Director: Ari Aster
Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery
Main Cast: Alex Wolff, Gabriel Byrne, Toni Collette, Milly Shapiro, Ann Dowd
Plot: The Grandmother of the Graham family passes away, and the family she has left behind are left to not only grieve but uncover the mysteries and secrets behind their ancestry.
My Thoughts: So, not only did I pluck up the courage to even see Hereditary in the first place, I made it my movie of choice for my first ever solo cinema trip! Dive right in at the deep end, eh? To be honest I was probably better off alone so I could quake in fear without anyone next to me poking fun at me. What I love about seeing a horror at the cinema is the atmosphere, and the nervous laughter people do when they’re scared. It relieves some of the tension!
On to the actual movie though – it was pretty darn good, to say the least. The story itself left me pretty confused, I understood the gist of it but I have a lot of unanswered questions, and trying to explain it all to someone else would give me a headache. It’s one you have to think about and replay in your head for it to all come together if that makes sense.
Oh, boy was it scary though. Scary in the best possible way. I absolutely hate jump scares, but there’s only 1 here. The rest is down to shock tactics and subtlety. It’s so cleverly filmed, or edited I guess, and there are some really scary moments where you question if you’re actually seeing things because nothing else in the movie is telling you that something is going on. I really hope this is the way forward for all horrors because I could really get into the genre.
Best Bit: The car scene. It was so unexpected, and I never thought it would turn out as badly as it did. Also, the part straight after, because the way this character reacted is honestly the same as I think I would.
Worst Bit: Tongue clicking. Is that what it’s called? Anyone who makes that noise anywhere near me in the foreseeable future is getting punched, and I’m not even sorry.
Fun Trivia: In an interview, Alex Wolff explains that he wanted to actually break his own nose for the scene where his character slams his head into a desk. Director Ari Aster respectfully declined that offer and told Wolff they’d give him a soft, cushioned desk for the scene. When it was time for the scene to be shot, Wolff slams his head into the desk only to discover that it was not soft nor made out of foam, that resulted into Wolff’s actual blood gushing down to his knees.
My Rating: 4 out of 5 chocolate cakes. They may or may not contain nuts…
Often Off Topic 
I love Toni and want to watch this so bad but I just can’t, I’m scared even reading this post.
LikeLike
Toni is absolutely incredible in this! If you wait for a home release and hide behind some blankets it’ll be worth it I promise 😀
LikeLike
That one jump scare got me though lol. I really like how this film played with the dark, that was the creepiest thing to me.
And yes the tongue clicking. I always think I hear it now.
LikeLike
That damn jump scare man…I think I jumped an inch out of my seat!
LikeLike
You’re brave to go see this! That car scene was so damn shocking. The ending was seriously disturbing too. I loved how they didn’t signal the scary stuff and you had to notice it yourself, that made it all the more unsettling
LikeLike
That subtle scariness is something Ii would love to see in more horror movies!
LikeLike
Hereditary is my favourite film of the year so far for all the reasons above. It doesn’t go for the easy jump scares, but relies on the atmospheric build-up and real well-acted characters who really make you care. That car scene was indelible and incredibly well done too.
LikeLike
I can only hope more horror movies go this way. It’s a genre I’ve always steered clear of yet this and A Quiet Place are 2 of my favourites of the whole year so far!
LikeLiked by 1 person