"Hereditary" Is a Modern Classic

At face value, Hereditary is a melancholy drama that primarily deals with grief of a disconnected family that can’t escape tragedy. The mother (a sensational performance by Toni Collette) is a detached artist who works on creepy miniature replicas of her house and family. The son is emotionally battered and floundering. The younger daughter appears to have has some some developmental challenges and some dark interests. And the father walks around like a ghost trying to hold everyone together.
For the first hour, we delve deeply into their emotional family issues that are instantly relatable and yet in the periphery is something much more sinister at work. Scene by scene you wonder where and when this thing will suddenly explode. But it doesn’t. The immensely smart narrative does not follow the beats of a conventional horror movie (build up, release, repeat). What it creates is long, sustained dread and tension along with a subtle persistent aural soundtrack that affect the viewer with impending doom. And then the giant walloping begins.

Just to be clear, there are no cheap scares here. Audiences looking for a traditional horror may be disappointed by the pace, but those who embrace the experience will find it absolutely chilling. To say any more would be to ruin the experience and I recommend going into this without studying trailers too closely. This is arthouse horror at it’s absolute best with nods to everything from Rosemary’s Baby to The Shinning to The Exorcist. In other words, Hereditary is a modern classic.
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