After surviving an era of unnecessary remakes, gratuitous gore and paper-thin plotlines, American horror has finally begun to rediscover its footing.
For decades, horror has ushered in countless American classics that have resided in our collective conscious well past their October expiration dates. However, for most of the 21st century, this hasn’t necessarily been the case. Although the dawn of the new millennium has given us a handful of gems over the years, it seems like the genre has become over-saturated with mediocre entries. Forgettable features such as “Unfriended” or “The Gallows” are a couple that come to mind.
However, in recent years there’s been a much celebrated turnover.
While we still get our handful of cash grabs like “The Bye Bye Man”, films like “It Follows", “The Witch” and “Get Out” have challenged the tropes we’ve become so accustomed to, while still borrowing from the best the genre has to offer. Even "The Conjuring" series, which has been a pleasant surprise, has breathed some of the life into a genre that’s been seriously lacking in quality. Ari Aster’s directorial debut "Hereditary" is no exception.
In “Hereditary”, Aster paints a careful portrait of a family under attack from...themselves? Miniaturist Annie Graham (Toni Collette), her husband Steve (Gabriel Byrne) and their two children Peter (Alex Wolff) and Charlie (Milly Shapiro) live a seemingly normal life. That is until the death of Annie's estranged mother leaves her and Charlie struggling to cope. Whereas Annie’s complicated relationship with her stubborn mother has her unsure if she should consider her passing an actual loss, Charlie is mourning death of her confidant and protector.
Not much is known about the Graham family matriarch, except that she hoarded potentially dangerous secrets and had a special connection with Charlie for reasons unknown. Before her death, she left Annie a note, promising something along of the lines of “how their sacrifices would be worth it in the end”. Consequently, when Annie experiences yet another crippling loss, all hell breaks loose as her mother’s bizarre note comes to fruition in the worst way possible.
While my summary was just as cryptic as Annie’s mother’s final words, I can’t get too much into detail without spoiling the plot. Just know “Hereditary” is a movie that takes more than one viewing to thoroughly digest. It’s a story with supernatural elements that functions just as well as a family drama. Aster takes his sweet time in unraveling the mystery of Annie’s mother, and although a few scenes tend to drag, in the long run you realize there isn’t a wasted moment.
Ultimately, it’s a character piece about the deconstruction of one’s reality. As the neurotic Annie, Collette quite possibly gives the best performance of her career. This performance is surprisingly anchored by Alex Wolff of “Naked Brothers Band” fame. Whatever Collette throws at him he hands right back with the same ferocity, as the unassuming Peter is forcibly dragged into destruction created by the women in his life.
I feel that anytime a horror movie comes along that’s better than average, critics tend to bestow it the coveted title of “Scariest Movie Ever Made”. While I certainly wouldn’t go that far, the fact that this movie hasn’t escaped my mind since seeing it has count for something.
“Hereditary” doesn’t set out to be a crowd-pleaser, and that’s what makes it so compelling. That being said, it isn’t for everyone. Still, I think it at least deserves your time of day for bending the rules on what constitutes as traditional horror. While its ambition may be its biggest flaw, its drawn-out pace makes the sight at the end of the tunnel worth it.