Hereditary (2018)

User Review

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  acooley_graphics

  3 / 10

  One of the pillars of any good movie is relatable characters. These characters don’t have to fit into a “good” or “bad” category, but the audience is supposed to find some quality to which they can relate. As far as horror films are concerned we have the unassuming Rosemary Woodhouse in Rosemary’s Baby who suspects her husband and others are keeping a secret from her or the resilient Laurie Strode in Halloween or the conflicted Marion Crane in Psycho. In Hereditary there are none of these characters. The closest we see is the young Charlie played by Milly Shapiro who is often dismissed by members of her family. However, the character receives little screen time. Most of the film centers around Charlie’s mother Annie (Toni Collette) who would be a sympathetic character if she weren’t so unlikable. She is overcome with grief after the death of her mother and expresses her grief through the creation of disturbing dioramas. We quickly learn about her family’s history of mental disorders including Annie’s strange decision to allow her mother to breast feed Charlie as an infant. This is only one example of extremely questionable decisions made by Annie which bring the movie down as a whole. Overall, the film was heavily derivative of the previously mentioned Rosemary’s Baby. I found myself rolling my eyes throughout the movie. Although the ending brought the story full circle, it wasn’t a circle I was interested in completing. That being said, there are several scenes for which the director should be applauded because they are quite scary on their own. The idea to shoot the inside of the family home as if it is one of Annie’s dioramas is also interesting, leading to several scenes where it’s hard to tell if we are viewing real rooms or meticulously recreated models. Though the film was well received by critics, I can’t suggest taking the time to watch it. If the trailer intrigued you, it might be worth it, but I wouldn’t sit through it a second time.

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