Review of Hereditary (2018) by Definitelymayb — 30 Jun 2018

I think its a well crafted film and certainly the first half of the film was on par with some of the best drama/horror films - such as the J Horror variety and early 80s. However, as notedd by many people, this film is rather cliche by the end and if you've seen Rosemary's Baby, you've bascially seen this film and its logical conclusion. At worst, Ari Aster is just borrowing from a variety of great horror films and trying to mash it into a messy plot that just doesn't add up.

Aside from some superb acting with the cast, and an eerily soundtrack which is akin to some of the haunting sounds by Johnny Greenwood, the film is borderline meandering and the characters never built up enough relationship for the audience to actually care about their peril. In fact, the majority of characters spend so much time outside their house and in daylight that you almost forget this is a horror film. It's a shame because I loved the Witch, the Babadook and It follows (and also It comes at night), but this was the one where I felt the film didn't serve its story and theme. Overall if you are looking for an eery atmospheric film (without much jump scares) and a relative semblance of a plot, Hereditary is decent enough for a watch - however, I doubt it will stick in your mind for long.