‘Hereditary’ Review

A new wave horror classic

Director Ari Aster firmly asserts his place within the pantheon of new wave horror cinema auteurs with Hereditary, his first full-length film and a decidedly terrifying yet subtle experience that keeps up with—or even surpasses—other 21st-century highlights such as 2014's It Follows.

Aster's world is one that feels all at once dreamlike and haunting, yet all too real, like a nightmare one can't shake or a long-residing and throbbing pain from outside the physical realm. Here we meet Annie (Toni Collette), an artist and mother grappling with the recent death of her estranged mother. Annie has seemingly cobbled together quite the life, from her husband (Gabriel Byrne) and children to her thriving arts practice and gallery representation. But when an unspeakable accident occurs, the dynamic between the family is inextricably changed, and her entire existence begins to unravel while those closest to her begin to suspect she's struggling with mental illness and misplaced grief.

At her best, Collette achieves a measured balance between protective mother, loving wife and grieving woman; at her worst, she errs to far toward hammy. Still, her character is believably flawed and human even as we question whether her new circumstances are real or imagined (think Essie Davis' wonderful sleep-deprived flirtation with insanity in the brilliant Australian horror film The Babadook). Elsewhere, Byrne is underused and middle sections drag under the weight of early shocking scenes. Alex Wolff (from that new Jumanji) stands out, however, as a son dealing with his own guilt and confusion, while newcomer Milly Shapiro helps check off the requisite spooky-little-kid vibes in a quiet yet capable way.

It is delightfully surprising, then, that the true revelations behind the family's troubles are nothing like what early looks and trailers led us to believe. Instead, Hereditary becomes a twisted vision of sheer evil and artistry that takes its time and builds slowly, sometimes excruciatingly, right up to its bizarre, horrifying conclusion.

9
+Original and truly scary
-Some scenes lag and feel shoehorned in

Hereditary
Directed by Aster
With Collette, Byrne, Wolff and Shapiro
Regal, Violet Crown, R, 127 min.

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