10 / 10. A quietly terrifying, well acted and unsettling film

Hereditary is a quietly terrifying horror film written and directed by Ari Aster.

Annie Graham’s elderly and mysterious mother passes away and the family are haunted by a strange presence. They delve into their ancestry and discover sinister family secrets as events unravel and take a horrifying turn.

Hereditary was the film I was most looking forward to all year and it did not disappoint. The story is an intriguing slow burn which builds up tension to a creepy crescendo. The film is unnerving, rather than just relying on typical jump scares.

All the characters have depth and are well acted, which is not always the case horror films. Annie’s (Toni Collette) wide ranging and raw emotions add to the uncomfortable terror and Molly Shapiro is excellent as Charlie, such a unique screen presence for someone so young. Alex Wolff and Gabriel Byrne give great performances as Peter and Steve as their world descends into madness. Glad to see Ann Dowd in a small role, she’s always fantastic.

There are clues throughout pointing to the conclusion, giving the viewer subtle clues to try to solve. I watched it twice in the same week to see if I could pick up more clues and secrets hidden in the scenes.

Another great thing is that the trailer didn’t give away much about the actual plot or give away any scary parts, which a lot of horror trailers do (i.e. recently, The Nun).

Hereditary is one of the best horrors I’ve seen in a long time, and I have found myself thinking about this on late night trips to the bathroom and looking towards the ceiling…