10 Greatest Unspoken Horror Movie Plot Points

At the end of Ari Aster's Hereditary, it's revealed that the tragic series of circumstances befalling the Graham family were all planned by Annie's (Toni Collette) dead mother, Ellen (Kathleen Chalfant), who was the leader of a coven plotting to raise the demon king Paimon.

More to the point, the coven has been surreptitiously following the family for the entire movie right from the establishing scenes, yet only especially keen-eyed viewers are likely to notice even on repeat viewings.

First and foremost, Ellen's funeral is attended by a number of individuals who are then seen as coven members in the film's third act.

But most creepily, if you crank the contrast during the night-time exterior shots of the family home early on, you'll be able to spot nude members of the coven standing in the woods, watching the house.

The lighting (or lack thereof) makes it difficult to spot the bodies scattered around, but they're there alright, confirming just how obsessively the coven was monitoring the Grahams and ensuring every step of their plan worked as intended. Terrifying.