**Initial Reaction**

_Go in blind, I don't recommend the trailer either._

I want to say, this movie isn't a traditional horror that everyone will enjoy. Like all horror, it's subjective, and this film will suffer for you if you don't enjoy the phycology and actual character drama over jumpscares. Not that there is anything wrong with that, this just isn't the movie for you.

**The Good**
• The acting is actual gold. Every single cast member in here, pulls off a fantastic role. Everyone seems to think all the credit should go to Toni Collette, as she does deserve all the praise for her performance here. But for me, the real star was Alex Wolff. He was phenomenal, I wouldn't believe the corny kid from 'Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle', would be able to pull off such an emotional portrayal of dread and sadness. Some of the best acting I've seen in a film.
• The tension is so powerfully gut wrenching. It makes you feel involved with these family members. I don't want to say much more at all about this, it's better to just see it for yourself.
• Cinematography is unbelievably gorgeous. The shots are framed with such genius and boldness, that you get jarred by the cuts, yet hardly notice them when they needn't be. The long shots between rooms, are something that fuels the feel of this film, and goddamn does it work so well.
•The scares. Now, this is probably where it gets iffy for some. But for myself, I was so freaking scared with the amount of build and suspense they put you through. I loved every minute, and when I managed to get a second to breathe. I took long deep breathes.

**The Bad**
• Unintentional funny moments. Yes, this film also suffers from this typical horror fault. But, as I said before. It's completely subjective. If you get in the mood because you were able to get drawn in by the tension, this won't bother you. However, several people laughed at some things that I could see funny as well. But maybe it's just our basic human reaction to release ourselves from the pain this film shows, it's relentless. Maybe that's it's purpose.

**Spoiler Things**
[spoiler]• I'm not going to say much, but the _scene_ that made everyone gasp and freeze. Was so wonderful, I see people talking about it for years. As a great showcase of how a movie can be paced differently from the normal formula.[/spoiler]

**Conclusion**
This movie got to me. Much like 'It Follows', it will stick with you for the same reasons of it being like a spooky childhood fear we all had. I understand why people will find this a bore, or just not scary. I get that and see where they are coming from. But for me, I can say with confidence, this is one of my most favourite horror films of all time. It's a masterwork, I enjoyed and hated my time with this movie. It ruined my afternoon, and I have to give credit to a film that does with such skill. I highly recommend if you're a fan of thrillers or just strong phycological dramas.

[8.6/10] I tend to think of the highest and best form of reviewing films as doing some kind of analysis, not just simply letting the reader know whether it’s good or bad. I still think it’s worthwhile to give a rating, and to talk about what worked and what didn’t in a particular movie, but I think the better side of reviewing is talking about what a film means, how its various elements combine to create theme and meaning and emotional investment. I’d rather engage with the ideas, merits, and flaws of a given film on their own terms than just classify each constituent part of it as positive or negative.

But there is one undeniably useful aspect of the “consumer reports” side of movie reviewing, and that is to warn you -- *Hereditary* will disturb you. Yes, there are scares, but few more frightening than any other top tier horror film. It’s not so much that the film is scary; more that it is gutting, It fits in the category of films like *Requiem For A Dream*, where you will walk away from the movie suitably impressed by what you’ve just witnessed, but also feel thoroughly awful about it.

That’s my only caution and hesitation in recommending it. *Hereditary* features two key performances that are out of this world and eminently award-worthy. It marries text and theme, a supernatural horror story and a harrowing family story, with complete virtuosity. And though it starts a bit slow, once the film kicks into gear, it grabs a hold of you and doesn't let go until the credits roll, if then. But therein lies the problem, because the film doesn't shy away from the abject horror of both the black magic that threatens to doom and damn the family at its center or the all-too-real, omni-destructive impact of mental illness that underpins the metaphor, and it is utterly devastating to watch.

The movie works in both modes. If you want to take it literally, the film expertly slow burns its supernatural horror. It parcels out apparitions in the distance, little bits of unease. It graduates to full on otherworldly happenings that unnerve but seem tame enough, with just enough wrong to be disconcerting. And by the end of the film, the revelation of satanic cults and possession and unexplainable happenings builds to a terrible crescendo, where you’re frightened for the characters, freaked out by the creatures lurking at the edge of the frame, and have a pit in your stomach from the havoc wreaked on this family by the dead hand of plots and schemes from long in the past.

But that’s also what makes *Hereditary* so harrowing, when you read it, either purely as metaphor or just with a baked in theme, of the struggle to deal with mental illness, passed down from generation to generation, causing, reinforced, and activated by trauma in a dispiriting vicious cycle. As much as the film soars with its black magic elements and voodoo tricks, the most disturbing parts of the movie stem from its center of a family in crisis, [spoiler]over a woman losing her mother and her daughter in quick succession[/spoiler], over a son who fears his mother wants to kill him, over sicknesses of the mind that manifest in brutal and horrifying ways.

The impact of those events is driven home by the incredible performances at the heart of the film. Toni Collette gives the performance of a lifetime, communicating Annie’s unfathomable grief, her sheer desperation, and her trauma-fueled discombobulation that leaves her raw, rambling and dangerous. Collette knows when to go big, huge even, but also when to reduce those emotions to the cauldron rumbling beneath, to the not-quite-right moments that can either play as the tentacles of a devil-worshipping cult wrapping around her through or as the throws of schizophrenia rolling in.

And Alex Wolff matches her note for note. While Peter, Annie’s son, doesn't undergo the exact same devolution his mother does, *Hereditary* is a movie that finds its strength in reactions. No character delivers more of those reactions, from dead-eyed guilt and shock at [spoiler]his sister’s accidental death[/spoiler], to bare, unmooring pain at his mother’s confessions and recriminations, to his own, separate unraveling transformation under the weight of those original lingering traumas and the new ones unwittingly inflicted anew by his mother in her own state of distress, than Peter does.

The results are utterly disquieting. As much as the supernatural is always lurking at the edges of the frame in *Hereditary*, for much of its runtime it’s a fairly straight, if artsy, kitchen sink drama. The twin spectres of loss and schizophrenia loom large in a family that clearly feels alienated from one another. Even before the film pulls the trigger on the straight up mystical happenings that may or may not be taking place, the scenes of Annie [spoiler]grieving her daughter[/spoiler], of Peter and his mother confronting one another over the dinner table, of imagined sleep-walked confessions, are hard to watch in their rawness entirely independently of any ghouls or goblins.

That’s heightened by the cinematography of the film, which both adds to the eerie atmosphere it maintains throughout, and highlights the incredible acting taking place. *Hereditary* is superb at keeping certain images at a distance from the viewer, small or blurry in the frame, as though you’re trying to make out some small detail in one of Annie’s diorama. It not only works in terms of horror, evoking the sense of some ghostly presence just beyond reach, but it dovetails with the movie’s mental illness metaphor, creating a visual representation of mental pathology peeking in before it takes over.

At the same time, director of photography Pawel Pogorzelski isn’t shy about emphasizing the intimacy of certain moments. There are numerous close-ups of Annie and Peter’s faces, letting the performers subtle reactions and changes in affect communicate the emotional and physical transitions taking place within them.

Those transitions are just too much to bear at times. *Hereditary* is a truly haunting film, one whose paranormal and painfully real horrors will stick with you long after the final frame. That is a blessing and a curse -- a testament to the tragic, unrelenting power of the film, but also a heavy weight to saddle the audience with as it leaves the theater. The movie is well-worth your time and attention, but may be more than you can handle in the moment, or shake after it’s finished.

I've been meaning to watch this movie for a while now and made the mistake of watching this 12 at night while I was alone (Don't do that!) Usually horror movies don't effect me and if they do its usually while the movie is playing. But this movie has stayed with me for days now. I can't get it out of my head. This is not a movie for someone who wants jump scares, slasher death/screams or a movie that plays in the background. You have to actually pay attention or you will be completely confused at the end. There are subtle hints throughout the movie to show you where the movie is headed but there are still surprises throughout.

The acting is very good. I have to say though I love Toni Collette and that was one of the main reasons I watched it. ***Spoilers Start*** Toni Collette and Alex Wolff do an amazing job carrying this movie. After Charlie's death, the look on Alex's face conveys so much that words are not necessary to understand that shock he is under. There is no overacting or crying or screaming just shock and utter disbelief.***Spoilers End*** Everyone in the family does an amazing job in their roles. Charlie is just so creepy throughout the movie. You empathize with all of them and understand their frustrations even while knowing some of their decisions are just plain wrong.

Though there are no conventional jump scares the atmosphere of the movie has you on edge the whole time. There is a building of tension between the family from all things unsaid about their past/current trauma and the grief that they are currently going through that comes to a head. Watching this family completely come undone is emotionally heavy but also has terrifying consequences.

Definitely a must watch if you like horror. But not for people who want to be scared in the moment with killings and jump scares.

It would seem the Hollywood tradition started in the 1980's of false reviews made by either non-existent people or people paid to write glowing assessments is alive and well.

That is my only way of explaining why this film is so highly regarded. I went to the user review area of IMDB just to see if I was missing something or if others thought this good looking, atmospheric, well acted two hour slog sucked as well. To my relief I found I was not alone.

What we have here is a case of style over substance. There is really nothing to "hang your hat on" with regards to what is happening to the family featured. When the reveals start coming they are either obvious or trite. The ending is complete crap, especially after the two hour journey to get to it.

The scariest scene happens early on and is not in any way supernatural. After, we just go on and on and round and round and can only assume the mother is mentally ill. That she is imagining everything that is "odd" or causing it herself. When that proves not to be the situation, the denouement we are given is, again, craptastic and straight out of any run of the mill Z grade made for VOD horror movie plot.

This has been compared to "The Exorcist" but do not let that fool you. This is no "Exorcist" or even anything close.

At best this is a film about a family dealing with mental illness. Only not!

While psychological horror movies seem to be a thing of the past, with movies of this nature cropping up once every little while, _Hereditary_ creeps along with the force of looming evil. This isn't an average Halloween, popcorn-at-the-theatre moviegoing experience. Instead, what we are presented with is palpable heaviness for the better half of two hours while tensions rise in a dwindling household and with some burgeoning Satanic undertones encapsulated in some of the darkest, most isolating atmosphere that contends with the likes of _The Witch_ and _Rosemary's Baby_.

Toni Collette plays Annie Graham, mother of two children - eldest son in high school, the youngest a girl possibly at the tail-end of middle school. With the recent death of her mother, Annie attempts again and again to reconcile with the misfortunes - to put it lightly - that befalls her family. Annie's psychological state dances between the forefront of the film, while the backdrop of lingering family turmoil boils to the top.

This is an unrelenting experiment in acceptance, both placed on the key figures in the film, as well as those watching. When watching, keep in mind the word "control" and discern whether Annie had any at all. This isn't a movie for anybody - I'd go far as to say that this movie isn't for the average moviegoer. There are certain plot points that don't make sense. But if you go into this knowing what the director was trying to do, which, in my opinion, was to make the viewer feel completely uncomfortable while paying homage to some great horror movies, then it will be a rewarding watch.