Good acting but the story is less than convincing

Rating: 6/10 (5 May 2019)

'Hereditary' contains some effective scare scenes but, rather like a lot of modern day horror films, the focus seems to be on maximising the effect of the jump scares rather than constructing a sound and convincing plot. While it's clear that some effort was put into developing the story and characters early on, I thought the storyline was messy, over-the-top and even quite silly towards the end.
By far the most impressive aspect of 'Hereditary' is the acting. Toni Collette has always impressed me in the roles I've seen her in previously and she is again excellent in the lead role in this film. Milly Shapiro also deserves a mention for an effectively creepy and disturbing performance as the daughter. They make the film watchable and probably a lot scarier than it would have otherwise been. A few good scare scenes here and there, but ultimately a weak and unconvincing plot lets 'Hereditary' down.