Visceral and dreadful by turns

Rating: 8/10 (8 June 2018)

In "Hereditary," an artist mother grapples with the death of her mother, a mysterious woman from whom she was long estranged. Her death triggers a succession of tragedies and bizarre events that threaten to unravel her family.
I'll keep major plot points unwritten here as I feel the less you know about this film, the better. Multiplex popcorn moviegoers are likely to be bored into tedium by "Hereditary" (one patron complained about how terribly boring the film was after the screening I was in), and to some degree I can understand why, as the film does sag a bit in the middle; not nearly to the point of derailment though, and what precedes it and follows it more than make up for an feet-dragging.
Like many of the indie horrors of this era, "Hereditary" takes the less-is-more route and reaps significant rewards. It's minimalist but effective, its horror entangled in a family drama that offers enough shocks on its own. The film is expertly photographed and extremely atmospheric; the Utah landscapes and the cavernous craftsman home where most of the action takes place are bewitching; underpinning it all is a simplistic but effective score.
While there are some emotionally-shocking moments in the first two-thirds of the film, the last act is where it really cuts loose, giving way to utter pandemonium; even still, there is a subdued nature to the most fantastical elements. Writer-director Ari Aster clearly took cues from "Rosemary's Baby" in writing the film, and whether or not he intended, he wears this influence on his sleeve; visually, it at times recalls Charles Laughton's "The Night of the Hunter." However, the insanity of "Hereditary" as it builds to its fever pitch is anchored in Toni Collette and Gabriel Byrne's core performances; Collette's range is especially made use of here. The younger actors- Alex Wolff, who plays their son, and Milly Shapiro, who plays their eccentric daughter-are also impressive, and Wolff effectively portrays some of the script's most emotionally wrought material.
While the film does seem to run itself slightly thin in the middle, I never once lost an ounce of interest, which is a testament to the multitude of strengths working under the surface. While "Hereditary" certainly doesn't reinvent the wheel, it evokes a crescendo of dread that is effectively disrupted by more visceral terrors. It is not a perfect film, but it's easily the best horror offering I've seen this year thus far.