Rating- 7.8/10
Hereditary is a very different kind of horror movie compared to the recent films that have been released. Instead of pop out scares and poorly executed cgi characters; Hereditary takes on a more complex and psychological horror film. What made this movie so eerie and bone chilling was the fantastic cinematography created by Pawel Pogorzelski. The combination between the director, Ari Aster, and Pogorzelski provided us with many still and long shots. This made you anticipate something happening but your focus should've been else where in the background. While many movies use the fore ground to present the plot and characters, Hereditary had main plot points happening in the background.
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Hereditary started off with the death of Annies mother. Without knowing till after the movie, the entire movie was a ritual for an ancient king who was possessed by evil. While it is not present in the beginning of the film, the actions of the family were all to play a part in the final ritual of transfer his soul into a male body. Between the gruesome deaths and chilling cinematography, this is definitely a top horror movie to see. If you are tired of the same old cheap pop out scares, then this film will leave you puzzled and mortified.
This was a very uncomfortable movie to sit and watch, and I usually do not watch horror movies. Without getting to gruesome, the decapitations were unsettling to watch. Even though the horrors might turn the stomach of the viewers there was still something that bugged me when leaving the theater. The relationship between the mother, Annie, played by Toni Collette and her son, Alex Wolf.
There was an obvious tension between them from the start of the movie. This led to an unexpected turn that honestly shocked me. Annie was a sleep walker and one night she woke up to her kids crying because they were all soaked in paint thinner and she was holding a box of matches. She actually lit the match and that is what woke her up. Later in the movie, in one of her dreams she actually tells her son that she did not want him and she tried to have a miscarriage any way she could.
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As surprised as I was to hear that, I came to a conclusion at the end of the movie. Since the ritual was happening in the beginning of the movie the mother was trying to protect her son from this demon because she knew from the start that it was the goal. She was in on it, her mother, Charlie her daughter, and even the people at grief counseling. The psychological spin that was implemented into this movie really created a new and special kind of horror movie.
A24 has produced a fantastic horror film that has reached a record for the debut of any film they have produced. The only problem I had with the movie was the ending. As everything led up into a transfer of this demon soul into Peter, their son, it seemed a little unfulfilling compared to all the gruesome and eerie events that lead up to it. Overall this is a very good film that horror fans should definitely give a chance.