Hereditary

Horror is a genre in which many entries rely so heavily on blood and gore for thrills, that when a story is varnished in a veneer of class and sophistication it appears almost revolutionary.  Hereditary opens with a tracking shot of a dollhouse from far away. As the camera pans in closer it centers on a bedroom where the father (Gabriel Byrne) enters bringing a blazer for his sleeping son (Alex Wolff) to wear at his grandmother’s funeral. It’s a bewitching introduction because it conveys so much.  Mother Annie (Toni Collette) makes miniatures, small-scale versions of things influenced by her own life. That’s merely one reason why the beginning is so apropos. This production is highlighted by sleek cinematography, atmospheric music, and good performances. One is truly great. I’m talking Oscar nomination. More on that in a moment. But strip away all the stylish flourishes and you’re left with a screenplay that seems like it was cobbled together after a night of watching Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist and the 1976 composite they inspired: The Omen.

I mean if you’re going to steal, might as well rob from the best right? Hereditary is a very effective flick. It’s just that any horror aesthete even mildly versed in the classics of the medium is going to find this drama a bit reductive. Annie and her husband Steve have two children, Peter and their 13-year-old daughter Charlie (Milly Shapiro). They’re attending the funeral of Annie’s mother, Ellen. There’s a bit of foreshadowing that bad things are afoot. We learn that Annie and Ellen had an estranged relationship, the family suffers from mental illness and little Charlie attends special education classes. A pigeon dies after flying into her classroom window with a “sudden loud bang” designed to startle the audience as well as the students.  We later see Charlie on the playground pocketing the head of that lifeless bird after she has removed it with a pair of scissors. That’s pretty freaky, right?  It’s only the first beheading we’ll see. I used to think the decapitation scene in The Omen was pretty dreadful, especially for its time, but this film actually tops it for sheer shock value.

Hereditary is so impressive in producing fear that it deserves to be raised up as a new touchstone. Much of the credit goes to Toni Collette in a portrayal that is certain to remain among the very best of the year. She is a mother shaken to her very core by the events around her. It is a flawless achievement so raw and unhinged that I literally started to tear up at her desperate pleas in the climax. It would seem the role is custom made for her.  Collette famously played the mother of a child that “sees dead people” in one of the most successful horror films of all time (The Sixth Sense). She is so memorable that it stands out even among the other remarkable performances.  Actors Alex Wolff as her teen son and Milly Shapiro as her little daughter are convincing in exhibiting the undoing of their characters as well.  Ann Dowd is an upbeat presence as Joan, a chatty friend Annie meets in a support group for the bereaved.  Hereditary is an emotionally compelling experience. The feature from writer/director Ari Aster is a notable debut. He proves he can creatively mold cinematic influences into an entertaining movie. Looking forward to his next production that hopefully charts a more innovative course.

06-14-18