I know I use the word “favorite” a lot. Maybe too much. That’s because I have many favorite horror movies for many different reasons. “Favorite,” for me, is more of a range, a collection of movies rather than a singular designation. Tonight for Creeptober though, we’re watching my singular favorite horror movie of the 2010s. Tonight we watch Hereditary.
Reacting to Hereditary
I’ve written about Hereditary before. Please check that out if you’d like a deeper exploration of the elements that make Hereditary so disturbing. I won’t rehash all of that tonight. Instead, I just want to say a little about why Hereditary is my favorite horror movie of the 2010s.
I love Hereditary because it is expertly crafted. Every scene and every shot has a deep meaning. Everything is tied together right from the start, and the answers are all there if you know where to look. The story is told in so many ways. Visually, through actions, through inaction, sound design. It all adds up to causing that viewer to not just understand the plot, but to also feel the rising tension and utter darkness of the story even if they’re not explicitly aware of everything they’re being told.
Why are we so unsettled right from the first main scene at the funeral? Is it Annie’s uncomfortable eulogy for her mother? The fact that she and her mother are both wearing the same strange symbol on their necklaces? Charlie’s insightful yet dark drawing of Annie? Steve quietly closing Charlie’s notepad, thus ignoring his daughter’s feelings? Peter’s blank stare? The stranger smiling at Charlie? The obvious foreshadowing of Charlie’s nut allergy? Yes, it’s all of these things and more, and that all happens within about two and a half minutes. This film is loaded with information at all times.
The craftsmanship, the artistry of Hereditary invites multiple viewings. I’ve watched it many times, and I’m still enthralled by it every time I watch. I’m pretty sure I’ve gotten every connection, reference, and metaphor there is to get at this point, but great art is still great even if you’ve experienced it a bunch of times.
I also love Hereditary because of the level of acting seen throughout the film. Toni Collette has been talked about repeatedly over the years for her role as Annie, and she deserves all the praise she gets. Yes, she should’ve been nominated for an Oscar for this, and she should’ve won. Alex Wolff should also be mentioned alongside Toni for his performance. Alex is heartbreaking as Peter, and you can see the toll the role is taking on him throughout the movie. He’s fantastic, and all of the scenes where Peter and Annie interact are incredibly, realistically tense. Even the scene where Peter is just asking to borrow a car for the night is dripping with tension. Toni and Alex are amazing together.
I’m also drawn back to Hereditary over and over again because I tend to gravitate towards bleak stories. I think it’s because when done well, the feeling of a dark story like this is supremely intense. I enjoy happy stories too, and I need them to counteract the effect of movies like Hereditary, but when a movie can unnerve and unsettle me as much as this one does, it makes a huge impact on me.
I wish I liked Ari Aster’s other movies as much as this. I enjoy Midsommar a lot, but nowhere near as much as Hereditary. I like Beau is Afraid okay, but I haven’t watched it again since it was in theaters. And I’ll confess, I haven’t gotten around to Eddington yet. Sometimes it’s just like that though. You’ll be on the exact right wavelength for one movie from a director, but the rest don’t do much for you. Oh well. I’ll still keep watching Hereditary every once in a while, and I’ll keep enjoying it.
