Tagline: Every family tree hides a secret.
Synopsis: When the matriarch of the Graham family passes away, her daughter and grandchildren begin to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry, trying to outrun the sinister fate they have inherited. (Google)
This movie is SO good. The genre that is talked about in conjunction with this film (and others, more recent, and those of the past) is a new (or rather, revived) field in horror studies: folk horror. I love that term. I talked about it in my post about Shirley Jackson's The Lottery. The key elements of folk horror are landscape, isolation, skewed belief systems and morality, and the summoning/happening, and Hereditary certainly fits with these elements. I can't say too much about the film without giving away the story, but to say this one blew me away is an understatement. Ari Aster is a genius writer and film maker (his film, Midsommar will be featured in another upcoming post) and I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.
If you've seen Hereditary, you should check out this article, Hereditary as Folk Horror.
What is your favorite supernatural horror film?
Sooooo, I'm in the minority here; I realize the whole world seems to love Hereditary. LOL And I love me some folk horror, onscreen and on the page, but this one just didn't do it for me. The actors were excellent, though. :-)
ReplyDeleteNo worries! Not everyone can like the same thing. I know people who loved it, and others who hated it. I think it's one of those polarizing movies. :)
DeleteI liked it! I liked how different it was. It was filmed in Park City, Utah, my stomping grounds. The actors I love so much. But I hated the ending. It was too dark and depressing. Which is why I loved Midsommar so much more. Plus the poor Pagans seem to get a bad rap in all of his movies. What's up with that? ha ha!
ReplyDeleteGlad you loved it too. That's so cool it was filmed near you!
DeleteI look at it like he's trying to illustrate how any "religion" is fueled by ritual, and all "religions" have a cruel side to them in the name of their beliefs. So, the Pagans in his movies are like extremist Christians. lol
I know. It's just funny that his two movies have dealt with extreme Pagans.
DeleteHave you seen the Changeling? With George C. Scott? I saw that as a kid and it still freaks me out.
Yeah, it makes me wonder what his next one will be about.
DeleteI did see it, but I need to watch it again. I remember it was a good one. I believe it's also considered folk horror.