well shot although it is far from perfect as if it felt like it was overdone on purpose for all the wrong reasons when it tries too hard to be worth watching but makes a big mistep in the end that skipped the perfection meter.

This film gets an 8.2/10. If there is one Horror film that is much better and worth your time this year that will not make you feel sleepy, my choice will always be A Quiet Place over Hereditary anytime.

This movie stays second and the afformentioned A Quiet Place towers this film for good.