Toni Collette is astounding in Ari Aster's chilling horror debut

Rating: 9/10 (20 January 2019)

Hereditary is a film that divided critics and audiences alike, with some giving it a lukewarm response and others heralding it a modern-day Exorcist. What is unarguably brilliant about this film however is its central performance in an utterly entrancing Toni Collette, well worthy of awards talk. Collette plays Annie Graham, a contemporary artist grieving over the death of her estranged mother, whose family become entangled in the supernatural after she explores the infamous practice of the séance. What slowly unfolds is a terrifying film, that grips you to your seat. To reveal much more about the plot of Hereditary would do this film a disservice; writer-director Ari Aster, even in his debut feature, shows himself to be a maestro of unexpected filmmaking that echoes of horror classics like Rosemary's Baby, yet feels alarmingly fresh and truly horrifying. The narrative of Hereditary slithers and turns slowly, expertly paced and nail-bitingly tense. It must be said that the movie is not devoid of horror tropes; what saves this occasional sink into cliché is the abundance of shocking twists in the plot and the deeper meaning behind the film. For Hereditary is not just a standard supernatural horror, but also a telling meditation on grief and mental illness. This is shown through a stand-out performance from Toni Collette, whose face alone tells of a woman truly going mad in her own fear and anger. There's an ambiguity to Hereditary which is eerily present; how much of what we are seeing is actually happening and to what extent is it just in Annie's deranged mind? The film is just as much a psychological horror, a tragic yet thrilling exploration into the darkest depths of the human consciousness. Whilst Collette is brilliant enough to carry the film alone, she is aided by a perfectly picked supporting cast. Gabriel Byrne provides a much-needed paternal gentleness as Annie's husband Steve, Alex Wolff boils with teenage angst and vulnerability as troubled son Peter, and newcomer Milly Shapiro is hypnotically creepy as even more troubled daughter Charlie. Unlike most horror ventures, the performances in Hereditary really stand out, superbly acted and never overplayed.
Artistic touches also help to elevate Hereditary, from a wonderfully grating score by Colin Stetson to Pawel Pogorzelski's incredible cinematography (wide, square shots echo Annie's miniature dollhouses, almost making us believe the film is nothing but a hellish game). Perhaps the film occasionally gets slightly wrapped up in exposition, but it still manages to be consistently compelling, helped by a stylish and sinister execution.
Hereditary brings a freshness to its genre; even with a classic setup, Ari Aster has crafted a stunningly made film, that simply reeks of pure horror.