Member review

A film hasn’t shocked and shaken me to the core like ‘Hereditary’, it is a truly disturbing example of cult artistic horror and may be one of the scariest experiences I have ever had. It is such a tough film to watch, yet it requires a certain immersive commitment, like all horror if you aren’t invested, it easily becomes laughable and I think teetering on that line of absurdity and genuine horror is something that requires a lot of commitment. The whole film will drain you undeniably, each scene is uncomfortable and hangs on the horror and the disturbing aspects without fear to press its audience. This is the one film that I would label ‘Not for the faint-hearted’, with its disturbing visuals and plot revolving around grief and regret in a dark, gruesome and visceral way.

The plot is structured in a really unique way, basically split into two acts with the first act being a slow build up to a devastating moment and then the second being an exploration to the aftermath of the events. It is definitely a slow and atmospheric build, with a focus on a totally unique way of building tension and fear into the audience. The film established a motif of Annie’s miniature houses as a means to build a surreal uncomfortable environment, there’s something about every frame, character and location that builds a sense of dread and uncertainty in the audience. There hasn’t been a horror film that has built such a harsh and unpredictable tone like ‘Hereditary’, it almost paralyses the audience with fear and uncertainty and keeps them in this relentless pain that never comes with that cathartic release. Ari Aster boasts an aggressively confident film, for a first-time director he takes risks with its imagery and subject matter as well as risks with the expectation people may have with the typical horror film, as he relies on atmosphere and imagery rather than jump scares to create a horror film rather than a ghost train.

Horror is a genre where performances aren’t usually pushed and appreciated as much as they could be, a lot of films will have characters whose goal is to run around scared and they can do that serviceably. However, with ‘Hereditary’, the performers have to express one of the most difficult emotions to express, to accurately depict grief is a challenging and demanding role for a performer. The absolute stand out and academy award snubbed performance is that of the magnificent Toni Collette as Annie. Collete shows more range in this one performance than some actors will showcase in their whole career. Every single event and situation builds on her as the effects of the narrative take a toll on Annie and she slips into this grief-stricken hysterical character. Some scenes require a much more subdued and subtle way of showing her sadness, and sometimes Aster utilises her genuine understandable delirium for horror potential. Colette feels right at home in horror with her expressive and ecstatic physicality pushing the film into some of the most disturbing performance based scenes I have ever seen.

However, Aster manages to utilise his core family of four characters to express a symbolic range of grief and horror. Gabriel Byrne as the father of the family is a subtle restrained performance of concern and playing with the stereotype of the upheld father figure, he manages to convey an inner struggle of dealing with the situation and his own personal disturbances. With a surprising turn of amazing child actors in recent memory, ‘Hereditary’ proves horror can utilise fantastic child actors in a unique and disturbing way with Milly Shapiro as what will go down as one of the most iconic horror performances of our generation. Surprisingly, the most challenging performance comes from 21-year-old actor Alex Wolff, who has to showcase his performance skills at a young age in a role that would challenge even the most prestigious actors. It's the kind of performance that would gain Oscar buzz if it wasn't for the fact it's in a cult horror film, he is unique and shows a range from being able to be terrifying and sympathetic. Aster directs his core 4 performers with such precision and meticulous thought as every delivery feels weighty and layered with subtext as well as evoking such terror in the audience.

I can't really recommend ‘Hereditary' as it is not an enjoyable film experience by any stretch of the imagination, with unflinching depictions of violence and genuine disturbing imagery that will haunt you for weeks. But if you are a fan of incredibly crafted films then I'd definitely recommend it and encourage you to appreciate Aster's direction and artistic credibility in his filmmaking because it is genuinely revolutionary for the genre.