A slow burner that fizzles out.

Rating: 5/10 (16 June 2019)

I went into Hereditary hearing all the hype saying it was the next 'The Exorcist', unfortunately, it just wasn't.
The pacing at the beginning is insanely slow, almost snails pace, and you're expecting a 'Wicker Man' style of film where the ending is the big payoff and you're held with a sense of dread winding around you, but the ending is somewhat of a misfire.
The whole 'hell worshiping cult' idea is pretty played out by now, so if you're going to do it it HAS to be a totally fresh take, and this just isn't.
I called about 15 minutes after the 'lucky' arrival of the other wounded grieving stranger that she had an ulterior motive and low and behold, they're worshipping the kings of hell.
While the cinematography and sound mixing is excellent, and the cast are superb (Toni Collette is standout) the story itself feels like it's lacking. There are unnerving moments, and moments that are harrowing, but at no point watching Hereditary did I feel the same terror that The Exorcist, The Wicker Man (1973) or The Blair Witch Project delivered.
Hereditary attempts to shake up the horror genres use of cults and rituals but unfortunately falls short, relying on strong individual moments and performances to keep it on screens.