Two Hours of Anxiety!

Rating: 10/10 (24 August 2018)

I don't think I've watched another film as anxiety-inducing as Hereditary. From the opening scene there is a feeling of wrongness... and that feeling continues to grow as the film goes on. If you're paying attention to the surroundings as well as to the actors (who are brilliant!!), you see things that raise your hackles; sometimes you need to do a double-take... just to make sure you saw correctly. It'll mess with your mind. And just when you think you've figured it out, the film throws something else at you, completely shattering that belief.
A lot of people say the ending makes no sense. But everything that happens in the film, from the very beginning, adds up. It's supernatural; it's mental health; it's family, and loss, and grief. I thought the ending was pretty much perfect. It was almost calming, in a strange way (no spoilers though... you'll either know what I mean, or you'll think I'm a weirdo). When the credits roll, you breathe a sigh of relief, then immediately want to talk about it with someone! It's in no way forgettable, and that feeling of anxiety takes a good while to leave you. I think that's what makes a horror movie - any movie really - truly great.

It's not a film made to gross you out, or make you jump (though you might once or twice), which I suppose is what a lot of people were expecting, thus they hated it. It's a simmering horror. It's two hours of anxiety and tension and darkness. It'll leave you feeling pretty damn fragile (I know I needed a hug after watching it!).
I can't wait to see what Ari Aster comes up with next!!