Hereditary

Name: Hereditary
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Horror
Released: June 8, 2018
Duration: 127 min
Rating: 87
Cast: Alex Wolff, Ann Dowd, Austin R. Grant, BriAnn Rachele, Christy Summerhays

2018

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 49 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 1156 Ratings

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6.7

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6.7	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 1156 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

A24 | Release Date: June 8, 2018 | R

Starring: Alex Wolff, Ann Dowd, Austin R. Grant, BriAnn Rachele, Christy Summerhays, Gabriel Byrne, Gabriel Monroe Eckert, Harrison Nell, Jake Brown, Jarrod Phillips, John Forker, Mallory Bechtel, Marilyn Miller, Mark Blockovich, Milly Shapiro, Morgan Lund, Rachelle Hardy, Toni Collette, Zachary Arthur

Summary: When Ellen, the matriarch of the Graham family, passes away, her daughter's family begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry. The more they discover, the more they find themselves trying to outrun the sinister fate they seem to have inherited. [A24]

Director: Ari Aster

Genre(s): Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Horror

Rating: R

Runtime: 127 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Joshua Rothkopf

A harrowing story of unthinkable family tragedy that veers into the realm of the supernatural, Hereditary takes its place as a new generation's The Exorcist—for some, it will spin heads even more savagely. Read full review

100

April Wolfe

Jun 7, 2018

In Aster’s story, as in life, the devil is in the details. As the film goes on, these details accumulate, coalesce, and then hang heavy over the characters. Read full review

100

Empire Dan Jolin

Jun 14, 2018

A raw horror masterpiece from a first-time director that deserves to be mentioned in the same frantic breath as the genre’s greats. Even the most jaded viewer should find something in Hereditary to disturb and distress them. Read full review

Owen Gleiberman

Ari Aster directs slowly, meditatively, purging the film of any of the usual horror-video razzmatazz. Instead, he creates scary coherent spaces for the audience to sink into. Read full review

Tasha Robinson

Feb 6, 2018

Hereditary is a hell of an intense ride, made for a crowd that enjoys heart-clutching adrenaline spikes. The cast is unerringly terrific. Read full review

Ann Hornaday

Jun 7, 2018

Creepy, creepy, creepy. Writer-director Ari Aster makes an impressively unnerving debut with Hereditary, a meticulously crafted horror thriller. Read full review

Rex Reed

Jun 12, 2018

These days actors not only appear in bad movies, they are forced to produce their own flops themselves. Toni Collette and Gabriel Byrne co-executive produced Hereditary. They deserve what they get, in spades. Read full review

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User Reviews

Protodeus

Jun 8, 2018

An unholy, relentless, demented film that is emotionally torturous and visually deranged. It will make you feel almost defiled after you leave the theater.

I have watched a lot of 'critically acclaimed' horror movies. The Witch, The Babadook, It Follows etc... I honestly didn't care for anyAn unholy, relentless, demented film that is emotionally torturous and visually deranged. It will make you feel almost defiled after you leave the theater.

I have watched a lot of 'critically acclaimed' horror movies. The Witch, The Babadook, It Follows etc... I honestly didn't care for any of them. This movie lived up to the hype. I can't really explain why it's so horrifying, but it just feels so... wrong. The way the film captures absolute grief and despair made my emotions churn, and there are some moments in the final 20 minutes of the film that were absolutely horrifying. Of course, this film is nothing without Toni Collette, who gives a performance worthy of an Academy Award. She walks a very fine line between portraying an emotionally traumatized, psychologically damaged woman and not hamming it up to the point where it's funny. I'm actually not kidding, I think it's one of the best performances from an actress that I have ever seen. Alex Wolff also gives an absolutely wonderful performance. The movie is a slow burn, but it's never boring. It's never pretentious either, which I felt was the case with 'The Witch' and 'It Comes at Night'. I honestly think that it is equal to the Exorcist in its horrific imagery. It's really one of the best horror films I've seen in a very long time, and I highly recommend it.… Expand

44 of 116 users found this helpful4472

NoahPfister

Feb 27, 2019

I...uh...I really can't speak for this movie the way that a normal person would. What you have here is a thriller of spectacular proportions. The acting, writing, and directing is all spectacular, and while this isn't a thriller or horror movie in mainstream terms, it still deserves to beI...uh...I really can't speak for this movie the way that a normal person would. What you have here is a thriller of spectacular proportions. The acting, writing, and directing is all spectacular, and while this isn't a thriller or horror movie in mainstream terms, it still deserves to be watched as a unique and thrilling experience. Ari Aster is the bread and butter of Hereditary, writing and directing scenes of pure horror and mystery in ways that pleased me. Toni Collette speaks for herself...I mean, she's Toni Collette, she's great in everything she's in. Newcomer Milly Shapiro is...is...just great. Her performance is unsettling and just great. Even Alex Wolff, FROM THE NAKED BROTHERS BAND (CRAZY CAR FOR LIFE) is, too, pretty good. Everyone here was pretty good, not a single dull performance in my opinion. The cinematography and music also compliments the movie as well, but it is a slow burn at times and is a lot different from what horror can usually be, so this might be like a fine wine--an acquired taste, so while I may have enjoyed it, it might not be right for you personally. But that being said, it does have rewatchability as there are certain things that you see a second time that don't hit you the first time. So I'm forced to watch it, then watch it again.… Expand

1 of 10 users found this helpful19

DavidKrivick

Jul 1, 2018

Tense psychological horror drama. Cinematography, acting and ST is awesome.

4 of 15 users found this helpful411

laulau

Jun 26, 2018

Movie starts out interesting and with lots of tension. Does drag a bit every now and then in the middle. The ending is too cliche and pay off is predictable. A more open ending would serve the movie a lot better. Acting is really good and it has some beautiful imagery and strong scenes. ButMovie starts out interesting and with lots of tension. Does drag a bit every now and then in the middle. The ending is too cliche and pay off is predictable. A more open ending would serve the movie a lot better. Acting is really good and it has some beautiful imagery and strong scenes. But not really satisfying overall in the end. Oh, and it's also not really scary.. which doesn't have to be a problem if the story is interesting enough.… Expand

5 of 19 users found this helpful514

MikoH

Jul 5, 2018

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The character of Annie Graham was played exceptionally well with astoundingly realistic and profound facial expressions and body language helping paint a sharp picture of the character. The fear and angst was well expressed and the character’s body language was overall very persuasive. I strongly disliked the moment when she levitated up into the tree house as it took away from the realism and felt very detached from the rest of the movie however I am aware of the movie’s budget and the sacrifices that must be made to ensure that the storyline progresses (although it would be more effective if she just crawled up the tree quickly). There was no way around it. I felt as though Peter’s character could’ve been developed more and the bond between him and the family could’ve been strengthened. Because of the poor relationship he seemed to have with Annie I think that reduced the effectiveness of the ending. The characters seemed slightly distant from each other. In order to increase the fear factor I don’t particularly like how early on in the movie Charlie died. Because of her forbidding appearance I feel as though there was a lot of potential to increase the fear factor by including more scenes of her later on (which wouldn’t drastically alter the plot). I would also like to know more about Ellen and an explanation as to why Charlie possessed Peter’s body and became the king of hell. Why would she want to be in the body of the person that killed her? I really liked the camera work and sound effects which sustained the suspense throughout the movie although I believe the lighting could’ve been improved and some of the props seemed to lack symbolism or the rooms felt maybe a little bit bare with nothing to foreshadow. The twist with Joan didn’t seem to work, it seemed pointless as she didn’t add much to the story. Overall it was a good movie with interesting ideas and had plenty of disturbing scenes and anticipation.… Expand

2 of 27 users found this helpful225

Rebecca31

Jun 20, 2018

I had such high hopes and Hereditary didn’t even come close. It does a good job reminding you of The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby, yet I also couldn’t help but be reminded of The Babadook and The Witch. These are just two examples of films the critics did not shut up about for months. I wentI had such high hopes and Hereditary didn’t even come close. It does a good job reminding you of The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby, yet I also couldn’t help but be reminded of The Babadook and The Witch. These are just two examples of films the critics did not shut up about for months. I went to see both due to the hype and was left disappointed. Hereditary comes along promising much of the same, I can’t help but get caught up in the hype. I’ve heard the hysteria, I’m prepared, I settle down ready to be terrified and instead I was bored and waiting for the credits to roll so I could finally leave. Oh sure they can compare it to The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby all they like, put it on all the posters if you want but it doesn’t make it The Exorcist or Rosemary’s Baby. Maybe I missed something, but for me Hereditary was only mildly better than your average horror movie.

After the death of her mother, Annie (Toni Collette) and her family begin to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry. Despite a promising start Hereditary falls into the trap about half way through where it completely lost me, the plot became ridiculous and instead of getting scared I was losing interest. The first half was filled to the brim with atmosphere, so tense and gripping I thought we were on to a winner here. Hereditary puts the effort in to build the tension and create a foreboding atmosphere. Wonderfully shot, the cinematography is simply amazing. Many of the scenes give the sensation of looking at a miniature view of the set, an impressive amount of attention to detail, such a shame the rest of the film didn’t live up to this standard. It’s got some shocking scenes that will disturb you alright, and will no doubt stay in your mind well after the film has ended. Toni Collette is excellent. Her performance is carrying the film, yet the plot doesn’t offer much else, the hammy acting throws you out of the suspenseful horror movie and into over the top and generally trying to suss out whether it’s okay to laugh or not. I wasn’t the only one trying to stifle laughter on more than one occasion and I’m sure I won’t be the last. First time director Ari Aster hasn’t exactly given us a flop, it’s well directed for one thing and I hope his next film works out a little better.

You all know I love horror films so you can believe me when I say Hereditary does not live up to the hype it promises. You’ve seen similar ideas done before only better. Not recommended unless you just love seeing some disturbing cinema in that case enjoy. And don’t forget to scare your fellow movie goers with a tongue click AFTER the film has ended, NOT during a quiet and suspenseful moment.… Expand

11 of 23 users found this helpful1112

erfunfazli

Aug 14, 2023

Worst movie I have ever seen. One of the most overrated movies, one of the most boring movies.
It's just a terrible copy from The Witch movie.
Its genre is horror but there is no fear in this movie. Seriously I don't know how they could make a bad movie like this. It seems they tried to makeWorst movie I have ever seen. One of the most overrated movies, one of the most boring movies.
It's just a terrible copy from The Witch movie.
Its genre is horror but there is no fear in this movie.
Seriously I don't know how they could make a bad movie like this. It seems they tried to make a movie who is bad in every parameter.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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