What begins as a stretched-out dramatic rendering of a family’s response to the death of a family member soon transforms into something supernatural.
Annie’s (Toni Collette) mother has passed. As her family tries to get back to their normal routines, director Ari Aster strikes horror in both their home and our hearts. The first half of Hereditary is a meticulous and often agonising build-up, focusing on tenuous familial connections. We live through the constant spectre of discomfort that hovers above the family. Then just as we’re close to putting together the pieces though, Aster snaps the connection forcefully.
- Cast: Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro, Ann Dowd, Gabriel Byrne
- Director: Ari Aster
- Storyline: After her mother’s death, Annie has her family descend into a nightmare she’s inherited but can’t escape
With a career in short films, Aster’s debut feature soars, redefining horror like we’ve never known before. This is not The Babadook with its metaphorical chills. Neither is this the eerie fright of Under the Shadows . There’s a linear narrative that’s not quite straight-lined as we’re first led to believe. Aster’s genius direction — from finger-snapped scene changes to excruciating close-ups — transform a premise we’ve all seen before. It’s his singular ability to seize tension and mould it into severe anxiety within an alarmingly short time that effectively pierces the audience.
While eschewing the traditional jump scare route, Aster instead opts for the grotesque. There are decapitated heads, rotting bodies, charred flesh, insects and so much more. But the intention is never to repulse, instead to inject a deep fear of the known, in this case. But woe betide the Indian censors who try really hard and fail to rain on Hereditary ’s parade by taking away anything remotely close to gore. Even the big reveal’s ordinary nature couldn’t dampen the multiple shocks of the plot’s disentanglement.
A still from Hereditary
Collette’s performance as a nurturing matriarch to eventual untethered woman is one of the finest of her career. Her portrayal which borders on the eccentric often collides with the slow-burn tone of Hereditary . But the contrast only proves to enhance our fear. Props to her young teenage son Peter (Alex Wolff) for his ability to perfectly complement a powerhouse like Collette.
Think of the scariest thing that has happened to you, whether it’s rightfully paranormal or something spooky. Multiply that by about a million times and you’ll know the visceral dread that Hereditary leaves you with long after the credits roll.
