Hereditary isn’t your typical horror film with jump scares and gore; it’s a psychological thriller that masterfully uses realism, suspense, and unsettling themes to burrow under your skin and stay with you long after the credits roll. The film’s power to disturb comes from its exploration of inherited trauma, the breakdown of family and identity, and the fragility of the human psyche, all amplified by Ari Aster’s masterful direction and the chilling performances of the cast.
Subverting Expectations and Genre Tropes
One of the things that sets Hereditary apart from other horror films is its subversion of expectations and genre tropes. Aster deliberately avoids relying on cheap thrills and jump scares, instead crafting an atmosphere of dread and psychological terror that slowly builds throughout the film. This approach keeps the audience on edge, constantly anticipating the next horrifying revelation, but never quite knowing when or how it will come.
The film also challenges the traditional “final girl” trope, a staple of the horror genre. In Hereditary, no one is safe from the malevolent forces at play. The entire family is ultimately decimated, leaving the audience with a profound sense of hopelessness and inevitability. This subversion of a classic trope contributes to the film’s overall sense of dread and its lingering impact on the viewer.
Masterful Use of Cinematography and Sound
Ari Aster’s meticulous direction is crucial to the film’s unsettling atmosphere. The cinematography is deliberate and often unsettling, employing long takes, slow zooms, and unusual angles to create a sense of voyeurism and unease. The camera lingers on disturbing details, forcing the audience to confront the uncomfortable realities of the characters’ descent into madness. For instance, in one scene, Peter wakes up in class, and the camera slowly zooms in on his reflection in the window, revealing a sinister figure lurking behind him. This technique creates a sense of paranoia and dread, as the audience is made aware of the unseen threat before Peter is.
Adding to this unsettling realism, the production design team meticulously crafted the miniatures and the actual house to align perfectly. This blurring of the lines between reality and the miniature world further enhances the film’s unsettling atmosphere and plays with the audience’s perception. Interestingly, the film was originally set in a desolate winter in Utah, which would have further amplified the bleak and unsettling atmosphere. While the final setting differs, the filmmakers’ consideration of different settings highlights their commitment to enhancing the film’s overall tone.
The sound design in Hereditary is equally effective in building tension and creating a sense of dread. The film utilizes a combination of unsettling silence, jarring sound effects, and a haunting score by Colin Stetson to amplify the emotional impact of key scenes. The use of diegetic sound, such as the clicking of Charlie’s tongue or the scratching sounds in the attic, adds to the film’s realism and creates a sense of constant unease. These everyday sounds are transformed into something sinister, contributing to the overall feeling that something is not quite right.
Unsettling Realism and the Unseen
Hereditary derives much of its horror from its grounding in realism. The film avoids over-the-top special effects or fantastical creatures, instead focusing on the horrors that can lurk within seemingly ordinary families and homes. This approach makes the film’s events feel more plausible and, therefore, more disturbing.
The film masterfully utilizes the unseen to create a constant sense of unease and anticipation. Director Ari Aster uses shadows, off-screen spaces, and subtle cues to suggest that something sinister is always lurking just out of sight. This technique leaves the audience in a state of perpetual suspense, their imaginations filling in the gaps with their own fears and anxieties. The recurring motif of Peter seeing his grandmother’s ghost in the shadows, often just a fleeting glimpse or a figure obscured by darkness, adds to the film’s unsettling atmosphere. The audience, like Peter, is never quite sure what is real and what is a figment of his imagination, blurring the lines between sanity and madness.
The Breakdown of Family and Identity
At its core, Hereditary is a film about the disintegration of a family in the face of grief and trauma. The Graham family is already fractured and dysfunctional before tragedy strikes, and the death of their matriarch, Ellen, sets in motion a chain of events that exposes the deep-seated secrets and resentments that have been festering beneath the surface.
The film explores the terrifying idea that trauma can be inherited, passed down through generations like a curse. Annie, haunted by her mother’s troubled past and her own struggles with mental illness, grapples with the fear that she is destined to repeat the cycle of suffering. This theme of inherited fate and the inability to escape one’s family history adds a layer of existential dread to the film’s horror.
As the family unravels, the characters’ identities become increasingly fragmented and unstable. Annie’s mental breakdown is depicted with harrowing realism by Toni Collette, whose performance captures the raw pain and desperation of a woman losing her grip on reality. Peter, grappling with guilt and confusion, becomes increasingly withdrawn and isolated, ultimately becoming a vessel for the malevolent force that has been plaguing his family. The film’s exploration of mental breakdown is further emphasized by the recurring motif of decapitation. As pointed out in , the numerous instances of decapitation in the film are not just gruesome; they symbolize the characters’ mental state, literally depicting the idea of “losing your mind.”
Cultural Context and Psychological Themes
Hereditary taps into broader cultural anxieties surrounding family trauma, mental illness, and grief. The film’s exploration of these themes resonates with audiences on a deeper level, making the horror feel more personal and relatable. The film’s depiction of mental illness, in particular, is both nuanced and disturbing, avoiding sensationalism while still capturing the raw pain and isolation that can accompany such conditions.
The film also touches on themes of female agency and the pressures of motherhood. Annie’s struggles with her role as a mother, exacerbated by her own traumatic childhood and the influence of her manipulative mother, speak to the complex and often conflicting emotions that women can experience in relation to motherhood. These themes, while not explicitly supernatural, add another layer of depth and complexity to the film’s horror, grounding it in the realities of human experience.
Folk Horror Elements
While Hereditary draws on many classic horror tropes, it also incorporates elements of folk horror, a subgenre that often explores the dark side of folklore and rural traditions. The film’s focus on demonic possession and the occult, particularly the summoning of King Paimon, aligns with the folk horror tradition of exploring the intersection between the supernatural and the mundane.
The themes of motherhood and familial crisis, central to folk horror narratives, are also prominent in Hereditary. The film depicts the breakdown of the family unit and the vulnerability of individuals within a family structure, echoing the anxieties often explored in folk horror films. This blending of traditional horror elements with folk horror themes creates a unique and unsettling atmosphere that contributes to the film’s overall effectiveness.
Conclusion
Hereditary is a masterclass in horror filmmaking, expertly blending psychological realism, unsettling imagery, and masterful technical execution to create a truly terrifying and unforgettable experience. The film’s power lies in its ability to tap into primal fears about family, grief, and the fragility of the human psyche, leaving the audience with a lingering sense of dread and unease long after the credits roll. By subverting expectations, exploring complex themes, and grounding the horror in a relatable reality, Hereditary transcends the typical horror film and becomes a chilling exploration of the darkness that can lurk within ourselves and our families.
Furthermore, Hereditary has had a significant impact on the horror genre, influencing subsequent films with its focus on psychological realism and slow-burn terror. The film’s exploration of inherited trauma and mental illness has also sparked important conversations about these issues, contributing to a greater understanding and awareness of the challenges faced by individuals and families struggling with these conditions. Hereditary stands as a chilling reminder that sometimes the most terrifying monsters are not the ones lurking in the shadows, but the ones we carry within ourselves and the legacies that haunt our families.