Member review

In premise, Ari Aster's 2018 breakout horror Hereditary is average. One could even say generic or go as far as to call it mediocre and clichéd. This is especially true given the recent wave of inventive contemporary horror concepts of the last few years. From Get Out, to Us, 10 Cloverfield Lane, A Quiet Place, The Lighthouse, The VVitch, Upgrade, It Follows, It Comes at Night, Vivarium, Annihalation, Ex Machina, The Babadook, Bandersnatch and even Aster's 2019 follow up smash-hit Midsommar. Modern and intruiging stories with new sources of fear that feel as fresh as they are truly scarring. However, in it's technical execution of striking terror straight into my veins and perpetual unease to my breathes I find the word impeccable to be truly futile, for the most part that is. Hereditary is the story of the Grahams, made up of mother Annie (Toni Collette), father Steve (Gabriel Byrne), son Peter (Alex Wolff) and daughter Charlie (Milly Shapiro). Despite best efforts to hide it, they are a noticeably disconnected family who only grows more unstable at the strain of the death of Annie's mother. Things only get worse when a strange set of circumstances and events reveal there is more to their heritage than meets the eye. I am someone not easily scared (infact my only fearful childhood memory is that of watching Surf's Up aged 4, an 85 minute torment that has haunted every waking moment of my life ever since), however when it comes to Hereditary, I find the only way to verbally describe the fear in my body is as if my skull was being crushed as the walls closed in on me while my legs turned to jelly. You see, the one thing the earlier list of horror films lacked for me was the true sense of survivalist fear gifted down to me by my caveman ancestors. I may feel discomfort, nervous or even tense, yet I have only felt full primal fear twice in a movie going experience, the first of which is the afformentioned 2007 animated surfing penguin movie... the second case being Hereditary. And 1917 actually but Surf's Up still takes the cake. I mean seriously, who taught them how to talk? The amount of talent this film is packing is frankly immense. The technical prowess on display is truly remarkable. Like many A24 debut directors Aster proves himself to be a name to look out for in the coming years. In every single frame, shot and scene Aster, his talented DoP Pawel Pogorzelski (known for the categorically beautiful Ida and Cold War) and genius and intuitive editor Jennifer Lame (Marriage Story, Frances Ha and Tenet) pack an overwhelming amount of terror. Every shot practically reaks of pure unease and a lingering, growing dread that one can almost smell. Constant zoom-ins, ever-growing push-in and shots held for a bit too long for my liking keep, and in many ways force, a painful, ever present fear. It made it seem as if my eye was being constantly drawn, dragged even, towards the next shot of fear that would termporarily curdle my blood. This is enhanced by Pogorzelski's colour grading and lighting, that makes everything in it's path look sickened, which is for the most part what the film is striving for. Simply rewatching the one minute teaser trailer mere moments ago has triggered a very mild case of PTSD. It seems as if the trio is constantly finding new visually creative ways to stifle my heartbeat. For a film to make me so persistently on-edge is a terrific feat of filmmaking however, when the film does decide to strike you with a full on scare it hits hard. For those of you reading this brave enough to challenge the emotional assault that is Hereditary, be prepared for some truly vivid disorientation to be engrained into your mind and for you to be thinking about... THAT scene for the next couple of days. Every jump scare carries an unshakeble sickness that I shan't forget. Although it's concept is highly overused, this level of technical execution is almost perfect... almost, but we'll get to that later. Like the best horror, what is and isn't real in this film is what makes it such a thrill ride. Hereditary blurs the lines between what is real and the human mind. The terror in this film so cleverly derives from a grieving paranoia, that touches each family memeber, enabling some really cool reveals and unexpectedly brutal beats. We, like the characters are forced to question what is real and what is not and this only furthers our attachment to them. I've already mentioned the talent in this film behind the camera but one thing that is impossible not to mention when talking about Hereditary is Toni Collette's harrowing and sublime performance. Collette is so good at playing the dysfunctional mother, Annie, I am almost worried for her children while simultaneously impressed by the sheer amount of silent pent up rage she can convey with a subtle glance. Much of what is interesting about Hereditary is what they aren't saying, but Collette is able to say so much with just a slight inflection in her tone. Her pure rage or shock when finally let loose is a real sight to behold. It feels like every crease and muscle in her face is screaming. It is understandable why it was used in so much of the promotion for the film. If there is one thing the Academy fears as much as diversity, it's horror and thus countless performances have tragically never amassed the recognition they truly deserve, this being one of them. Infact all the performances in this film are really engaging, especially the chemistry (or lack thereof) between the Grahams. Each performance grounds the fear in reality. Alex Wolff and Milly Shapiro nail their performances too, producing an organically uncomfortable relationship between each sibling. An unspoken disconnect conveyed loud and clearly by stares alone. While my praise for this film is evidently rampant the third act poses many hindrances for me that stifle what would be an incredibly crafted piece of horror cinema. As I've mentioned the subject matter, or what I call "scare-matter", is not particularly interesting when compared to recent horror films that have really been pushing the boundary to crisp new areas. Hereditary on the other hand is the sort of campfire story horror with spirits and spookyness rather than the almost outlandish and exciting stories we have been treated to recently. However, this film's greatest problem is it's third-act. In what is equal measures interruptive and jarring the film widens it's scope, in turn mercilessly slaughtering it's amazing sense of relentless, intrinsic terror that is invoked in every frame. Trading them for cheap suspense in an attempt to build tension. The narrative leap feels too great to be organic and in the process shelves where the film succeeds; a horror of the unspoken. It's not that it isn't set-up prior, but is rushed and detracts from the fear of the unknown inherent to all good horror. The drop in the ever-looming suspense is not so much disappointing as it is a boldly rude interuption of such a consistently scary movie. In any other horror film this would very easily be forgiven, or even percieved as an intentful pause for the sake of building for a huge scare, but instead feels inconsistent; a break of the pre-established method of suspense and atmosphere. All this leading to the gaping void of an unfilled promise. This growth in scope seems mishandled and leads to ridiculously cheap scares, filled with blood that end up feeling more haphazarly noticeable than the genuinely inventive ones. It completely and utterly detracts from the grounded, hushed family tension that keeps the story in any way relevant to the viewer. This, when coupled with a cliché source of fear and overused elements, is the hurdle preventing this film from reaching 5 gorgeous turquoise stars. While this film is not perfect, like many journalists have haled it to be, it is definitely one of the horror films that will be recommended for years to come thanks to some really incredible moments. With memorable performances and real talent making what would be a very average film in many ways special I see why it has people still raving about it 2 years later. With parallels to Conjouring or The Shining it will seem familiar but stand out with it's relentless anxiety. If you want to face what Hereditary has to offer I really suggest you do... if you are brave enough.