I don't scare easily - this movie haunted me for weeks!!!

Rating: 9/10 (7 July 2019)

This is one of the best horror movies I've seen for years. Now, I'm hard to please. I was brought up on horror classics of the 60s and 70s and I've seen it all. Hereditary is a throw back to the good old days of slow burn, psychological horror. It's scarily brilliant! The movie has the vibe of "Rosemary's Baby", "The Shining" and "The Exorcist". It slowly builds the tension until it's almost unbearable and then gives a disturbing pay off that made all that tension worthwhile. Modern audiences may find this movie a bit slow. Yes, the pacing is leisurely but its pulling you in slowly and has an inextricable hold on you. The acting is first rate. Toni Collette is a revelation and the smallish cast all do a great job. The movie is first and foremost a dark family drama. Without the supernatural element it plays like a Scandi Noir angsty drama about grief and family dynamics. Throw in the supernatural element and it's like nothing I've seen for years. I have been waiting for a movie to truly scare me for years. "The Conjuring" franchise has come the nearest and the spooky "It Follows". Hereditary stands head and shoulders above these movies. It haunted me for weeks and although I want to see it again, I'm not sure I should. The negative comments are mostly to do with pacing and it seems that a lot of viewers found the slow pace tedious. Its not your typical jump scare horror. It's much, much better than that!