My 100 Favorite Films of All Time #81: Hereditary

There are so few films out there that cause my jaw to drop. If you have seen Hereditary, you know the moment I am referencing. It is not that it comes out of nowhere. It is because even though viewers have been set up for it, your mind does not even register it as a possibility because you believe the character is too vital to the film to have such a thing happen. When that moment came, my mouth opened in surprise. The man in the row behind me was so startled he yelled, "Jesus!" His phone also hit the floor of the theatre and broke.

That is an effective horror movie.

For much of Ari Aster's film viewers are kept in the dark. Are we watching a family drama about mental illness, or is something much more sinister going on? The answer to both is yes, and the person who really sells this is Toni Collette. She is so good in this film that most people forget that Gabriel Byrne acts opposite her. Collette's performance transcends what is normally in a horror movie . . . or any other film for that matter. You believe in what she is going through, and there is a scene set at the dinner table where she confronts her son that is as gut wrenching as they come.

People who do not like horror movies will watch this and say, "Horror movies shouldn't be this smart." But they are wrong. They should be this way. The just often are not. This requires thinking, belief suspension, and the ability to come out of a film knowing all your questions may not be answered on the first viewing. I know there are a large group of people who absolutely hate this film. They think it is slow moving, arty, and boring. I cannot use any of those words to accurately it, and I wonder just what they are seeing. Have their viewing habits become so warped that unless there is a scare or blood every two minutes they get bored? That must be the case, because Hereditary is simply incredible and needs to be seen not only by horror fans, but film fans everywhere. I don't know if there was a better movie to have come out in 2018.

Sinful Cinema

I'm back after a break of a few years. I will be tackling the top 100 list again, but I wanted to fill you film fans in on something I have been working on. It's called the Sinful Cinema Series, and right now it is up to four books covering obscure films. So far I've written about The Abductors, Crypt of the Living Dead, Destruction Kings, and Laure.

The first volume covers The Abductors. It's an insane read mainly because of all the information I've gathered on the film. It has in it a future porn king, a future terrorist, and it was written and directed by a man who would go on to produce one of Disney's biggest franchises. It's all about sexual slavery, and it is a sleazy classic. Did I mention I also interviewed Jeramie Rain (The Last House on the Left) for it? Yep, I did.

The second volume covers the little-known vampire film Crypt of the Living Dead. It's actually a pretty tame film with one of the creepiest endings I've seen in any movie. If you read the book you'll learn how one of the stars was a suspect in a "murder" where the victim had ties to the JFK assassination.

The third volume delves into Low Budget Pictures' Destruction Kings, which was heavily inspired by The Monster Squad and Bad Boys. This comedy drove the director to have panic attacks, and I interview several people associated with the film, including Ariana Albright, scream queen and all around great lady.

The fourth volume examines Laure. Laure is an incredibly interesting film. It was written and directed by the "writer" of the Emmanuelle book, and features the real Emmanuelle. If you know why I used "writer" in quotes, you know why this film gets weird. It turns out the writer was really a man who was a French diplomat, and he used this film to try and push his sexual philosophy, which seemed to include children. It's also notable for originally starring porn actress Linda Lovelace, who left the film after refusing to do nude scenes.

Currently I'm working on the fifth volume, which will be yet another obscure film. When it is done I'll announce it here and on my FB page for the book series. Stop by and follow if you want to keep up on film news and engage in some lively discussions.