Artfully unnerving, borderline scarring

Rating: 9/10 (10 June 2018)

First of all, if anybody is accusing Hereditary of not being like The Exorcist, KNOCK IT OFF. You can't compare modern horror to a horror, let alone a CLASSIC horror, that was made over 40 years ago. This is a different era for the horror genre, with a completely different audience. And so, while there are a few minor similarities, Hereditary stands alone in its entirety. It's not like The Exorcist, and it never was intended to be. And that's a good thing. But if anybody should be comparing films, I feel the film that most feels like Hereditary is "The Babadook," despite its many and obvious differences. It's also just as enjoyable.
Hereditary is about a family coping with a loss, an estranged grandmother with a mysterious background. They struggle to trust one another, and it seems from the start the relationships between them are damaged. There are trust issues, alongside paranoia. On top of it all, the mother starts to uncover a dreadful truth about their deceased matriarch. Things get creepy, and dark, and genuinely scary.
There are rave reviews out there, as well as negative, but the rating speaks for itself. How rare to find a modern horror to have above a 6.5 on IMDB, so obviously without having to see it, you should know the film is doing something right. And it is indeed.
The whole of it is unnerving. The atmosphere is chilling, much to the help of the score and excellent performances of all the actors. The flow and directing, on top of cinematography all play an effective part in the story, and is unique in its own way. I especially love the plot device of the miniatures, and how the family's home from outside can be debated as real or a model, which invokes doubt of what is real and what is not.
Unfortunately, while I give this film high praise, I cannot love it. The director's goal was to "upset audiences on a very deep level." He not only succeeded in this, but he may have been too effective. This is NOT a "fun" movie. It will be disturbing to many, ESPECIALLY the religious. And do not bring children to it, unless you want a visit from child protective services.
On a personal note, it has been many years since I've been tempted to leave the theater during a film, and never before has it been a film that I was currently enjoying. And such it was with me for this film. I found myself emotionally attached, and those emotions were being ripped apart in such a way that I was becoming a tad upset, which hasn't happened in a long time. I was enjoying it, yet at the same time, loathing what it was doing.
But everybody's different. Can't say many will share a similar experience. So I still recommend it, highly. But be warned, it gets crazy.