Here's To Family!

Rating: 7/10 (19 February 2019)

Hereditary is an example of a movie you need to see during the hype train that existed at release. I feel like a movie that has been out for a while and is constantly getting praise leaves latecomers like myself in a bit of a wrong headspace going into a first watch. As it stands, Hereditary is a good film, with some interesting looks into family, and mental health wrapped neatly beneath a supernatural thriller. Did it melt my mind and slam me into the future of horror? No, but it was worth seeing.
I am sure that most people have gone over the plot and such of this film. Also, the performance of Toni Collette is pretty damn near perfect. So, no need to talk about that. For me, Hereditary fell into a trap that a lot of the newer age "horrors" do. Length. For some reason, it's very hard to tell a good thrilling story and keep it under 100 minutes, let alone 90. Watching long stares, seemingly unending scenes, as well as repetitive scenes which only seem to be running over ground we have already watched more than once are not really my jam. That being said, there are some amazing moments of shock, heartbreak, drama, and horror that can't be downplayed. Also, the death of Charlie came right out of left field and I found it refreshing to have a movie surprise me.
As for the ending, I didn't really mind it, although it felt like it belonged in another film. For most of the run time, Hereditary seems like a family drama of a very intense nature. The horror coming from seeing a group of people fall on hardship and hanging on by a thread just to keep what's left of their sanity. Having it end like a bit like Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones doesn't really help tell that story.
So, Hereditary is good. It is worth your time, even at its long length, and I do think it is deserving of most of the praise it is getting. But, I am also inclined to think that it might have effected a bit too much by the hype train. Still, an easy recommend.