Quartile rating: 8/10 · 1 rating
Following the death of the Leigh family matriarch, Annie and her children uncover disturbing secrets about their heritage. Their daily lives are not only impacted, but they also become entangled in a chilling fate from which they cannot escape, driving them to the brink of madness.
Hereditary is a landmark in modern horror. Its plot methodically builds dread through genuine family trauma, grief, and escalating supernatural revelation, anchored by Toni Collette's career-defining performance and strong support from Gabriel Byrne and Alex Wolff. Ari Aster's directorial debut demonstrates extraordinary command of widescreen composition, with Pawel Pogorzelski's cinematography using deep-focus dollhouse-like framing to unsettling effect. Its novelty is exceptional — blending grief drama with occult horror in a voice wholly its own. The ending, while tonally committed, tips into a somewhat overwrought, exposition-heavy occult reveal that slightly undercuts the sustained atmospheric dread of everything preceding it, making it the one category that doesn't fully match the film's otherwise exceptional craft.