Not bad, but not the masterpiece the critics make this out to be

Rating: 6/10 (10 June 2018)

"Hereditary" (2018 release; 120 min.) brings the story of the Graham family. As the movie opens, we get to know Annie and Steve, and their teenage kids Peter and Charlie, as they attend the funeral of Annie's mom Ellen. Annie is surprised at the many people attending the funeral that shoe doesn't know. It's clear that Annie and her mom didn't have the best relationship, and Annie doesn't feel too sad about her mom passing. Meanwhile Peter is wanting to attend a party at a friend's house. Annie agrees but forces him to take along his younger sister, with disastrous consequences... To tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.
Couple of comments: this is the debut feature-length film of writer-director Ari Aster. He brings us a tale of spiritualism gone horribly awry, and that;s about all I can say without spoiling anything. Let me be upfront: if it weren't for the off-the-charts ratings (currently at 93% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes), I would not have gone to see this. But curiosity got the better of me when I saw this near-universal critical acclaim. What I got was a horror movie that is certainly not bad, but neither is it the masterpiece that the critic makes this out to be, and in fact "Hereditary" is not nearly as good as some other recent, far more clever and original, horror movies such as "Get Out", "A Quiet Place, "or "It Comes At Night", just to name those. Kudos to Toni Colette, who is outstanding as Annie, making this movie feel more authentic that it actually is. Last but certainly not least, there is a terrific, one might say classic, score, and imagine my surprise when I saw in the end titles that the score is composed by Colin Stetson, wow! I will need to check out the score for sure.
"Hereditary" opened wide this weekend, and the Sunday early evening where I saw this at here in Cincinnati was attended very nicely. In fact, the early box office reports are that the movie did better than expected/projected, grossing $13 mill (against a budget for a mere $10 mill). Bottom line: if you like horror movies, or are simply in the mood for one, I'd say keep your expectations in check as you see this out at the theater, on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.