A well-crafted knockoff

Rating: 3/10 (28 June 2018)

After the screening, a friend of mine, who hasn't seen the film yet, asked if I thought Hereditary was shocking and powerful, like he'd heard. I told him I definitely thought it was shocking and powerful, the first three times I'd seen the movie... back when it was called Rosemarys baby, The Conjuring, and The Babadook. The most generous interpretation you can give this film is that it's a clever remix of classic horror in its genre. The less generous is that it's a blatant rip off, which I find myself leaning more towards. The aforementioned films, among others (read: The Shining, even Donnie Darko) do everything that this film does, only 100 times better and scarier... often decades earlier. Despite the narrative thievery and the worn-leather tropes, I do have to give this film credit where credit is due: the craftsmanship is outstanding. The cinematography is nearly perfect, and the sound design is a master class. Also a big nod to the acting. These actors sure did a great job enduring scene after seeing of repeating the same state of insanity and horror through repeated scares. While it wasn't a total waste of time, I would caution anyone to look past the hype. Like Annie's models, it's a well-crafted knock off. But give it a slight amount of pressure and the balsa wood will break.