11 HORRIFYING Films About Cults
1. Hereditary
Hereditary was the feature length directorial debut for Ari Aster, released in 2018 to rave reviews.
We’re introduced to the Graham family as they’re attending the funeral of Annie Graham’s (Toni Collette) mother. We discover they had a tempestuous relationship: they spent years not talking to each other, due to Annie’s mother being controlling and overly critical regarding how Annie was raising her children. They did, however, reconcile shortly before her death.
Over the course of the film, revelations about Annie’s mother’s connection to a sinister cult is gradually teased out, and what nefarious plans they have for the Graham family.
Watching Hereditary is like viewing a car crash in slow motion - it’s horrible and the tragic ending seems inevitable; the Graham family’s bad luck is predetermined, orchestrated by the cult.
While most of the film is a slow-burn horror, the final thirty minutes is a nerve-shredding nightmare, when the grinning, ghoulish cult members turn up and finally bring their plans to fruition. It’s the perfect example of the cultist-as-movie-monster.