I have seen this movie listed at the top of people’s favorite horror films since its release, and was eagerly anticipating watching it on a rainy, cool October afternoon with the blinds drawn and the door locked. So imagine my surprise and disappointment when my response afterwards was a lukewarm, Meh.
Starring the impeccable Toni Collette as Annie, whose mother has just passed away, Hereditary embraces the supernatural/demonic posession trope, but in an almost laughable way. When Annie’s daughter Charlie, an oddball loner with a special connection to Grandma, has a freak accident, Annie’s mourning grows deeper and weirder. Her son Peter also begins to behave oddly at home and at school. In fact, the only stick in the supernatural mud is hubby/dad Steve, who thinks his entire family is deep-sigh worthy and tries to pretend nothing is amiss. As Annie discovers a way to “reconnect” with Charlie and pulls her family along into her madness, things quickly spiral out of control. This movie starts oh-so-slowly, finally adding a couple of nice creepy scares, but ending with an eyeroll-worthy descent into ridiculousness. If you’re looking for a new horror fave, Hereditary is not it.
- Top Scare: Annie-related
- Heartbeats: 2 1/2 out of 5
- Gore Factor: 3 3/4 out of 5
- Suspense Factor: 2 1/2 out of 5
- Recommended for: 16 and up