A Good, Somewhat Familiar Haunting

Rating: 7/10 (7 July 2020)

I'm unsure how I'd feel about "Hereditary" had I not read all the hype around it. The hyperbolic statements calling it a generational horror movie created an awfully high bar of which to be judged. As a fan of horror cinema, my interest was quite piqued. As a person expecting the best, I was left wanting.
"Hereditary" is the much-loved and much-talked-about supernatural domestic horror film by writer-director Ari Aster that at times feels like a refined version of a 70s supernatural thriller, while at other times is a familial drama about grief. It got glowing reviews calling it a modern classic. I saw it long after the hype had died down and was left wondering what exactly it was that made this movie stand out so much.
As we open to the funeral of the family matriarch Ellen Leigh, her daughter Annie (Toni Collette) delivers a eulogy riddled with hints as to the troubled nature of this family. Annie is a miniatures artist who seems to use her art to tell her own personal (disturbing) trauma. Annie's 13-year-old daughter Charlie (Milly Shapiro) is especially devastated as she had a deep relationship with her grandmother, to the point of feeling like Annie wasn't capable of raising her at all. Their older child Peter (Alex Wolff) was kept away from Ellen due to Ellen and Annie's fraught relationship, and spends his days doing drugs. Oh, and Annie's husband Steve (Gabriel Byrne) is, um, around? Seriously Steve is barely a factor in this movie.
The family is clearly messed up in many ways. Annie lies to her husband about going to the movies in order to go to a bereavement group where she reveals that most of her family suffered from severe mental disorders and fears she'll suffer from them too. Peter just wants to party and get high while avoiding everyone. Charlie cuts the head off a dead bird and sticks it in her pocket as she crafts figures using the dismembered animal part, and draws disturbing images as she's tormented by some sort of light on her walls. Steve, um, exists.
That's about as far as I'll take the plot as the rest would instantly spoil most of what drives this movie forward. Needless to say, it goes into dark territory.
First and foremost, "Hereditary" would be nothing without Toni Collette. Collette gives this movie everything she has, and it's impossible to think about "Hereditary" without her. She brings Annie to life, and her descent into madness is both organic and riveting. She starts off as a frustrated and tired mother, but ends off in this manic "you've got to believe me even though I sound crazy" tone that propels this story from beginning to end as she slowly unravels the events occurring around her. The rest of the cast are secondary to Annie, and all scenes without her are pretty much just filler in my books.
Part of the absolute focus on Annie being the emotional linchpin of "Hereditary" is that all the other characters suffer from a lack of screen time. Peter's scenes where he's supposed to be terrified have no weight because we don't really get to know him at all beyond his dealings with the supernatural, and I just never managed to feel invested in his character at all. Charlie's an interesting mystery but that's about it - her disturbed state is permanent and unchanging. Steve is just there to fill the realists' role and honestly Gabriel Byrne looks like he wants to be anywhere else than in this movie. When other characters outside the family show up they are either completely flat or "they are obviously evil why is no one in the family seeing this" territory.
Performances are just one part of the layers of fear here - "Hereditary" is a master class on visual oppression. There is rarely a shot in this movie that isn't trying to unsettle you in some way. The lighting, camera, and even the color choices are all meant to make you feel like something is off. Aster loves the long, slow shot that makes you get drawn into the frame only to wish you could be anywhere else. To go along with this the soundtrack also at times is overbearing in its attempts to get under your skin, especially in the first act. Ari Aster knows how to manipulate the audience without saying a word, and to some that will be enough.
Now, I know I just said that this was an incredibly unsettling movie, but it also feels forced at times. There isn't a moment that is allowed to be, well, natural. Everything about "Hereditary" is harsh. I personally find it too much and takes away from the moments that are supposed to be shocking. Aster never sets the dial below an 8 for this entire movie, so when the climax ramps it up to 10 it just doesn't leave the impact I think that it should have. It's also about 15-minutes too long; the long buildup to the climax loses some oomph. It's in those final moments that the leaky plot starts to sink under the weight of its own mythos as the pieces get slapped together rather than falling into place. I just feel that if it had instead gone for a level more akin to Robert Eggers' "The Witch" it might have been more successful in what it was trying to do, at least for me.
The thing that left me most intrigued with "Hereditary" was not the actual horror aspects of it, but rather the fact that Aster made a family/parenthood drama that just so happened to coincide with supernatural events. The supernatural forces at times are like adding Swiss Cheese on an already delicious hamburger. Her relationship with her children is disastrous to say the least, and reflects on how horrid she feels her mother treated her - the fact that evil forces surrounds them is barely relevant to the drama. No matter who you are, some part of you can relate to the people in this family. Well, other than Steve, unless you relate to someone not wanting to be there. These different elements however create some odd tonal shifts when flipping between the supernatural and the familial, but by grounding the story in a frame most people can relate to Aster did at least cement his movie as being timeless.
"Hereditary" is not for everyone and can easily disappoint those looking for a film in the vein of what usually passes for horror these days. It's an old-school horror movie that's built on dread and tone rather than jump scares and gore. Ari Aster spends almost as much time in supernatural suspense as he does on family drama. It also got hyped so much that I honestly felt like the critics ruined the movie watching experience; hyperbolic statements saying "Hereditary" is this generation's "The Exorcist" or "Rosemary's Baby" didn't help much either (I'm looking in your direction too, "The Babadook").
While I admit that there are a lot of good things about "Hereditary", I was just left wanting. It's a better version of a lot of movies that came before it - specifically a lot of 70s and 80s low-budget horror movies - but it's supernatural story is a bit too familiar at times. I know some claim it's the best horror movie of a generation; I was left wishing it had more to set it apart.
"Hereditary" easily is among the better made horror movies of the decade, but I just felt like it lacked the identity that it needed to make it stand among the greats. In terms of other recent horror flicks I'd rank it under the likes of "The Witch" or "It Follows" - movies that had their own uniqueness to them - though "Hereditary" is miles above "The Babadook" (seriously, I hate that movie). If it wasn't for Toni Collette "Hereditary" would be easily forgotten, but her dedication elevates the product to places its run-of-the-mill setup would languish in. If you want to see a good, somewhat familiar horror movie then "Hereditary" is an easy recommendation; those wanting something more will be left wanting.