Hereditary Review: 6 Ups And 3 Downs

Ups...

6. (Mostly) Avoids Genre Conventions

Hereditary has its moments where it resembles other Haunted House genre films. However, for the most part, this film is consistently unpredictable and difficult to nail down as to what kind of horror movie it's going to be. Bouncing back-and-forth between both human and supernatural elements makes you constantly guess what is real and imaginary, giving the film an edge originality-wise over other scary movies that choose a more straightforward path. You'll continually second-guess yourself on things you saw and theorize-while-watching on what exactly is happening. It keeps things fresh, doesn't limit itself in the expected components of the genre, and it's better for it.

If something shows up in frame that wasn't there initially or is something you really don't want to look at, there's never an explosion of sound to trigger the audience's quick jump in their seats. The moment is treated in a rather quiet sense, letting the audience decide just how terrified/affected they are.

There are certainly moments where the film hits the expected beats of typical horror movies, but it never dwells on it for too long. Since the story and characters are the central focus here, the scary elements serve as complements rather than crutches, bolstering the film to a greater height than it would've otherwise reached.