Daringly Disturbing, Uncomfortable and Terrifying All in the Right Way

Rating: 8/10 (29 April 2020)

I watched this film with my girlfriend about six months ago, and with almost every Horror movie we've seen since, we usually conclude "not as bad as Hereditary" now. While it's not too hard to get a cringe or a jump out of me in such a film, it's rare that I actually feel uncomfortable. This film was different.
This movie is super bold, and puts you right in the front seat of it's most disturbing elements! During the first super graphic scene, we had to pause the movie because it actually made us feel ill. This film is sometimes terrifying simply in the way the characters react. With that, all the acting this film is great, but I think Toni Collette's performance is stellar. Everything from her interactions with the family, to her facial expressions, to her chilling cries and screams, Annie was responsible for at least half of the waves of terror that hit me throughout the film.
At first, I didn't know what to think of this film. I was so disturbed by it that I almost regretted watching it, but yet, I was impressed and couldn't stop thinking about it. Sort of like a really good haunted house.
Since I'm now comparing this film to how terrifying others are, I can't deny that it's one of the best Horror film I've seen in a long time. I considered rating it higher, but the reason I give it an 8:

I think the film is too long. Not just the general runtime, but I feel like it could have had about 5-10 minutes less of long shots, especially with sustained emphasis on the disturbing imagery. I understand the film is supposed to be shocking and detailed, but sometimes it was just a little much for me personally.
Sorry, but I didn't like the ending. I get it, it was just a let down to me.
I think I would only ever watch this film again to see a reaction from someone else who hasn't yet. ;)

Any fan of Horror films that hasn't seen Hereditary yet definitely should. Like it or not, I think it will be pretty hard to forget about, and I doubt you'll ever see anything else quite like it.