Rating: A
One of the most talked about films coming soon is the incredibly awesome-looking film Hereditary. We finally got the chance to check out the film critics everywhere are calling one of the scariest films of the year. Were we excited? Hell yes! Did the film live up to its hype? Well, yes and no. Let's break this one down.
The film stars Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro, and Ann Dowd. The story is a strange but unique one. Basically, after Annie Graham's (Collette) mother passes away, her family starts to come apart at the seams and a series of tragedies and unfortunate events start bringing to the surface some of the darker aspects of their family history. I will say, I feel like it is best to go into this film knowing a little as possible about it. The trailer definitely does not do the film justice anyways. but man, this movie is insane. It is packed with creepy visuals and perfectly timed mood music that is just enough to keep you on edge throughout the film and that is even before you take into consideration the creepy story. Do I feel like this was the scariest movie of the year, though? Not really. It does have scary parts and things that will make you want to almost cover your eyes to block out the horror show that is happening on screen, but overall it was more of a crazy and intense of a film. The movie is a dark one, which should go without saying from the posters and the trailer, but it did not go where I thought it was going to. If you are a fan of horror I think you would call this film more of a suspenseful ride than a typical horror flick.
The real standout in the film is the acting from this awesome cast. Toni Collette is mind-blowingly good in this movie. She definitely put it all out there and is so expressive and just a roller coaster of emotions throughout the film. Alex Wolf and Milly Shapiro are also great during this movie. Gabriel Byrne is good, but you spend so much time disliking his character throughout the film that you forget to focus on his acting because you are too busy wanting to slap some sense into him. That is the downside of being the voice of reason in a world that left reason behind with the opening credits.
If you have any issue with blood and gore this film may not be right for you, but if you are already a horror buff this won't be anything new. There are a lot of intense scenes throughout the film. Many will have you thinking I can't believe that just happened. The element of surprise is almost a character in itself in Hereditary. Silence being another big player in this film because much like with many scary movies we could solve a lot of issues if we just talked with one another, but so many times people bottle up the things they should be saying which only serves to build our on-screen conflicts. This film is no exception to that.
Overall, director Ari Aster really created something unique with this movie. The experience is something that I would recommend for all movie lovers. It is just something refreshing and different at the box office. it is a wild a crazy ride and it definitely deserves to be experienced first hand. This film was nothing like what I was expecting, but I did really enjoy it. This movie scores an easy A from me.
Do not miss Hereditary hitting theaters in Houston Friday, June 8th!
Check out our Hereditary Round Table Interview with Director Ari Aster and cast members Alex Wolff and Milly Shapiro at SXSW 2018: