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Hereditary’s Most Disturbing Scenes, from Charlie’s Death to Annie in the Attic

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A scene from the 2018 horror film Hereditary

Spoilers for Hereditary (2018) follow.

A scene from the horror film Hereditary (2018)
A still from the 2018 horror film Hereditary. (Hereditary (2018))

The most shocking scene in Hereditary is when Charlie is beheaded. Peter has been driving Charlie to the hospital after she suffers an allergic reaction at a party. As she struggles to breathe, she puts her head out the window. Peter swerves around a dead animal, and a roadside post decapitates her.

A still from the 2018 horror film Hereditary
A scene from the 2018 horror film Hereditary. (Hereditary, 2018)

The most gut-wrenching scene comes the following morning, when Annie discovers her daughter’s body. It’s a strong contender for the film’s scariest moment. Ari Aster keeps the camera on Peter as he lies awake in bed and hears Annie begin to scream. He’s left Charlie in the car overnight.

Every scene in the film’s finale is pretty scary. Annie is possessed by a demonic force at this point. We see her silently crawling up the wall behind Peter.

We see her upside down on the ceiling, banging her head on the attic door. And finally we see Annie floating in the attic as she slowly uses a piano wire to decapitate herself.

A scene from the horror film Hereditary (2018)
A still from the 2018 horror film Hereditary. (Hereditary (2018))
A still from the 2018 horror film Hereditary
A scene from the 2018 horror film Hereditary. (Hereditary, 2018)
A young man in a hoodie and blood-stained blue shirt walks down a dark hallway past a lit miniature dollhouse on a table.
A young man with blood on his shirt walks through a dimly lit hallway past a glowing miniature dollhouse — a still from Hereditary (2018).
Close-up of a woman with long hair screaming with wide, bloodshot eyes and an open mouth, tears on her face, lit by orange light.
Mouth agape and eyes wide with terror, a woman screams in a close-up shot bathed in warm, ominous orange light from Hereditary (2018).
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Meet the author

Chrissy Stockton

Chrissy is the co-founder of Creepy Catalog. She has over 10 years of experience writing about horror, a degree in philosophy and Reiki level II certification.

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