A family who are dealing with the loss of a Mother and Grandmother are haunted by this and some tragic and disturbing occurrences begin to happen with dark secrets to be worked out.
Hereditary is the most talked about film of 2018 so far, well I personally think it is considering the marketing around the film is that it is the scariest film of the year and really pushes the horror genre. You probably already know that I haven't always went to see this genre but with the increase in recent years I have been much better and eventually managed to catch up to see this film. I did very well to avoid any plot spoilers but had heard Toni Collette was fantastic.
You do have to bear with me as it is going to be a very difficult review to put together without any spoilers. So I am going to focus on how it made me feel at different points, everything is very creepy and has you on edge from the very start of the film. To begin with Annie seems pretty normal and is struggling to come to terms with the loss of her mother, despite as we find out she did not have a lot to do with her for many years. Steve is probably the only member of the family who does not have any issues going on and that becomes evident what the issues are something I will come back to. Charlie really does creep everyone out, on-screen and in the audience. Seriously that clicking/popping noise she was making really had me on edge constantly. Peter again ended up struggling with the events that were happening and I honestly felt so sorry for that character as he needed so much help and no one was willing to offer him that help.
The film and story are a lot deeper than you might first thing, everything is linked for the family and that is what has created so many problems. Mental health is at the core of it all and something that really should not be ignored. Especially when thinking about how children behave and react to different things.
I really did feel myself sitting very tense for probably the first half of the film as it lost my interest slightly when it entered the spiritualism part as that is something that I really do not buy into at all. I felt it lost a little bit of momentum at that point for me personally. But then the way it continued on and ended was not anything I was expecting at all and it completely blew my mind as it entered into the truly obscure and unknown really. I did get a few senses with different characters that something just wasn't quite right but in no way did I guess how it was all going to end. Again something that I just don't understand and get, which I guess made it all even more shocking.
In terms of performances each and every member of the cast were outstanding. Toni Collette in the different stages and ranges of emotion she manages to let unfold is something very special. The huge breakout performance from Milly Shaprio was outstanding, I am sure everyone will be a little bit freaked out by her for a while after this one a big change for the actress who helped originate the role of Matilda on Broadway a few years ago now! Gabriel Byrne even though I could not quite decide if it was him or not throughout the film, which has led me to believe I take no notice at all during opening credits! Alex Wolff really showing off what he can do as well, in what was a very tricky role for the young actor.
I guess this one you really do just have to watch and make your own mind up on, different parts will certainly effect different people in different ways!
