Dir. Ari Aster | Now Streaming On: Hulu | Rating: 1/5

The directorial debut that rocked the horror genre and only film to hold the title of “scientifically speaking, the scariest film of all time.” Hereditary has reached a level of infamy well before its 4th birthday coming up next week. This is a review I’ve dreaded writing.

Hereditary features a strong cast and some of the most visceral imagery to grace the silver screen. Though a technically strong and undeniably bold debut, Hereditary loses itself in ambiguity. At a bloated 2+ hour runtime, this feels more like a ramble than a slow burn. While watching this film opening weekend, I noticed many people leaving 20 minutes in. And after the acid trip that is the last act, I spent an hour researching what the hell I just watched. The theming of generational trauma and grief is present, but far from palatable for most audiences.

Let’s address the elephant, or rather the telephone pole, in the room. The gore in this film shaped the trajectory of genre, I can’t dispute that. It succeeded at raising the stakes and expectations of SFX for even casual watchers. If we look at the major films that followed, including Midsommar, Old, and Halloween Kills, it has become a competition of who can outdo the precedent Hereditary set.

I think my problem with Hereditary is Aster’s attitude toward the subject matter of his films. Though Hereditary is his debut, his true entry into the scene came with The Strange Thing About the Johnsons, his viral senior thesis. It been widely discussed considering Aster is a white man and the short film features sexual abuse in a Black American family. Aster, seemingly on purpose, doesn’t address the controversy of his films, going as far to say “the color of the family isn’t important” and “I want it to be confusing.”

With this context, Hereditary feels less like a bold debut and more like an offbeat clout chase. For some, horror is an art, and for others, it’s a money maker. I think at this point, it’s too early to say what side of the fence Aster is on.

Know Before You Watch: Features flashing lights, extreme gore, blood, death, suicide, nudity.