MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Psychological Horror/Stars: Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro, Ann Dowd, Mallory Bechtel/Runtime: 127 minutes
I would just like to start this review off dear reader by sharing with you a long-held belief of mine. That being that, at its core, the realm of horror cinema is meant to operate as one of the more cathartic genres of movie magic. By that I mean this is a genre that, more than most of the other ones in existence, permits the movie goer to experience terror from afar whilst regaling us with a narrative that is meant to reverberate within us as people on the most basic level imaginable since the emotions of terror, sadness, and even regret are all a collective and inevitable part of the human experience. Suffice it to say that even though this trinity of emotions are unavoidable, what horror cinema does so well is they permit us to deal with these emotions in a manner that is constructive whilst also acknowledging their existence. The reason I bring this up to you dear reader is because the slice of horror cinema I am reviewing for you today, 2018’s Hereditary from film helmer Ari Aster, is one that more than most directly pushes you, the viewer to tackle these emotions head-on in a manner that is genuinely both terrifying and heartbreaking in equal measure. Indeed here is a film that may be a drama at its center whilst only utilizing supernatural terror as a secondary measure, but that measure does also give the film a vital coating in order to accentuate the ice-cold complexion of the thematic concepts it is operating with to say nothing of the character-propelled narrative. Yes, there are moments where you can figure out where this film’s story is aiming to go and yes the final third does conclude in a manner that may leave you with more questions than answers. With that being said though, the phenomenal work being engaged in on both sides of the camera definitely kept me hooked from beginning to end. Suffice it to say that Hereditary is a visceral and tragic look at the concepts of not being able to pick your family, how grief can overwhelm people to the point of madness, and how the sins of the past can ride again and affect the present that is definitely by no means an easy slice of cinema to sit through. However, if you find that you can make it through, I promise you will find it was most assuredly worth your time to do so.
The plot is as follows: Hereditary gets its chilling narrative underway as we find ourselves privy to an item in the paper that normally marks the end of a story rather than the beginning of one. That item being an obituary for a 78-year-old woman by the name of Ellen Taper Leigh who has just tragically lost her on-going battle to regain some semblance of health. Yet this story isn’t one about the deceased nor for that matter is her cause of death really all that crucial here. Well not fully though she does have a distinct….part I guess you could say in what unfolds. Rather, this story is one about her daughter Annie, Annie’s devoted husband Steve, and their two children Peter and Charlie. That is because although this quartet might seem like the perfect family unit, trust me when I say that would be as far from the truth as one could get. In fact, Annie and her dear ol’ mom were by no means the closest mother-daughter duo in the world though that had managed to change somewhat due to Charlie being born. Yet even with that in mind, we still are able to see that her passing has managed to result in an ominous looking cloud to hover over the family that they just cannot escape from. As a result, we see Annie withdraws to her work as a miniature artist in an attempt to escape her pain to say nothing of the scars left over from when her mom was alive, Steve simply does what he can to keep the family together, Peter has just started to isolate himself completely from everyone, and Charlie mopes about and makes weird figurines that often incorporate parts from recently dead animals. You know just your regular ol’ family that would have made for fantastic next-door neighbors to the Waltons. Of course, you just know that something has to tip this family from being on the edge of madness into full-blown insanity. Suffice it to say that something does though I won’t say what. What I will say however is that with this second horrific event coming to pass, we see that the uneasy peace has now been shattered completely and what we are about to witness from here isn’t just a toxic cocktail comprised of equal parts venomous rage, guilt, and immense heartache decaying a family tree from within. Rather, we are about to witness a family succumb to existing in a seemingly living nightmare from which there is no escape and that will lead them down a dark path that will reveal terrors both natural and otherwise that, by the time it is done, will chill your heart and shake you to your very core..
Now you may notice I was a wee bit vague when it came to giving you plot details dear reader, but trust me when I say that was definitely intentional since this is a slice of cinema that is best going into as icy cold on certain things as you possibly can so as to get the maximum amount of “enjoyment” out of it that you possibly can. With that being said, it should be said that this slice of cinema behind the camera is one that is phenomenally well-made. Indeed for a slice of cinema that was its helmer’s first time working on a major motion picture, this is one debut that is both incredibly driven to say nothing of one that possesses quite a few levels as well as possible ways of looking at it by and large because of how complicated it is given to us. Be that as it may be, there is no denying that this slice of cinema succeeds phenomenally well with the aid of the techniques utilized by the crew behind the camera in order to showcase the family’s rapid freefall into madness. This starts with the utilizing of miniatures which serves as an effectively chilling allegory for the outside forces that are completely toying with this family. On top of that, we are able to see that the camera in this slice of cinema operates very much like another character in this. Not only in how it provides us with shots that are both suspenseful and dripping with dread to say nothing of how they steadily increase in terms of how intrusive they become, but also how the lens manages to conjure up the vibe that something malignant has made its way into these peoples’ lives. On top of that it should be noted that, there is not that much gore to this cinematic affair, but the moments where it makes its presence known you will definitely not be surprised if those images stay with you for quite awhile though I also think the fact that this film actually tries to utilize as much make-up and practical effects rather than CGI might also play a part in that as well. Now it should be said that the work by the sound design department is also very much on-point as well. This starts with composer Colin Stetson who manages to not only give us some truly musical accompaniments that are able to conjure up a fantastic vibe of both unease and psychological anguish, but also utilizes some simple noises into the mix as well with the best example of this being this weird verbal click noise Charlie does this that reminds me of a similar kind of noise that was used in the movie The Grudge. Yet we also see that this film also makes the choice to incorporate instances where there is no sound period. A technique that proves to be quite potent in showcasing for us the kind of stunned shock created by extreme anguish to say nothing of the agony of having to keep your emotions buried. Suffice it to say that the crew behind the camera do a wonderful job of not only placing you head-on in the agony felt by the characters, but then causing you to stay there for the duration thus giving you the chance to let the potency of the film hit you as it is intended to do. Yet even with all of these positives in mind however, there is no denying that this slice of cinema does every so often stumble especially when we have several twists revealed to us that are not only a bit peculiar to say nothing of coming dangerously close to bringing out some of the more piercing extremes possible courtesy of how people within the family handle over these new reveals that come into their lives with the sharpness of a fresh kitchen knife. At the same time though, this slice of cinema is also thankfully brilliantly aware of the typical genre trappings that manage to drive every scene in the film whilst also every so often soaring past them with wrinkles in the narrative that are genuinely twisted. A key example of this can perhaps best be found in the final moments of the film as they come to play complete with a frenetic collision of situations that are not only truly grisly, but that also serve to herald the entrance onto the scene of a new film helmer to the realm of horror cinema that is wonderfully onboard with ensuring this film operates on the iconic belief of horror films of ol’ that not only does evil always know how to take away the spotlight, but that acts of kindness and decency will always find a way to horrifically backfire on you when you least expect them to.
Of course, aiding the work done behind the camera is the equally as terrific work done by the talented cast assembled in front of the camera to bring this waking nightmare vividly to life. This starts with Gabriel Byrne who I have always enjoyed seeing whenever he makes his presence known in a movie (and yes that does include his tenure as Satan in the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie End of Days, but that’s another story). Suffice it to say that Byrne does a great job at playing this decent guy who finds himself surrounded by literal madness on all sides which is starting to tear the family apart, but who still takes it upon himself to attempt (however fruitless of an endeavor it may be) to keep his family together and have everyone just get along. Suffice it to say that in another actor’s hands this character easily could have become one-dimensional, but in Byrne’s hands I really do feel this is one of the best caring fathers in a family drama since Donald Sutherland in 1980’s Ordinary People. Along with the work done by Byrne, we also get another terrific performance from up-and-coming actor Alex Wolff in the role of Peter. Indeed talking about this character is quite difficult due to spoilers that I won’t go into here, but suffice it to say Wolff does a great job at giving us a character that is a excruciatingly coiled mix of both anger and guilt, but also has no qualms whatsoever about putting him through the proverbial wringer as the movie goes along especially in one scene with him at a desk that will have you undoubtedly wincing in pain. With all of that being said however, I think it can easily be said that this slice of cinema’s most important and undeniably its most powerful performance as well would have to be from Toni Collette who, in the role of Annie cries, yells, shrieks, and is the most terrifying perfect storm mix of repressed grief and hostility in equal measure that I have seen in some time. Indeed the character of Annie is one that proves to be a fairly complex individual because yes there are moments where you do feel for her and for all that she has been through in the film. At the same time however, there are also moments where she is interacting with the other characters and she is just so despicable in what she is saying or how she is acting towards them that you find yourself literally revolted by her whilst also wondering just why in the world the rest of the family continues to want to even be under the same roof as her. Suffice it to say that yes there are actresses who would have just taken this role to its most monstrous extreme and stayed at that level for the duration of the film. In the hands of Toni Collette, a woman who has had to deal with a child who was….different for lack of a better word in a horror film before, however we see that the role becomes a heck of a lot more potent due to Collette being able to persuade you, the movie goer to invest in her as a character even when you’d rather do anything but. Suffice it to say that it can be quite exhausting to see all the agony these characters must endure, but trust me when I say that the work done by the cast definitely makes it a little bit easier to endure.
All in all if you are looking for a cheesy and schlocky fun little slice of horror cinema that is just full to the brim with a cast of stupid characters doing stupid things, jump scares you can see coming from a mile away, death scenes that are delightfully over-the-top, and that ultimately prove to operate as just a fun time to be had with a group of your friends and a copious amount of alcohol……then please put in a couple of the Friday the 13th movies because this is most certainly not your kind of horror film. I’m sorry. If however you want a genuinely terrifying film about grief and instability that is downright depressing to say nothing of being extremely hard to watch from beginning to end and that you could also make into a film that you dare your friends to try and watch completely sober, but by the same token is also a slice of cinema that is phenomenally made by its crew behind the camera and impeccably acted by its talented cast in front then you are going to…..love (?) this (I think). Yes it might be the cinematic equivalent to that one nightmare that made your day heck a couple of weeks ago because it simply would not leave you alone, but Hereditary makes for an absolutely wonderful horror film for adults that will most assuredly leave you completely uneasy to say nothing of riveted to the edge of your seat even as it seems to be a film that is not meant to provide you with any degree of release on an emotional level. Instead, this is a slice of horror cinema that instead puts more of a focus on plunging you headfirst under some of the biggest what-the-heck kind of waves imaginable whilst also taking a twisted delight in getting under your skin as possible. A combination that, in a perverse way, simply results in making this slice of horror cinema all the more emotionally visceral and legitimately scary as a result. Make of that what thou will dear reader. Now if you’ll excuse me, I do believe there is a bottle of Scotch nearby that is *ahem* “requesting an interview” if you get my drift….On a scale of 1-5 I give Hereditary “2018” a solid 4 out of 5.
