Hereditary Review

Hereditary is the latest critically acclaimed horror flick from Hollywood. Is it as good as the reviews say it is? Read our review to find out.

Cast: Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro, Ann Dowd, Gabriel Byrne
Director: Ari Aster
Written By: Ari Aster
Producers: Kevin Frakes, Lars Knudsen, Buddy Patrick
Running Times: 127 mins
Budget: $10 million
Genre: Horror

Annie Graham(Toni) is a miniature artist, who lives with her husband Steve(Gabriel Byrne) & two kids- Peter(Alex Wolff) & Charlie(Milly Shapiro). The movie starts with the funeral of Annie’s mother – Ellen. Annie has a torrid relationship with her mother & attends a support group for those who lost loved ones to get over it. She reveals that growing up, she & her family faced mental illness issues that resulted in several deaths. The family starts experiencing weird happenings. Annie & Charlie see the dead Ellen in their home & school. Peter goes to a school party & takes his peanut butter allergic sister Charlie along. Tragic circumstances at the party & the events unfolding henceforth result in Charlie’s gruesome death. The family is distraught at the death of the 13 yr old.Annie meets Joannie outside the support group & they form a bond. Joannie makes Annie tread a dark path, which leads to horrific results. Steve doubts Annie’s sanity. Peter is guilt ridden due to his role in his sister’s death. Does Annie manage to hold her family together? Or does this story have a dark ending? Is Joannie really as sweet as she look?These are the questions which form the crux of the story.

Also Read: A Quiet Place Review

The first half of the story is a bit slow. But a lacklustre first half is compensated by a gripping second half. The first half is spent on laying a good foundation to the story & has barely 2-3 gripping scenes. While the second half gives you barely any time to let your mind wander. The movie keeps you guessing as to how it will end. The end will surprise you no end. The makers need to be commended for the originality of the script. The movie will stay with you for hours post leaving the theatre. The movie did manage to spook us. The acting by the entire cast especially Toni Collette is brilliant.

The movie ends with quite a few questions left unanswered. Maybe those questions will be answered in the sequel. The movie is not one of the most horrifying movies we have seen & is definitely not in the league of James Wan’s horror films.

But thanks to the novel script, good direction, background score & acting the movie is worth your time. We wish the first half was better though. Do not miss this movie if you are a horror movie buff like we are. Hail Paimon!

Our Rating: (3.5 / 5)