Hereditary (2018)

ive heard about this film long before it was announced. at that time the buzzes revolved around 'scariest movie ever!', 'scariest horror since the exorcist', etc. bombastic right? to be honest, initially i was quite skeptical because the pompous claims usually didnt meet my expectation, plus western horrors have been going through a rather monotonous route lately. so when hereditary finally hit local theaters, i didnt waste any time and immediately went to prove it myself.

and boy i was... blown.

this is what it feels like to ride a slow roller coaster in hell.

hereditary is a study of build up and tension. it lingers in your mind and touches your psyche with complete terror, hopelessness, and sorrow. ari aster masterfully directed it with clever play of shadow and lighting that induced your peripheral fear of something that might or might not exist; imagine staring into a dark hallway for a long time that you start questioning whether you're seeing things or its just in your mind. its batshit eerie and dreadful. the scenes are adorned with sublime sound design that the minimum usage of loud music only maximizes the suspense.

the film's tonality is basically built on the mixture of horror and family dynamics, with several conflicts highlighting fundamental matters from relationships to mental health issues. toni colette's tour de force as a grievous matriarch is phenomenal and she does so well at capturing the intensity of the atmosphere. that dinner scene? my soul was gone. also milly saphiro's quiet, haunting expression successfully made me feel uncomfortable in my seat throughout her appearance on screen. what an incredible cast.

one of the most prominent things is many scenes are slowly shot from the distance, living up the illusion that the whole family members are 'pawns' inside a house miniature as seen in the opening. while i usually have problems with pacing, hereditary is like a slow burn that keeps me petrified despite how drawn out it gets in the middle. it eventually pays off with an ending twist so mad that despite unnecessary amount of foreshadowing in the first act it still catches me off guard. for me its in the vines of rosemary's baby, starting from the constant anxiety to the major cult reveal.

i get that hereditary might not fall into the mainstream category that pleases everyone with straightforward expositions and jumpscares. its horror at its most visceral, and its certainly not for those who werent ready.