Review of Hereditary (2018) by Matt H — 31 Dec 2018

Raise your hand if you think horror movies are silly, predictable, and not actually very scary. That's everybody, right? Well good news, this is not one of those horror movies. Holy shit, is this movie terrifying.

I honestly cannot recall another movie that kept me in a constant state of goosebumps, made me scream out loud, AND caused me to lose sleep. It's an unsettling and literally chilling film, with terrifying imagery that'll put your heart in your throat.

The story revolves around a family whose matriarch has just died... and to tell you any more would be to tell you too much. Suffice it to say that there are layers and layers of dysfunction and tragedy in this family.

The story is anchored by strong performances, especially Toni Collette, who gives it her all and is utterly convincing as a women coping with mountains of trauma and doing the best she can to hold it all together.

The story takes a while to get going, the first half is more of a serious family drama than a horror film... but when the horror strikes, it strikes hard. Once it gets going, the tension gets so thick you can slice it with a knife.

As with a lot of horror films, the story gradually unfolds like a mystery and it's not clear what is going on with the family/characters, but I had assumed that the ending would bring it all together in a cohesive way.

.. but oddly, the mystery does not fully resolve itself, and even after mulling it over for a while, there is a lot going on with this story that doesn't really gel. The resolution seems a bit slapdash and not so well thought-out.

So it loses some points for that... but seriously, who can pay attention to that when you're just trying not to shit your pants? This movie is not for the faint of heart, but it's a real treat for fans of quality, intelligent, and truly petrifying horror.