Hereditary

An outstanding slice of horror filmmaking (with a few dashes of black comedy). You will legitimately struggle to find a better made film in the genre outside some of the obvious classics and a few exemplary contemporary efforts (It Follows stands out as another example where the horror was in the filmmaking itself as much as the literal creepy happenings). In terms of actual craft, this is one in a thousand.

From that ominous, slow-moving pan and zoom that opens proceedings, it's immediately clear Ari Aster is a gifted director, aided in no small part by Pawel Pogorzelski behind the camera. It is a film full of witty, impactful visual ideas: the central diorama motif; the extraordinary use of all sorts of lighting and shadows to craft deep, ominous and dynamic compositions; little jolts of perspective or unusual camera tilts to add to the unease; the elegant smash and match cuts that casually leap through time without losing any momentum. It's made with real purpose and intelligence, but of course all towards crafting a memorably haunting mood.

Important note: see this in a cinema with proper projection - haphazard or dim projection will mean you'll lose quite a bit of the visual nuance here.

Special shout out to Colin Stetson and his spectacular scoring work. I've been a fan of his expressive, mysterious music for a few years now, and his work here is top tier. While it brilliantly amplifies the most horrific moments without cheap soaring strings, I particularly love how it lingers, pulsating aggressively, during moments of quiet and downtime - really helps maintain the mood and sense of dread between the big moments. Indeed, the film excels more generally when it comes to giving things a chance to breathe. Scenes and shots last longer than they would in other similar films, allowing the atmosphere to really seep in. And when the camera moves, it often takes its time to get to where its going... one late film sequence in particular sees the camera casually lingering past dark walls as something terrifying lurks in the shadows.

It is, it goes without saying, a pretty creepy experience. Certainly much of what's here is familiar, and certainly moments where it goes full supernatural to mixed effect. But mostly this is a carefully paced thriller, the moments of shock & awe ( ) capably matched by stretches of building towards the inevitable explosions. Especially towards the end, there's a definite argument to be made that it over-explains ( ). Mostly, though, this is a well designed horror machine - and, crucially, the ****ed-up familial dynamics at the centre of it all are realised with gusto and without much superfluous explanation. And, while there's one notable , Aster also allows much more subtle links and ideas to emerge naturally and without overt explanation over the course of the film.

While Toni Collette obviously does great things with the most demanding role, definite praise for the two younger co-stars is needed too - Milly Shapiro portrays a deeply disturbed predominantly through crazed expressions, while Alex Wolff handles his character's more prolonged descent into madness with great effect.

It is, at its foundation, a horror movie that delivers a satisfying mix of the expected and the surprising - its tropes matched by other moments that go beyond what the audience is likely expecting. On its own, that would make for a pleasingly creepy night out at the cinema... but the magnificently accomplished direction, visuals and sound design are what really sell this impressively chilling and pleasingly unhinged film.