Didn't quite live up to the hype

Rating: 7/10 (2 February 2019)

Here's why I liked Hereditary: It was a well-paced play on ghost stories and darker things, with strong performances by Toni Colette, Alex Wolff, and Milly Shapiro. It held interest and provoked me- hence, just about anyone- through the end. A painstakingly crafted build of intensity is Hereditary's biggest success, also scoring on gore, emotional triggers, and (to an extent) twistiness.
Here's why I didn't love Hereditary: It played with domestic turmoil and the supernatural at the same time and never unified the two, nor gave either the full treatment that would have improved everything. Gabriel Byrne played his role like he was on set for an afternoon while his whole on-screen family was writing a textbook for horror acting. I also felt like they left the most interesting plot thread to die on the vine: Annie's job. That dollhouse room deserves its own movie, and that movie would be better than Hereditary.