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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.
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