One of the best horror films of the last decade

Rating: 9/10 (26 January 2019)

I try not to give into the hype. I hate when I give into the hype of a film and totally let down. It happens way too often than not. Put so much expectation on a film that it can never live up to the hype. Hereditary is one of those films that had so much hype behind it. I never got to see it in theaters. And at some time I was turned off by the hype. I barely even watch the trailer for the film. It just didn't interest me. I had no idea for a while that it was even a horror movie. It just looked like supernatural drama. Thankfully, I wasn't also spoiled for the ending or any of the key story elements. I am kind of disappointed that I couldn't give the film my cash dollars. It would have been a worthwhile investment. Hereditary lives up to the hype and then some.
The film stars Toni Collette as the mother of a family, who just lost their grandmother. Rounding out that family is Gabriel Byrne as the father Steve, Alex Wolff as the oldest Peter and newcomer Milly Shapiro as the youngest, daughter Charlie. After the passing of the family's grandmother, odd occurrences and deep-rooted family secrets start to emerge. That's all you need to know about this film. I would even stay away from any trailers. Because the less you know the better off you are. First time directed Ari Aster crafts a family grieving drama that happens to be one of the most messed up horror films I've ever seen. I will not lie during the last five to ten minutes my jaw had dropped and was open the entire time.
For a first time filmmaker, this man has his technical devices, storytelling and acting down like he's a pro. Toni Collette gives one, if not the best performance of her career as Annie, the mother who is dealing with the loss of her mother and a family that is just clinging together. You feel for her, you cry with her and for her. You just want the rest of family to believe her when things start happening. And we as the viewers are just as clueless as to what is going on as she is. But when it all opens up its eye-opening. It's terrible that she didn't get much award season love. (Especially from the Oscars, as she should have got a nomination for Best Actress)
Byrne is very believable as the father who is lost as what to do about his wife and trying to make sure his children are safe. Alex Wolff is excellent as Peter. He has to deal with the loss of grandmother he never knows but just trying to be a high school kid. As his mother's mental health deteriorates so does his. Milly Shapiro rounds out the cast. Her performance for a newcomer is so deep. We are not sure what is going on with her but her dialogue and everything she does is important to story.
Aster, who also wrote the film, layers the film with a deep history. And once each layer is peeled back we get a deep dive into a family that is more trouble than we see on the surface. And it's maybe coming from one source. There is really no exposition which elevates the film. Dialogue is never used to explain anything. We follow this family as they deal with the aftermath of the grandmother's death. Sounds play a great role in the film and the sound design is superb. There's not much music outside of songs that are built into the story. The sound is used to throw off and mess with the audience. The film is excellently shot. With each scene meant to explain something. No shot goes wasted. And there are things missed on first viewing. This is a film so rich it has to be experienced multiples times. I know there are things I missed or didn't understand well enough on first viewing.
Plus Aster knows his horror and supernatural elements. When the film gets outerworldly the sound plays a very important key. But the director builds tension with some of his sound and cinematography. Blink and you might miss something that was key to explaining the story. But when it turns to horror the film is grotesque. This man loves the horror genre and I commend him for it. Hereditary in the long game will go down as one of the best supernatural horror films of all time sitting next to films like The Exorcist and The Omen. Aster has created a layered, beautiful and haunting horror film that shocks and digs deep. This is no doubt the best horror film of 2018. It's also one of the best horror films of the last decade.