Halloween may have been a while ago, but that’s no reason to forgo the creepy new horror ‘Hereditary’.
‘Hereditary’ is a film that recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, which is no small feat.
Serving as Ari Aster’s directorial debut, the film follows the spooky goings-on in a domestic setting. The premise is as follows:
The matriarch of the family – Ellen Graham – passes away, and her daughter suspects that she didn’t pass away completely. To add to the insanity, the mysterious presence appears to have a connection with Ellen’s granddaughter, Charlie.
Reviews are overwhelmingly positive so far. At least, according to audiences:
And according to film critics too! A.A. Dowd from the AV Club had this to say:
“This isn’t a scary movie. It’s pure emotional terrorism, gripping you with real horror, the unspeakable kind, and then imbuing the supernatural stuff with those feelings.
It didn’t play me like a fiddle. It slammed on my insides like a grand piano…
The warped genius of the film’s tactic is how it steeps us in the pain of these characters, investing in the drama of their situation, and then uses the raw emotions—theirs and ours—to enhance the potency of its set pieces.
Which are masterful, by the way: Propelled by a dread-infused, disorienting score by avant-garde saxophonist Colin Stetson, the film does a number on the nerves, perfecting the James Wan approach of prolonged suggestion and peekaboo funhouse horror.
But even the jump scares feel psychologically loaded.”
Check out the trailer yourself if you’re curious:
I gotta admit, there were moments from the trailer alone that made me cringe. Not with second-hand embarrassment, but with genuine discomfort.
Dowd was right on the money when he described it as “psychologically loaded”. Though I suppose that’s only something you can judge after seeing it. Which I definitely plan on doing. I’ve been waiting for a good horror movie like this for a while.
This is for all the horror fans out there. You may be pleased to know that Nick Frost and Simon Pegg are at it again.
