Review of Hereditary (2018) by Rebecca31 — 19 Jun 2018

I had such high hopes and Hereditary didn’t even come close. It does a good job reminding you of The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby, yet I also couldn’t help but be reminded of The Babadook and The Witch. These are just two examples of films the critics did not shut up about for months. I went to see both due to the hype and was left disappointed. Hereditary comes along promising much of the same, I can’t help but get caught up in the hype. I’ve heard the hysteria, I’m prepared, I settle down ready to be terrified and instead I was bored and waiting for the credits to roll so I could finally leave. Oh sure they can compare it to The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby all they like, put it on all the posters if you want but it doesn’t make it The Exorcist or Rosemary’s Baby. Maybe I missed something, but for me Hereditary was only mildly better than your average horror movie.

After the death of her mother, Annie (Toni Collette) and her family begin to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry. Despite a promising start Hereditary falls into the trap about half way through where it completely lost me, the plot became ridiculous and instead of getting scared I was losing interest. The first half was filled to the brim with atmosphere, so tense and gripping I thought we were on to a winner here. Hereditary puts the effort in to build the tension and create a foreboding atmosphere. Wonderfully shot, the cinematography is simply amazing. Many of the scenes give the sensation of looking at a miniature view of the set, an impressive amount of attention to detail, such a shame the rest of the film didn’t live up to this standard. It’s got some shocking scenes that will disturb you alright, and will no doubt stay in your mind well after the film has ended. Toni Collette is excellent. Her performance is carrying the film, yet the plot doesn’t offer much else, the hammy acting throws you out of the suspenseful horror movie and into over the top and generally trying to suss out whether it’s okay to laugh or not. I wasn’t the only one trying to stifle laughter on more than one occasion and I’m sure I won’t be the last. First time director Ari Aster hasn’t exactly given us a flop, it’s well directed for one thing and I hope his next film works out a little better.

You all know I love horror films so you can believe me when I say Hereditary does not live up to the hype it promises. You’ve seen similar ideas done before only better. Not recommended unless you just love seeing some disturbing cinema in that case enjoy. And don’t forget to scare your fellow movie goers with a tongue click AFTER the film has ended, NOT during a quiet and suspenseful moment.