Do Yourself a Favor -- Disregard All Expectations

Rating: 9/10 (9 June 2018)

The mounting hype for the official release of 'Hereditary' reached stratospheric-proportions. However, it is in your best interests to check those expectations at the door prior to viewing the film. Multiple outlets went as far as to tout this Ari Aster creation as the next 'Exorcist.' Not only is that level of expectation unfair to the product, but they were released in different eras of storytelling, and the plots are very different.
There will never be another horror film created that will shock audiences as 'The Exorcist' did in 1973. It changed the face of horror, all of film, forever. To be fair, had this film been released in the 70's, we would see overwhelmed, frightened fans being rushed to emergency rooms in the same way as following the release of 'The Exorcist.' Yes, both films release demons from hell through possession, but they do so in entirely different ways.
Which brings us to reason No. 2 to disregard pre-release comparisons: the level of 'scary' reported and, as a result, expected will take away from your experience. Is 'Hereditary' the scariest movie ever? Absolutely not. It's likely not even the scariest film of 2018. However, that should not give the impression that the film is not disturbingly scary. Aster mostly forgoes the cliche jump scares in favor of dementedly-unnerving events that will haunt your thoughts. Some moments so cleverly filmed that you may not even realize the level of frightening until sometime after viewing the film.
If viewed without expectations, you will leave the theatre satisfied, with the knowledge that this can be considered as another fine example of the recent high-quality, uniquely-imagined independent horror story releases. The acting is top-notch, the production is near flawless, and, short of a few complaints with the presentation of the ending, the direction should excite everyone looking ahead to future genre films from Aster. Simply a must-see film.