Horror Hereditary (2018)

[Asr]

Forgot to mention before that the one thing I really liked about this movie was the soundtrack. It wasn't just a run-of-the-mill horror soundtrack and added a lot to the movie, especially during the opening scenes. And some of the camera shots, especially the transitions between scenes, were very inventive, although the day/night cuts did seem very reminiscent of Insidious.

I think my favorite horror films of the decade so far might be, in order (and sticking solely to the supernatural sub-genre):
1. The Conjuring / The Conjuring 2
2. Ouija: Origin of Evil
3. Annabelle Creation
4. Insidious (Chapters 1 and 2)
5. The Witch
6. The Babadook
7. Lights Out
8. IT
9. Sinister

Hoping that The Nun and The Crooked Man unseat The Conjuring movies at the top for me when they come out.

The movie and its themes (and the title) definitely work on both levels. [BLACKOUT]It ultimately commits to being about cult/demon stuff but the mental health aspects of it shouldn't be ignored. Builds a case for both. [/BLACKOUT]

Toni Colette is great in this but as far as possibly psychotic horror film moms go, I still give the edge to Essie Davis in The Babadook.

Definitely agree with you on the blacked-out part, although I would've preferred if it had focused on just one aspect to make a stronger movie. In that sense, I preferred The Babadook, which came across as more metaphorical than Hereditary.

 

[Lasirius]

It's been two days and I can't stop thinking about it. I think I loved it.

 

[Boom]

Yeah. I ****ing loved it.

I need a stiff drink.

 

[Roose Bolton]

Saw it last night, definitely one of the most uncomfortablely tense films I've ever seen,

 

[kickass]

This film was incredible. It's the best horror film since The Babadook. I understand people crossing their arms and scoffing at this saying " Pffft. This wasn't scary!". But I don't agree. I don't think people quite understand what "scary" is. A film doesn't have to have you jumping out of your seat in surprise to be scary. The effects of fear aren't always as physical or instant like that. Atmosphere and tone and paranoia and worry and anxiety and confusion are all forms of fear and thus, scary. This film brought that in spades.

Also, if you look at most people's list of their Top Horror Films and asked them if those films actually scared them (or, still scare them), chances are high they'll say No. Sooooooo....the irony doesn't really fit well with the notion that Hereditary isn't scary and therefore "not good", when all the others films people liked fall into the same category lol.

Toni Collette and Alex Wolff are outstanding in this. Jesus, these are the types of performances missing in some of the other horror films people prefer over this one. The lingering camera shots, the emotions and dialogue, the tears...all of it. Grade A work. I think Hereditary fits very well as a companion piece to such classics as The Exorcist, The Shining, Rosemary's Baby, and now The Babadook.

The amount of detail and layering in this was also insane. It had my friends and I discussing it well into the night afterwards. It's as if every scene is littering the audience with hints but we just cant grasp onto them yet because we just don't know what's actually happening yet. And as much as the ending explains why and what was going on, it still left questions that many people are having fun trying to decode. Ugh, so good lol.

Also, I've noticed some people complain that the trailer is not a true reflection of the film, and therefore disappointing. I don't agree with that at all. The trailer was always ambiguous. Always always always. And for everyone who always complains that trailers ruin the whole movie, I mean, really? The fact that so much happens in this film that the trailer never alludes to is exactly what we need more of.

 

[redhawk23]

This film was incredible. It's the best horror film since The Babadook. I understand people crossing their arms and scoffing at this saying " Pffft. This wasn't scary!". But I don't agree. I don't think people quite understand what "scary" is. A film doesn't have to have you jumping out of your seat in surprise to be scary. The effects of fear aren't always as physical or instant like that. Atmosphere and tone and paranoia and worry and anxiety and confusion are all forms of fear and thus, scary. This film brought that in spades.

Also, if you look at most people's list of their Top Horror Films and asked them if those films actually scared them (or, still scare them), chances are high they'll say No. Sooooooo....the irony doesn't really fit well with the notion that Hereditary isn't scary and therefore "not good", when all the others films people liked fall into the same category lol.

Toni Collette and Alex Wolff are outstanding in this. Jesus, these are the types of performances missing in some of the other horror films people prefer over this one. The lingering camera shots, the emotions and dialogue, the tears...all of it. Grade A work. I think Hereditary fits very well as a companion piece to such classics as The Exorcist, The Shining, Rosemary's Baby, and now The Babadook.

The amount of detail and layering in this was also insane. It had my friends and I discussing it well into the night afterwards. It's as if every scene is littering the audience with hints but we just cant grasp onto them yet because we just don't know what's actually happening yet. And as much as the ending explains why and what was going on, it still left questions that many people are having fun trying to decode. Ugh, so good lol.

Also, I've noticed some people complain that the trailer is not a true reflection of the film, and therefore disappointing. I don't agree with that at all. The trailer was always ambiguous. Always always always. And for everyone who always complains that trailers ruin the whole movie, I mean, really? The fact that so much happens in this film that the trailer never alludes to is exactly what we need more of.

I'm just going to say, while many people have been scoffing at this wave of artier, more dramatic horror films...I really don't know how they can scoff at this one even on the standards of wanting something more direct. While this movie builds itself through tension and drama, it gets down to goddamn business and the last half hour of this pedal to metal with well constructed horror gags, gore and horror imagery I straight up have never seen before. [BLACKOUT]Toni Collette hanging and cutting off her own head is all timer. [/BLACKOUT] Even before then, this movie had people in my crowd screaming just from tongue click noises.

 

[Warhammer]

The movie goes 0 to 100 real quick during the final 20 minutes. The build up was worth it. I have never audible yelled during a movie before but I did with this one when [blackout]Toni Collete starting chasing the son.[/blackout]

 

[Rjones1325]

Ari Aster may have a thing for disturbing dysfunctional families and his first feature, "Hereditary" proves that. If you've seen his short "The Strange Thing About the Johnsons" then you're ready for "Hereditary".

The cast delivers decent performances, but “Hereditary” primarily lies on the shoulders of Toni Collette's performance. She is a powerhouse in this movie to an extent that I will start my campaign for her receiving a Best Actress nomination in 3, 2, NOW!

A24 does a great job with marketing their features, but I feel like somehow some elements of the film should’ve been in the trailer. In the beginning of the second act, a huge shift occurs that turns the overall story into an entirely different movie. If they revealed one of the twists that occurs in the second act to market the film, then you would have a better idea of what the story is about. The shift adds an emotional depth to the story and furthers the plot and the insanity of the supernatural elements Annie experiences.

FULL REVIEW: https://rendyreviews.com/movies//hereditary-review

 

[redhawk23]

BoxOfficeMojo is reporting a $13 million dollar opening off a $10 million budget, A24's largetst opening ever. (It's also their widest release on over 2200 screens).

We'lll see how it holds with that D+ cinemascore. The Witch had a similarly negative reaction from wide audiences and ended up with $25 million after an $8 million dollar opening.

 

[SomeOldGuy]

Just got back. It was...okay? There was a lot I liked about it, and when it hits its notes, the film is really good. But, at least for me, the tension didn’t hold due to pacing issues, and there were a couple scenes that were meant to be tense but (again, at least for me) crossed the line into unintentional comedy. I would still recommend it, especially if you are a fan of late 60s/70s “satanic panic” horror. It’s a wonderful if somewhat flawed homage to that genre.

 

[terry78]

It's scary in that it's disturbing and uncomfortable. People are used to jump scares and people sidling into view just out of focus and ****. But if this happened to, this slow burn type of possession thing, you'd be crying your ass off.

 

[LoganGambit87]

Cinemascore is nothing more than a measure of how well a movie matches up to what the wides possible audience expected to get. Which is why Sandler's films rock solid A's most of the time.

dont know about that there are plenty well reviewed horror films that got solid cinema scores

IT
Split
Lights Out
Conjuring Films

general audience are just never gonna care for slow burn cerebral horror films

 

[redhawk23]

dont know about that there are plenty well reviewed horror films that got solid cinema scores

IT
Split
Lights Out
Conjuring Films

general audience are just never gonna care for slow burn cerebral horror films

All of which delivered exactly what was one the tin rather than having outright false marketing from a smaller studio like A24. Cinemascore doesn't have much to do with genre, just audience expectations and how well the movie meets them.

 

[redhawk23]

Full spoilers ahead but this is a pretty good deep dive into the backstory of some of the supernatural elements in the movie.

https://birthmoviesdeath.com/2018/0...y Reads: A Guide To HEREDITARY’s True Villain

 

[Smilodon]

Really enjoyed the film, but I think a lot of the disappointment for some stems from a lot of the more ostensibly disturbing elements of the film being very underused [BLACKOUT]such as the dioramas and Charlie[/BLACKOUT] , and the actual plot of the film being similar to certain films mentioned above (The Witch, The Babadook and Rosemary's Baby mostly). The film is most certainly scary - Ari Aster truly brings the thunder when he needs to, but the film really is a combo of the The Witch and The Babadook.

Still, a really enjoyable and genuinely scary film and another homerun for A24.

 

[DACrowe]

dont know about that there are plenty well reviewed horror films that got solid cinema scores

IT
Split
Lights Out
Conjuring Films

general audience are just never gonna care for slow burn cerebral horror films

Yes, and I think the first Conjuring and Split have some real good jumps in them. IT, strangely given how popular it is, is the least scary of all those and least effective as a horror movie. Great coming of age film though!

But all of those rely on jump scares and saying "boo." None of them get in your head the way Hereditary, The Witch, or It Follows does. Especially the first two have a way of just forcing you to sit in a tone that is so unsettling and so real that it is grueling just to view them the first time.

It worries me that mainstream audiences so actively reject them though. This type of stuff would have been lapped up by audiences who like horror in the '70s. Nowadays though, that audience wants the "rollercoaster" of James Wan (or his less impressive imitators). I enjoy that too when it is done effectively, but I genuinely worry this in a microcosm signals the decline of cinema. Audiences no longer can tolerate something thoughtful or deliberate, even when it is a masterful horror movie being watched by those who ostensibly love horror movies.

 

[writer0327]

It was a bit better than okay. There was a lot to like but it just took entirely too long to get to those moments. Movie didn't need to be 2 hours long. Maybe 1:45 would have been a better run time.

7/10

 

[:eek:]

“Hereditary” Had A Three Hour Cut

http://www.darkhorizons.com/hereditary-had-a-three-hour-cut/

 

[Enriquespy]

It's a well made film.

I find the paranormal stuff to be unnecessary and the "Rosemarysh" culty stuff to be underdeveloped.

Its more of a disturbing film than a scary one, but I think that's by design, I don't know if its a good thing or a detrimental one.

They ruined the ending by dumping exposition.

 

[Kane52630]

Pretty much.

 

[SomeOldGuy]

It's a well made film.

I find the paranormal stuff to be unnecessary and the "Rosemarysh" culty stuff to be underdeveloped.

Its more of a disturbing film than a scary one, but I think that's by design, I don't know if its a good thing or a detrimental one.

They ruined the ending by dumping exposition.

Yeah, my daughter, who liked it more than I did (and I thought it was fine) did call out the exposition at the end as her biggest beef. I agreed it was completely unnecessary.

 

[Boom]

To tell you the truth, the stuff that really got under my skin

Spoiler

Were the shots of people standing in the dark where they are just barely visible. They did it early on with the grandma, and as soon as the cult followers started showing up in the house? Nope. No thank you to that.

 

[Kane52630]

That was pretty effective and it's actually the only "scare" that got me. Everything else this movie had to offer was already done before (and better).

 

[kickass]

So many little details in this film that add a lot of layers through out.

Spoiler

Like when Peter is having that moment in the classroom towards the end, his body is positioned in the same way as King Paimon in the treehouse. His arm, Paimon’s arm, and the triangle Annie finds in her mother’s room all pointing in the same direction (north east I believe it was). Joanie mentioned her grandson and (forgot who it was) died, leading us to believe they either killed themselves so they didn’t have to go through what Peter eventually goes through OR they tried possessing them with King Paimon but it didn’t work out and they ended up dying. Or how the teacher in class is spelling out the themes of the film we’re watching, asking his students if it’s more tragic if tragedy is out of our control or when we bring it on ourselves. Much to think about, there’s a lot more that I’m missing haha.

 

[scarlet-witch]

I enjoyed this.

Spoiler

I did not see Charlie dying coming at all. Especially with how heavily she was advertised.

Alex Wolff is so much better than his brother. Why does Nat get more roles when Alex is the one bringing the acting talent?