What true horror is really like

Rating: 10/10 (20 June 2019)

Hereditary is undoubtedly one of the best horror films I've seen.
Horror is a genre that's really looked down upon. It's a very subjective genre and depends upon what scares you. For me, personally, I think Hereditary is one of the scariest films made. I've heard a lot of negative reception about this film where people claim it was boring or not scary. This comes back to when I mentioned how horror is subjective. However, it also made me realise that some people have truly forgotten what horror actually is.
Hereditary is Ari Aster's first feature length movie. As I was watching this I knew that this man has a strong passion for his craft. The opening scene alone proved to me how masterful his direction is. Everyone in this movie is downright amazing particularly the performance of Toni Collette which is her career's best and oscarworthy. Her acting as Annie in some of the scenes seem so raw and heartwrenching and makes the film extremely difficult to watch. The cinematography and music work so well together to create an eerie and uncomfortable setting throughout that fully immerses you.
The first half of the film is slow but at the same time it's investing as we learn more about each character and their descent into madness. This brings me back to people forgetting what horror is. Nowadays some people go to horror films to get scared instead of watching it for the characters and story. Whilst Hereditary doesn't have cheap tatics to scare people like jumpscares, it uses the idea of family drama, mental illness and people losing their sanity which I believe is truly disturbing. Even though the movie contains creepy imagery and goes supernatural at times, Aster balances each of these themes perfectly. There are images still in my head of some of the events that take place and thinking about them really disturbs me.
Honestly, Hereditary is one of the most disturbing films I've seen. There are some definite jaw-dropping moments especially during the last 20 minutes of the films where it becomes unimaginably insane. The outstanding direction by Ari Aster as well as the music and cinematography contribute to the terrifying atmosphere and makes your skin crawl.
I would highly recommend this to people who really love horror and movies. However the slow-burn treatment won't work for everyone.