Hereditary

Although I much appreciate the unconventional attention management and the minimum of mainstream elements, I have my reservations. The pacing is simply poor and there are a number of empty scenes with very limited narrative value that stick out of an already inadequate runtime. In the final half hour, however, the plot suddenly kicks into high gear and the depressing portrait of a family tragedy completely gives way to a horror feast and an elaborate explanation of the whole plot (personally, I had a big issue with it). On the other hand, it is admirable how Aster manages to mask the stagnation of the plot by constantly playing unpleasant music and visual games with the environment, and how he handles really suspenseful or suggestive sequences, which are few but all the more impressive (mainly because the viewer has to engage their own imagination). And yet, I'm still bothered by the story, which simply leaves too many question marks and oddities for me to be carelessly carried away by the uniquely constructed atmosphere. Maybe after another viewing I'll reconsider, for the time being, though, I’m not going any further. (28/08/2018)

A few clichés turned upside down, a few others confirmed in the most unpleasant form possible. An excellent cast of actors, so inconspicuous for so long that in key moments they are terrifyingly precise. But what will never leave my mind are those quiet jolts, when the sound engineer doesn't need to slam the door and the composer doesn't need to pluck three strings on the violin. Just at the right moment, the right object, outline, or cloth appears and I'm immediately having fits, wondering if the fabric has suffered any damage. Plot-wise, Ari Aster doesn't discover anything new, but that path full of hints and clues that become completely clear after you've seen it all the way through has something to it, and the atmosphere of life among the dollhouses transformed into a sense of being present in one of them is one of those million-dollar creative ideas that come once in a career. For me, Hereditary is incomparable, both in its rare combination of idea and execution, and in the fact that no one will ever bring me the same level of tense anticipation. (28/06/2021)

A film I never want to see again!! Hereditary has received a lot hype much like A Quiet Place, but the difference is that the former is loved and raved about by critics but hated by mainstream audiences, while the latter garners raves on both sides. Hereditary is not audience-friendly and can be placed in a similar variety of films to The Witch and Mother !, and it also features a twist that pisses-off most viewers. The film is a little over two hours long and is told at a very slow pace, thus impatient viewers may yawn with boredom, but if you can get sucked into the atmosphere, you will get an extraordinary experience that will make you very anxious to the point of being uncomfortable. The film is creatively shot, the camera angles are breathtaking for a debut, but above all it's the acting of Toni Collette, who delivers one of the most impressive female performances I've ever had the opportunity to see and if she doesn't get an Oscar nomination I'll be very surprised. Praise also goes to Milly Shapiro who wins the award for ugliest little girl I've ever seen, she’ll give you chills! Hereditary sets a new direction in horror and is very close to The Exorcist and The Shining. Definitely don't expect any jump-scares or gore, rather expect a disturbing, psychological, emotional horror drama, but one that has one of the most intense finales I've seen in a long time. A couple of scenes are very uncomfortable to the point of hard to watch and will definitely stick in my mind for a long time. I felt anxious and uncomfortable after leaving the cinema and the two near crashes on the way home didn't add much to the mood. 85%. (15/06/2018)

Hereditary is a horror film for a slightly more discerning viewer who does not mind the sluggish pace and absence of genre clichès and jump-scares, but conversely appreciates the deeper dialogue and innovative way of narrating an otherwise traditional horror story. The film has a minimalist, almost ever-present and disturbing soundtrack, as well as original visual games that involve placing the characters in a space with a symbolically surreal approach to the scene of horror that takes place (the cottage, dummies). It’s not quite a mainstream genre movie with the depth of a full-fledged psychological drama of a family with a really long-kept secret. Except that the revelation of said secret did not shake me as much as I had expected after all that drama. (18/07/2018)

Going through many of the reactions, I'm thinking that horror filmmakers couldn't possibly want anything more than scandalized reviews about the fact that the audience found out at the end that they were actually watching an occult horror film. I'll go for five after the third viewing, I promise. It's really just a matter of tightening a few screws and trying to teach Alex Wolff to cry so we can have a future horror classic to show for it. I'm looking forward to Midsommar like a kid. (14/07/2019)