With a certain overused headline that’s becoming difficult to take seriously, it’s still easy to get swept up by the latest horror sensation, which can be chalked up to a simple thrill derived from a good ol’ fright. With a double pass in hand, my girlfriend and I ventured to our local movie house for the first session of Ari Aster’s debut feature Hereditary, ushering us into the grieving home of the Graham family following the passing of its matriarch. As tension and past anxieties resurface, the deceased, detached daughter, Annie, begins to unravel a series of dark secrets about their ancestry.
First and foremost, Hereditary is a slow-burner, contrary to what you might have expected. An atmosphere of loneliness and despair plays a significant part throughout and reaches an almost palpable state, not to mention the feeling of dread that lingers like a foul odour and had my stomach in knots. Without a doubt, the film’s biggest strength is its mood and ability to affect the viewer on a subconscious level, throwing in the occasional visual nuance to keep the hairs on the back of your neck standing. I’d be remiss in not mentioning the performance everyone is talking about, which, of course, belongs to Toni Collette as our emotionally fragile protagonist, a woman struggling to come to terms with illusions about herself as a mother, while finding an answer to an unspoken darkness around her. Performances from the supporting cast are especially strong and realistic to their situation, including Alex Wolff as son Peter, veteran actor Gabriel Byrne as father Steve and newcomer Milly Shapiro as the peculiar and aloof daughter Charlie.
Ari Aster clearly has a firm grasp and understanding of horror, presenting his story well on a visual level, but the overall plot of Hereditary is far from original, and the final act, while quite bone-chilling, amounts to a considerable slice of disappointment. Having said that, I admit to a difficult night’s sleep, so the film is definitely not without a prolonged impact.
HEREDITARY
(2018, dir: Ari Aster)
★★★½
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