Hereditary – A Review

Directed by:               Ari Aster
Produced by:             Kevin Frakes, Lars Knudsen, buddy Patrick
Written by:                Ari Aster
Starring:                     Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro, Gabriel Byrne
Music by:                    Colin Stetson
Cinematography by: Pawel Pogorzelski
Edited by:                  Jennifer Lame, Lucian Johnston
Distributed by:          A24
Production Co.:          PalmStar Medis, Funch Entertainment, Windy Hill Pictures
Release date:             June 8, 2018

A lonely house, a vulnerable family of four with two teens that have raging hormones, a recent tragedy: a perfect, clichéd field for setting up a horror movie. Right? Unfortunately, there the clichés end in “Hereditary”, the newest horror flick directed by Ari Aster, touted as the new generation “Exorcist”. Hereditary, certainly has a fresh outlook on the horror genre.

Synopsis:
Annie Graham a miniature designer has lost her mom recently and is coping with the tragedy, even though she has not had a real pleasant relationship with the mother. Along with her in the same household are her stoic husband, 17 years old son and 13 years old daughter. Within a couple of weeks from the death of her mother, another tragedy strikes the Graham household. As a measure to cope with the tragedies, Annie does something, which pushes the movie to a point of no return and everything goes in a downward spiral – with no redemption for any of the characters.

Along with the family, the audience also begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about the family’s ancestry, followed by the death of Annie’s mother. The more discovered, the more they find themselves trying to outrun the sinister fate they have all inherited.

Analysis:
There are a number of things that has worked well for this movie, keeping the audience’s interest intact for the 127 minutes.

The strong storyline that is usually not common to the regular, clichéd horror flicks. There is an element of mystery throughout. It is more of a tragedy drama, than a horror movie up until a point. Hereditary is a character driven movie where the director takes time to build his characters so that the audience become one with them and actually feels the pain for the characters, when bad befalls them.

All the scenes are focused on the protagonists and their reactions to what they see. The camera is always in front of the actor so that we see their reaction to what they are seeing or experiencing, first. Ari allows the fear and horror they are experiencing settle down in the audience, slowly seeping under the their skin, along with the protagonists.

Each one of us, at one point or another, would have woken up in the middle of the night, groggy and confused and actually see things hovering; or imagining seeing things. There are a number of scenes in this movie where the camera lingers at a spot and we see “things” on the screen. However, as these apparitions are for only some fleeting seconds, it would certainly make the audience think twice – did they see something or not. Allowing the audience to relate to their own personal life makes the horror more effective.

The number of twists in the movie does not resort to the jump scares, which is common in a horror movie. It is this creepiness that gives one the shudder. The unknown and the things that might be really watching us over or could just be a figment of imagination – something that one is not sure of. The very thought that you don’t know what to expect, is menacing.

When the second tragedy strikes, instead of showing it visually, Ari leaves it as an implied message. He just rests the camera on his protagonist’s face and relies on the expression to convey the horror. The fact that he allows what has happened, to settle down, that actually gives the scare. The audience become immersed in the disturbing drama that unfolds.

The clues provided by Ari in the movie, does not allow the audience to guess the genre – it works in multiple points of view. The movie progresses as a drama, of people coping with personal tragedy up until that point when it becomes sinister and takes a U-turn into a hellish spiral.

The character of Paimon, (one of the 8 Kings of Hell, the one associated with wealth, prosperity and mischief) who finally gets a male host, is unwound clearly in the last 10 minutes. It is then that we understand the happenings of the movie. The title Hereditary is also explained as to how it is very relevant. The director also leaves logical room for a sequel and or a prequel in the future.

Miniature sets – the character of Annie Graham makes a living by creating miniature models. Her miniatures, their placements and how they depict the various aspects of the protagonist’s life, makes the movie sinister. The way the camera moves from miniatures to the real world will send the chills. There is that eerie disturbing feel to it, when finally you realize that the protagonists have all been manipulated, moved around, and actually used as miniatures themselves. This is the real horror.

Background score – there are no usual sounds we hear in a horror movie, like the creaking doors and windows or the wind howling. Instead it is a deep, unsettling, intense music. And there is the clicking of the tongue coupled with some blood curdling shrieks, which will give some shudders along.

This would certainly be a movie that would still be talked about after another twenty years, just like Manoj Night Shyamalan’s “The Sixth Sense”

The fact that this is not a regular horror movie where the audience can leave their brain out and just watch, can be seen as a deterrent. The audience has to involve themselves in the movie to understand the many nuances and the holistic theme.

Acting:
Toni Collette:
as Annie Graham is the highlight of this movie. It would not be surprising if she gets a nomination for the Academy Awards this year. Every scene that she is in, she ensures that the audiences are captivated to her. The three prominent scenes to look out for her tremendous acting skills are:

• The unsettling outburst scene at the dinner table: the way she spews words at her son and once the anger is released, she calmly sits to eat her food
• The dream scene where she confesses that she did not want to bear her son. Though she has her reasons, the words that come out of her mouth and what happens next will make ones’ jaw drop
• The scene where she wants her husband and son to do what she wants and later speaking in the voice of her daughter, will truly send some shivers down the spine

Alex Wolff:
as Annie Graham’s son Peter – a tremendous powerhouse of action. This young man certainly has the potential to become a great star. A few scenes to his credit are

• The scene after an accident where the camera lingers on his face – wow what an expression. One can see fear, sorrow and guilt all at the same time and the way he drives back home and goes to bed, will give anyone the Goosebumps.
• The way he emotes in the classroom when he is scared of “something” with no physical presence. And at a later time when his face is smashed on the table and his nose broken – another great scene
• Apart from these he has many scenes to show his vulnerability – the way he carries his sister and puts her in the car to take her to a hospital; the way he shows he is scared and actually cries; the way he asks his mother why she wanted to kill him – each one a gem on its own

Milliy Shapiro:
as the daughter Charlie, has given an eerie performance. Though this is her introductory movie, she brings in that terror in her eyes. Those eyes will haunt the audience for a long while. We can certainly see a wonderful actress in the making.

Gabriel Byrne:
as the stoic father has provided ample support to both the characters – of the mother and the son. This character lives for his family and wants the best for them in all the unfortunate circumstances.

Special note on the Trailer:
The trailer that was released for this movie has to be admired. It is one of those intelligent trailers that does not really give a clue about what the movie is going to be. There is a mystery shrouded in each frame, with a horrific background score, intriguing the audience. There are a number of scenes shown in the trailer that looks as if it were all in a sequence. However, in the movie, these scenes are not in a continuous sequence – in fact they are all placed at two different points in the linear time line of the movie.

Conclusion:
Do not miss this movie if you love horrors / thrillers. This movie will certainly make you look around at night in the dark, from the corner of your eyes; make you rub your eyes and try to see clearly, to make sure that there is nothing sinister, lurking around.

My Verdict:
4.5/5