The thing is, this is one of those movies that you really want to go into with almost no information, and just let the story unfold. And to be clear, it unfolds very, very slowly. But along the way, the audience is treated to some fantastic, disturbing moments of horror, which stand out even more because of the film’s pace. That being said, it’s easily 30-40 minutes too long, and it suffers greatly for that. The other thing it suffers from is that the trailer did the move a disservice. It suggests there is some Sixth Sense-like twist behind everything, when in fact the story plays out in a pretty straightforward way.
But when you combine the handful of great build-up moments with the incredible last fifteen to twenty minutes, they make Hereditary a must-see movie. Most horror flicks these days don’t have any moments that truly stick with you afterwards, and this movie has several. And one thing that has not been overhyped about this film is Toni Collette’s performance–she is superb.
Just keep your expectations reasonable, and Hereditary will be a pleasantly terrifying surprise.