Unlike mother! (2017), Hereditary uses allegory to its advantage and is genuinely terrifying.

Rating: 10/10 (16 July 2018)

Hereditary feels like it was conceived as a response to horror films like the Paranormal Activity films, in that horror films have never been jump-scare dependent fests; and that they can be scary in how uneasy they make you feel as you watch the story unfold on-screen. I could see influences of The Omen, The Exorcist, and mother! (for better or worse). It's got its fair-share of uneasy scares and subtle beat-driven scares and shocks.
I can see why some people didn't take too kindly to this movie, and that's fine. My thoughts on the matter though: this film succeeds in telling a story bigger and scarier than any jump-scare fest. Hereditary is a must-see horror movie. And it's a must-see for the 2010s.