Disturbing and unsettling, Hereditary is a genuine classic

Rating: 10/10 (12 July 2018)

No doubts about it, whatever experience you think you're going to get from Hereditary or whatever you think Hereditary is, it's probably not, but where there are no doubt's is in the fact that Ari Aster's scarily good debut film is a modern day horror classic.
A deeply disturbing and unsettling film, that crafts an ominous and dread filled environment from its opening frames until its unforgettable finale, Hereditary isn't your typical jump scare filled horror event, more so an incendiary, mentally mind melting offering that will crawl under your skin and stay there for days and weeks afterwards.
Focusing on the Graham family who are mourning (or celebrating?) the recent passing of their secretive grandmother Ellen, Aster's film introduces us to Toni Collette's miniature making mother Annie, Gabriel Bryne's kind-hearted therapist father Steve and Nat Wolff and Milly Shapiro's teenage children Peter and Charlie, as the slightly dysfunctional crew begin to find their lives taking some (lets we say odd) turns in the aftermath of Ellen's death.
With this peculiar collection of souls, Aster has established a horror film family for the ages, that's impressively played by all performers, with Australia's own Toni Collette delivering a career best and award's worthy turn as the mentally unhinged Annie, whose life has been anything but ordinary.
With Collette's Annie and Shapiro's downright unnerving Charlie at the forefront, Aster builds a narrative that is slow burning in nature but utterly gripping from start to finish and it's the type of experience that is best watched as blind as possible to allow the viewer to absorb, and in many ways handle, the goings on.
You know and understand from very early on that not all is as it seems in Aster's tale and it's a sustained feeling that pulls the rug out from under you on more than a few occasions, making you quickly understand that anything is possible in this unique and powerful creation.
Combined with Pawel Pogorzelski brilliant cinematography and Colin Stetson's goose bump inducing score, Aster's debut is two hours of pure unadulterated tension and brilliance and it really can't be overstated just how impressive Aster's effort is here as a first-time director, marking him down instantly as one of the industry's brightest new talents.
Final Say -
There's so much that can be said about this stunning and hauntingly horrific tale and while arguably not for all tastes, for those that fall under Hereditary's spell, this is a cinematic experience not to be missed, with Aster's film one that is set to be talked about and picked a part for year's yet to come.
5 chocolate cakes out of 5