Hereditary [Review by SpecialK]

Can you remember the absolute worst nightmare you’ve ever had? I can. I was a kid, but it still gives me chills to this day. I’ll tell you the details over drinks some time, but it combines my worst fears: yes, exorcisms, possession, and contorted limbs, but also familiar familial faces that turn into villains, and above all, one of those moments when you think you’re awake but realize the nightmare has only just begun. It’s the combination of these three layers—classic horror triggers, a disturbingly unexpected betrayal of trust, and a next-level break with reality—that make it the scariest dream I’ve ever had. It’s also what makes Hereditary the scariest movie I’ve ever seen.

Hereditary lures us in with a false sense of normalcy as we are introduced to a reasonably average family. Annie, played by the brilliant Toni Collette, builds miniature dioramas of real-life scenes in her at-home studio. Her son Peter is a pot-smoking teen, and her daughter Charlie is struggling through that awkward middle-school phase while also dealing with behavioral and developmental complexities. Thankfully, Peter looks out for his sister and their dad Steve (truly an even Steven) keeps the family’s trains running on time.

But our nerves are soon set on edge as we learn the family is reeling from the death of a grandma. We start to notice little hints here and there that suggest she wasn’t the cookie-baking rosy-cheeked kind of old woman we would all mourn. Instead, when Annie speaks at her mom’s funeral, she offers the most passive-aggressive side-eye of a eulogy I’ve ever heard, and we get an uncomfortable glimpse into decades of an embattled mother-daughter relationship. But just when things seem to return to normal, the plot takes an even more disturbing turn and we realize our discomfort, unease, and terror have only just begun.

From the film critic’s perspective, director Ari Aster’s Hereditary is simply a masterpiece. The acting is top-notch (yes, even the kids, and even through the most extreme emotions you can imagine a person being asked to evoke on screen). The cinematography is outstanding. Straight-on, carefully-centered shots of each room, coupled with the fluid movement of characters between them, beautifully mimics the miniature dollhouse views Annie spends each day perfecting in her studio. Plus, without giving too much away, the camerawork also creates more than a few indelibly disturbing memories, and early on has us all scanning the background for the next scare. Finally, each of these elements is woven through a storyline with artful pacing and truly unexpected twists.

But from the horror fan’s perspective, this is the film we’ve all been waiting for—a nightmare come to life. It exquisitely blends into a symphony of scares the most terrifying mix of horrific elements I’ve ever seen—jumpy moments, unsettling music, paranormal apparitions, and even gore. It’s not easy to get even one of those right, but at the point in the film where you realize Aster can effectively conjure any of them with ease, you’re truly at his mercy and have no idea what’s to come. A veritable nightmare indeed.

But Hereditary morphs from nightmare to instant horror classic when Aster takes it to those final two levels of terror. He draws upon experiences and memories that cut to the core of every viewer—a parent’s love for a child, a husband’s devotion to his wife, and the bond between siblings. But like an amused predator toying with its prey, Aster gently dangles the deepest of emotions in front of us before devouring them before our eyes. He tops it all off with themes of severe psychological trauma and illness, leaving us questioning what we are seeing at every turn, and invoking a level of doubt that offers a glimpse into what true insanity must be like.

Where his predecessors have so often failed, Aster walks that tightrope of a fine line between terrifying and gratuitous, teetering us over that point of no return—where our emotional investment in the characters self-destructs because we just can’t handle it anymore—and pulling us back just in time to brace ourselves for the next scare. Simply, and frighteningly, amazing.

SpecialK Verdict: Hereditary is officially the one to beat, ushering in a new era of horror. If you have liked any horror film ever, see this one, and get ready to lose some sleep.

Hereditary opens Friday, June 8.

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