"Hereditary" is a film that you want to forget quickly. Not because it's bad, but because it's like an abnormal nightmare that you'd like to push away in the morning and cover with the light of the day. Cruel, hypnotic, masterful. Ari Aster is a rising star in the director's sky, which can go a long way. A real bloodbath of emotions with some pictures, effects and moments that, unlike most nightmares, you unfortunately can't get out of your head so quickly. Perfectly advertised with trailers that hardly reveal anything other than the mood - which is anything but a matter of course these days. Therefore I hardly want to say anything about the plot: it is about a family that has to deal with a stroke of fate and a lot of grief and that is slowly threatening to dissolve from within ...
Jack Torrance's view through the broken wooden door, Regan's turn of the head or Bruce's first attack at the beginning of "Jaws" - all iconic moments of horror cinema that have burned themselves in. "Hereditary" offers a few shockers and WTFs!? That could manifest themselves on a similar level in pop culture and our minds. And the last 15 minutes are just the cream on the cake, maybe even, due to the total abandonment of the mysterious and the shadows, the weakest part in almost flawless goosebumps fun. Constant rattling and puzzling what the hell is going on now? Impressive astonishment at an audiovisual tour de force that almost pulls your head off your shoulders? "Hereditary" delivers. The full program. Finally fear again. Pure and unfiltered. From very deep inside.
Outstandingly intensely performed psychological terror (Toni Collette plays for the history books!) about inheritance and the hunched kinship, which unfortunately is more similar than you would like it to be ... "Hereditary" is a spiral of misfortune, fainting, the burning family tree . The art of disturbing. A nasty mix of curiosity and looking away. Demons, ghosts, ants and evil in the DNA of humans or a family - Fulci, Lovecraft or Dali would also have a big grin on their faces.
"Hereditary" tears up even high expectations with a morbid grin. And flat Hollywood bars ala "Truth or Dare" much easier. Even "The Conjuring" looks ironed out and no country. Artistically valuable and substantive (quite) substantial - does this look like a modern classic that is still talked about in decades? I mean yes!