"Hereditary" Review

 

by John Zenoni

‘Hereditary’ is a film I have avoided watching on purpose for the longest time, due to my fear and what I had heard and read about it. Needless to say, I'm so glad I watched it during the daytime, as I know I would have been up all night if I had watched it after dark.

This film is, in my humble opinion, one that ranks right up there with the best horror/scary movies, including the classics: ‘The Exorcist’; ‘Rosemary’s Baby’; and the more recent modern day classic, ‘The Witch.’ This thing is just creepy on so many levels and does not give up, even at the end. Very few films have haunted me afterwards like this one.

For those not familiar with the story, the Graham family (consisting of wife Annie, superbly played by Toni Collette, dad Steve, played by Gabriel Byrne, daughter Charlie, in a riveting performance by Milly Shapiro, and son Peter, played by Alex Wolff) have just lost the family matriarch, Annie’s mom, Ellen. Neither Annie nor her brother, who is referenced but never seen as he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and committed suicide, have ever had the best relationship with their mother. In fact, at one point it's mentioned that Steve had put in a no-contact policy for the family until it got to the point that Ellen needed care and moved in with them.

Without giving too much away, a horrible tragedy befalls the Graham family (one I did NOT see coming) and needless to say, the horror begins from there. It really is hard to review this film without divulging too much, but let’s just say that grandma Ellen was definitely not (to be ironic) a saint! What that woman was involved in and how it impacted her children and grandchildren is beyond terrifying.

I have since read other reviews, in which clues and signs are given about grandma and her ‘club’, and I missed them completely. But needless to say, I cannot go back and watch this one again, as once was definitely enough. All I can say is, watch at your own risk!