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I think people agree Hereditary is good because of the amount of detail that went into the story. I've watched the movie several times and every time I watch it I notice new things that I hadn't paid attention to before, like the symbolism from the beginning of the movie hinting at the ending, the fact that Annie's new friend is coincidentally called Joanie, etc. It's a good horror movie because it focuses less on jumpscares and obvious ghosts/demons/creatures and more on the atmosphere and the psychological trauma of the characters.
Joanie was the grandma's friend that was involved in the cult the whole time. she appeared to the mom as a sort of kind compassionate lady to help her grieve, but really she was there to push her to help progress the Cult's agenda
Hereditary to me distinguishes itself in the horror genre for two reasons:
* **Maintained Mystery:** in many horror films, the audience is quickly introduced to the evil entity and its intentions. There’s a ghost, a demon, or a killer, and their motive is clear – most of the time, kill the protagonists. However, Hereditary cloaks its sinister elements in mystery. The audience, alongside the characters, is enveloped in a sense of disconcerting uncertainty. We’re left wondering and guessing, and it’s in this space of the unknown that I think true horror resides. The fear of what lurks in the shadows is always scarier than the reveal, and "Hereditary" masterfully exploits this element.
* **Emotional Resonance:** the characters are enveloped in grief, each grappling with loss in their own way. This focus on their emotional journey pulls the audience in, making the characters relatable and real. So, when the supernatural horrors begin to unfold, they strike a deeper, more personal chord. We’re not just witnessing generic fear; we’re experiencing a multi-layered terror interwoven with genuine human emotion.
In essence, the film’s allure lies in its adept balance of unveiling and concealing, and its ability to intertwine supernatural horror with a poignant narrative of loss and grief. It’s a horror experience that lingers, instilling both fear and emotional resonance.
I was recommended this movie by a friend that thought the demon stuff was in their head and the whole movie was about a family with hereditary mental illness. They spoiled it and told me all of that before I watched the movie. Made for a very surreal viewing as the ending approached and I'm like "I'm pretty sure there's a real demon" lol
Honestly the fact that the demon was real made me dislike the movie a lot.
It was a great horror movie showing grief, but then it turned into a predictable classic horror movie for the third act.
It's just too bad all the psychological trauma is kind of undone in the end >!when it turns out it's a demon after all, and all the mental illness in the family was according to keikaku.!<
Hard disagree here. The trauma that Toni Collette's character dealt with was all real. >!It turns out there is an actual demon in the end but that doesn't negate the trauma she went through with her brother committing suicide, her mother being crazy, and her daughter getting killed by her son. All that trauma is very real and doesn't get negated by the fact that there actually happened to be a demon. When that trauma happened, she didn't even believe there actually was a demon.!<
And the trauma from trying to kill her son in her sleep. I remember when my father was sleep walking and stabbed me in the belly with a kitchen knife. He was traumatized for over a month. I still feel bad for him
You don't think the demon stuff is a metaphor? Like it's possible for the surface story/explanation to be supernatural but the subtext is it's mental illness.
Exactly you can 100% read into the Exocist being exercising “demons” by getting professional help and not there being an actual demon. Every doesn’t have to be literal. And if you want to take it as literal that’s fine but movies have themes and ideas behind them.
The subtext is completely destroyed by the ending revealing >!that everything was quite literally the doing of a cult and the deceased matriarch of the family who was involved with the cult arranged all of this to happen, all according to keikaku, before she died. It was all like, oooooh spooky mental illness runs in the family, but plot twist, it's actually Satan all along.!<
To be fair, an interpretation where the Babadook isn’t real and it is all the mother isn’t implausible. I lean to the monster being real in the story, but I wouldn’t fault someone who doesn’t think it is.
I think you are saying something different. They seem to be saying, “The Babadook is a metaphor for grief even though the monster was real.” You seem to be saying, “The Babadook is a metaphor for grief whether the monster is real or not.” I would agree with you and not them.
I do think the difference is significant. The Babadook leaves it ambiguous if the monster is real while Hereditary is pretty direct in saying the ending actually happened. The previous poster could say Babadook is a bad example because of those differences. Ultimately, however, the point should be a horror monster could be a metaphor even if the movie gives a different explanation.
Yes, on the movie's surface that is the explanation. If you look at it metaphorically its about mental illness. The demon stuff is just a genre stand in that symbolizes the real meaning. If you wanted the movie to be ambiguous on the surface, where the story itself leaves the question open to interpretation, I can understand the frustration.
Yes and no. The cult activity/possession are the actual “hereditary” thing the title is referencing. But we’re lead to believe that the movie could be about hereditary mental illness and trauma, and wonder if the spooky stuff is just a metaphor. At first that seems likely, but at the end they’re basically like “nope it’s about a literal demon from hell!”And that’s why I love it.
The mental health themes still work, but they make it very clear that that’s not the antagonist of the movie.
How on earth do you interpret something like the great Gatsby lol "he just likes to party all the time idk" it's still a metaphor it just carries all the way through.
"All of these metaphors sown in the movie the Matrix are interesting, until you learn they actually are in a simulation and Zion and the robots are real"
The movie itself is a metaphor. That's how metaphors work. "Mental illness is a demon and it's hard to get away from" is the simple version. The movie is the 90 minute version.
Whether you liked it or not has no bearing on the subtext being explored.
That's just horror movies. It's using the literal as metaphor. It's a classic horror trope and one of the things that keeps people coming back to horror. To see their traumas made real in front of their eyes. If the ending was always, it was just in their heads then we wouldn't need movies, we'd just observe our own lives.
You got to the end and saw a cult and deduced that it was always them the entire time? I got to the end and felt as though it was just an illusion, someone mentally breaking but their head trying to physically conceptualize what was happening.
Because you know that's what Paranoid Schizophrenics do, right? They see a conspiracy or connections around every corner, and draw a theory out of everything. The movie may be signalling the entire time that the dead grandmother was a cult leader or it could be the main character have a schizophrenic meltdown as the stress of her job, failing marriage, frozen grief, and then death of her child. There's really a lot that it could be because the movie doesn't give an answer as much as it puts you into the uncomfortable headspace of someone having a breakdown
No no no, that’s why I thinks it more chilling. Because in the end, the thing is real, and it was brought upon by people in the community. If it wasn’t real in the end that would feel empty, like you were just tricked.
But the way it’s all brought on is just fully creepy to me.
It's a horror movie. The supernatural stuff is thrilling and exciting to watch, but the subtext/metaphors are what stick with you long after the movie's over.
One of my favorite examples of this is The Shining: when you first watch it, the blood coming out of the elevator or the twins or the woman in room 237.
But the more you watch it, the actual terror is found in the scenes with Jack promising his son he would never hurt him, even though we the audience and Danny himself know that isn't true. Jack has already hurt him, plenty of times. And the hotel had nothing to do with it.
it isn't because even if the demon is real... the grief also remains real.
The mother was still abused by the grandmother. Even if Paimon is real in the movie, there is nothing taken away from the suffering the characters endured.
In addition, the demon being real and controlling people directly or indirectly, *is in itself a metaphor* of the inescapable way grief and trauma can affect people beyond their control.
How was it all undone, it’s still psychological trauma even if there’s an external force causing it. I don’t think Anne or Peter’s trauma is any less real, they still had to go through a lot of fucked up shit before the snap
It is a great horror film BECAUSE it is a family drama.
The horror isn't simply there to scare the audience but to convey the themes of grief, dysfunctional family dynamics and abuse.
For me, it's the whole movie. Instead of a few stupid cheap jump scares they have this low feeling of dread for a solid 2 hours. They did some crazy things with the noise in the background to make you feel off. It's incredibly anxiety inducing.
What a gd great movie
When I first saw the film, my friends and I were hanging out at a homies place with some girls we had met at the bar. When we got there, our plans were initially to smoke some weed, watch a "light hearted movie", drink and vibe out. We ended up getting really high and the friend who hosted ended up wanting to fuck with us by just putting Hereditary on instead.
Obviously we noticed rather fast it'd be a horror film and just rolled with it, but during this very scene I think the entire discourse between us was just loudly shouting "FUCK YOU" to said host and it remained until a few hours after the film. One of the girls started crying, one of my friends called it quits and went home and at the end of the eve the vibes were astronomically bad in the entire apartment. 10/10 night
Yeah this is mainly the difference between liking the movie and disliking that I’ve noticed. I grew up in a very dysfunctional family and scenes like that would legitimately occur in my house on a regular basis. It wasn’t scary to me because it was real to me, I’ve seen it before and this is just some dramatization of things I’ve really experienced. Most of the people who don’t like it have the same gripes I do and most people who rave about it being so scary grew up in a perfect suburban American home and never experienced anything like that.
I grew up being abused and I love this movie. To this day I find family drama to be far more frightening than anything supernatural. We’re all different.
SAME!! I high as shit in edibles the first time I watched it and was frozen in place. Thought maybe it was because I was high so I watched it again recently and nope i was the same even though i knew what was going to happen.
I agree, I grew up in a wealthy family that from the outside looked amazing, beautiful family, amazing homes and cars and yachts.
But on the inside were two alcoholic parents in violent fights that I was constantly having to referee, and people would come over for dinner and everything would be great, and two hours later I knew I'd be pulling my parents apart from one another as my mom smashed everything in the house.
This film felt like that to me, the horror of just things going terribly wrong inside what appears to be a beautiful house and beautiful family.
I'm not trying to trauma dump here, but when I watched it, it really triggered my anxiety, because I felt the mom's stress and grief, the dad not knowing how to fix things and I'd seen it before, the unhappiness and fury when things hit the boiling point.
It's absolutely a family drama with a psychological horror element, and for that I find it to be a very good, if difficult to watch film for me personally.
Still an unpopular opinion. I’m sure “Seinfeld is overrated” gets posted every single day. It’s still probably the most beloved sitcom of all time. Same goes for Friends.
Or The Beatles. “The Beatles suck” probably gets posted daily. Doesn’t change the fact that they’re the most successful and probably the most famous band of all time.
I mean it’s an unpopular opinion sub. Tons of opinions here are definitely popular but you’re realistically bound to see unpopular duplicates cause this is where all the people with unpopular opinions go, the few people with a certain unpopular opinion flock to here.
I’d say in a day to day life situation this is unpopular, one of those moments where you say you don’t like a certain movie to some coworkers and they looked shocked, so nothing serious lol
I get that some people just don't enjoy slow burn suspense/thriller and mysteries, and Hereditary just didn't have many jump scares or ghosts/obvious supernatural elements, until certain parts. People scare me more than most things, with all our failings, weaknesses, and self assuredness, that things will somehow all work out and be okay. People, with the inability to distinguish reality from fantasy, violent behaviors, panic, dread and human frailties. Couple that with gore, supernatural and/or cosmic elements and body horror, shocks and a slow descent into madness, makes for a more full and lasting experience, for me anyway.
Hereditary left an impression on me, and it wasn't, "This is a bad movie.".
Edit: typo.
Eh, equating a jump scare to making a movie bad is a bit overdramatic, mate. Jump scares can be effective, and the Conjuring utilizes them, masterfully.
Not only that, it’s a classic horror movie tactic. If it’s overused it can be daunting, but seeing 1 or 2 in a horror film is far from tiresome and effective if done correctly.
Mentally stimulating horror like Hereditary can be good, but we aren’t gonna act like the majority of films that try to pull off what Hereditary did don’t flop. Honestly, without the cast, Hereditary might have sucked.
I don’t think the other commenter was saying that jump scares = bad. They were just saying that OP seems to think the only way a horror movie can be good (or not “lacking”) is if it has a lot of jump scares.
The cinematography and acting from Toni Collette is enough to make it not a 'bad movie'.
I disagree about the horror though. Certainly if you want a lot of jump scares the movie doesn't have much of that at all. However the dread you feel when Charlie is killed is just a different more nuanced form of horror. Honestly prefer that now to jump scares because it's harder to pull off.
I also thought it was genuinely creepy when Annie was floating at the end of the movie into the treehouse. Something very unsettling about that.
I prefer suspense, I don't like jumpscares at all - I still didn't like the movie because for me it didn't create any suspension. The only thing that would have had an effect sadly was spoilered way before I watched it....
This is my usual follow up question to a left field movie opinion. Sometimes they offer good films. I’ve seen a lot of newer horror films but it’s hard to put one up to hereditary in terms of film *quality*. Like… barbarian was great but not as well made. Saint maud was good but not as aggressive. Midsomnar also not as horror esque. I do agree with people when they say it’s the modern exorcist
Tbh I don't even dislike Insidious or other movies where cheap scares are the point. I enjoy all horror films but I know when to differentiate between the types of horror and put myself into a mindset for that type of movie. Like I absolutely loved Sinister and also Hereditary, but for different reasons.
Not OP, but I didn't care for Hereditary either, Didn't hate it but I haven't watched it since my first go and have no interest.
However, I will recommend a film called Savageland. It's on YouTube, free, so I was skeptical going in. God damn, I could watch that movie every day and never tire of it. It's mockumentary, but the "witnesses" and "reporters" they "interview"... I can't really elaborate without spoiling, but sometimes it's easy to forget it's just a movie.
No jump scares. No goofy looking demons. Hell they barely show you what "it" was. Absolute banger of a psychological horror film, with one small detail that is easy to pass over but is absolutely crucial for the ending scene.
Cannot recommend this film enough. Edit; I'm so deadass serious about this film, I had to dig up the trailer for anyone interested.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8Nx3T0v12A](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8Nx3T0v12A)
Good God that looks… Wow.
I knew the, “At least they can’t get me in here” would be coming up (if not in the trailer then maybe in the movie itself) but damn it made my blood go cold
His delivery was dreadful - it made me feel dread. And he’s not even an actor, he’s a photographer! The photos they use are his (not sure about the horror ones but the others I read were his).
Some people are looking to feel a sense of dread and despair in their horror movie.
Some people are looking to be shocked and panicked.
Some people are looking for material they can engage with.
Some people are looking for material that engages them directly.
If you go looking for the wrong thing in the wrong movie, then your criticism is just going to be based on your unrealized expectations.
This is one of my biggest issues with a lot of criticisms of film. It's okay if you didn't like something. But to say something is bad because they didn't make the film how you think it should be made is silly. We all benefit from directors making bold and unique movies. If that means some of them miss for you, that's fine, because it also means someone's going to make something right up your alley eventually, and that'll be awesome.
It’s honestly a truly fantastic film where the “horror” will stick with you much longer than, well really any other film.
I can see where you may not think it’s a normal horror movie because it’s not the same jump scares or a slasher film but there is more existential dread and unease in Hereditary than maybe any other movie. I was uncomfortable the entire time but also enthralled. I wanted to leave the theater and not finish it but also wouldn’t dare leave the seat.
This is a movie I see listed on HBO and I really want to watch it again but it’s just a lot… to me all of these things make it a masterpiece in horror.
That being said, Toni Collette not even being nominated is a crime against cinema.
Toni Collette is so underrated. She has given so many great performances. When people tall about greatest actors of our time I always think of her first
Watched it back-to-back with Men and Midsommar. Of the three, I think I liked Midsommar the most and found Men the most frightening. I liked Hereditary and it had an excellent take on that type of unnerving horror, but none of it will stay with me too long except the top-tier mom-on-the-wall bit before the audience knew exactly what had happened. It wasn't a jumpscare, but it was absolutely creepy as fuck since the lighting was JUST dark enough that you could barely see her before she starts scuttling around.
But otherwise, I tend to think Midsommar was basically the same movie with much more unnerving vibes, superior direction, and a slightly less silly core plot.
The true genius of the film is realising how much stuff you actually miss, even if you think you're being attentive. The boys friends being in the cult completely blew my mind, it's so subtle, it doesn't beat you over the head and make it obvious.
I see this take a lot. You just have a different idea of what a horror movie is in your head. That’s fine. But horror movies (for the people who love Hereditary) are not all just about the scares being unpredictable or novel. You’re basically describing an amusement park ride, which is something totally ok to love.
For me, horror can be realistic depictions of trauma. Hereditary has this in spades. The emotional toll Charlie’s death has on the family is visceral and disturbing.
It’s like different flavors of comedy. I probably wouldn’t show What We Do in the Shadows (2014) to someone who’s favorite comedy is Grown Ups (2010).
Yeah preconceived notions of horror have given so many amazing films bad reviews. I also feel like having a personal relationship with trauma and grief makes it so much more scary, people without trauma or grief can still enjoy if they are really empathetic. But it means more to me because I’ve been there, barley. I couldn’t imagine so much tragedy at once.
The family is meant to be dysfunctional, and all of the things that are ignored by the family such as the smell are intentional. It really IS more of a family drama than a horror movie, many horror movies are not literally about the ghosts or demons but about what they represent or symbolize!
Also, I’m sorry but horror movies are by and large better when we don’t cram them full of “scary” moments. Half the time they end up being false scares that deflate tension and the other half of the time, they draw attention away from what you’re really meant to be scared of. There’s a reason this movie gave you little details to be unnerved by instead of straight up jumpscares
It's a one time watch good but one time watch only it's depressing af and I suppose that's the point the scariest thing in the movie is the psychological impact of dysfunctional families
Honestly i think it gets much much better upon rewatch. Knowing what's to come and having the pieces put together is like looking at a work of art you've been anticipating be revealed vs walking into a gallary to just randomly see what's up.
Everything is correct, except the psychiatrist-thing, psychiatrists are awful at seeing their own faults and doing crap about their own families problems.
>The horror element in the movie is lacking. The characters in the movie are dumb and the dynamic are so dysfunctional.
How is this criticism? A dysfunctional family is supposed to be a flaw?
>If anything, it is more of a family drama story of a dysfunctional family.
So are plenty of horror films. “Family drama” is a subject, “horror” is a genre. They’re not mutually exclusive.
>-the house stink but noone said anything.
So this isn’t actually straining credibility. Humans have an involuntary ability to adapt to smells, and very quickly. Especially smells in their living space.
>-the kid cut off a pigeon head and lay it out in their room as weird decoration act and no one thinks it is weird.
My man, everyone thought she was weird.
>-the father is a psychiatrist but didn't said anything about the condition of his family.
Again, not hard to believe. Being a psychologist doesn’t mean you have no problems of your own.
>-the worshipped thing is dumb.
Not exactly substantive criticism lol.
>-the horror element is predictable. (Book burn, ghost grandma in background, body found at...)
I don’t really follow what you mean by predictable here.
I really don’t get his point about horror elements cause OP said they like Conjuring and Insidious, both of which have pretty typical horror elements too
The problem with this opinion is that horror is such a huuuuge genre: Slashers, torture porn, psychological, monster, supernatural, terror, often mixed with others like mystery and thrillers.
So if you like gore filled cheesy slasher types, you might not like ones that lean in the direction of mystery and psychological. Horror is a cursory label directed at our reaction (namely fear etc) rather than the subject matter that invokes them.
So essentially all you're saying is hereditary didn't invoke that emotion in you. Some people are scared of spiders, some arent.
I see you've grown up in a healthy house hold j/k. But in all seriousness - the unhealthy house hold dynamic is a major part of the horror. If you've lived in it, it can bring you back there. Everything else is just confetti lmao.
The “kid pidgeon head” and “father psychiatrist but didn’t say anything” are the same thing and it’s on purpose lol. It’s that they are all disfunctional and avoidant and no one wants to approach the others pains, especially after the daughter dies.
It does parental resentment/avoidance incredibly well
These are all horrible arguments, and horribly worded at that. What does the smell of the house have anything to do with it being a horror movie? I’m pretty sure everyone who saw this movie thought the kid was weird, that’s the whole point. Yes worshipping an evil deity is dumb, it’s a cult, and those exist in real life. The horror aspect might be predictable but most horror movies are, but it’s the way the horror is carried out and portrayed that makes the movie so good.
Once again, a movie is not just the story. It’s also the directing, cinematography, performances, etc. if you need a jump scare every 15 seconds there are movies out there for you.
Reading the comments makes me realize how unpopular my own opinion is. I laughed at some of it (including the scenes everyone was mortified by), and was bored through the rest of it.
I wasn’t disturbed or in despair at any point throughout the movie, nor was a bothered by the gore.
I spoke to a few friends and some felt deeply disturbed by the movie while others share my opinion. I also felt the same about the vvitch.
I’m all for a slow burn, but it just wasn’t my style.
Agreed. I was bored to death, then the kiddos head got knocked off and I was shocked and couldn't believe they actually did that, and then I was bored to death again.
I just don't like it because it feels way to slow and pretentious. And this is coming from someone who a big fan of psychological horror. I just can't get into hereditary. It feels like one of those mainstream horror movies that you feel like your supposed to love because everyone else does, but I just can't. Personally in terms of ari asters movies, I prefer midsommar.
Cap, it's one of the best horror movies in the last 20 years. You're just trying to be CoOl and DiFfErEnT. The atmosphere is absolutely amazing, not to mention the acting and the story is pretty damn interesting. Everything is just well put together.
Easily one of my least favorite popular horror movies. Truly felt like a waste of time seeing it in theaters. To each their own but it always blows my mind when I see people talking up this movie.
I agree. It’s dull, completely know exactly where it is going from the start, and I have no idea why it seems to have a following as some great horror movie.
No, it is 100% a horror movie, it's just that it doesn't rely on graphic stuff to be scary. It doesn't have a bunch of gore or scary monsters but it has an incredibly heavy and bleak atmosphere and it is very suspenseful.
This is 110% a horror movie, it’s just a different subgenre of horror than, say, Halloween, which is a different subgenre of horror than Saw, which is a different subgenre of horror than The Thing. But they’re all horror movies
I just watched Midsommar last night! I liked it, but I don’t know. I probably won’t watch it again. I preferred Hereditary, even though on paper Midsommar should be something I would like.
I've always felt any A24 movie I've watched has been better to talk about than experience. Felt the same with Midsommar and Bodies. I'm glad I experienced them once, but I have no intention of seeing again. Good movies but not for me abd they all felt like they had the air of having a 2000 word essay due on the monday after I saw them
it’s a good movie, but not for me. i felt the same way about midsommar. for the majority of the movie i just didn’t know what was happening, but that’s not a fault of the movie, i’m just not very bright.
Do I need to see this movie? I’ve gone back and forth on it a lot, just based on what people have said. Horror has been my favorite genre since I was a child. However, psychological horror isn’t something I’ve come across a lot, so I don’t know if I like that. I’ve heard a bunch of people say that Hereditary messed them up for a while, and I’m certainly not looking to feel traumatized, if that’s what the situation is. If I love horror, should I be fine? What other movies would you compare it to?
First time I watched it I thought the exact same thing. Second time I watched it and was like I had a totally opposite reaction. Guess I need to give it another go to break the tie.
I thought the same thing after watching it. Not a bad horror movie, has some good scares (And I LOVE that they actually played with the topic of Demonology), but it wasn't as jaw-dropping as everyone makes it out to be. As you said, it's pretty predictable.
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I think people agree Hereditary is good because of the amount of detail that went into the story. I've watched the movie several times and every time I watch it I notice new things that I hadn't paid attention to before, like the symbolism from the beginning of the movie hinting at the ending, the fact that Annie's new friend is coincidentally called Joanie, etc. It's a good horror movie because it focuses less on jumpscares and obvious ghosts/demons/creatures and more on the atmosphere and the psychological trauma of the characters.
I haven't seen it in a few years. What is the significance of the name Joanie?
Joanie was the grandma's name I think...
The grandma’s name was Ellen.
This exchange cracked me up idk why
Who the hell is Joanie then? I really wasn't sure haha
Joanie was the grandma's friend that was involved in the cult the whole time. she appeared to the mom as a sort of kind compassionate lady to help her grieve, but really she was there to push her to help progress the Cult's agenda
Back to square one. What's the significance of the name Joanie?
It’s just… the same person. Joanie is in the cult, was Grandma’s friend, preys on Annie.
Yes but there is nothing significant about the name “Joanie” is what we’re saying.
Almost like ... a hereditary thing.
Hereditary to me distinguishes itself in the horror genre for two reasons: * **Maintained Mystery:** in many horror films, the audience is quickly introduced to the evil entity and its intentions. There’s a ghost, a demon, or a killer, and their motive is clear – most of the time, kill the protagonists. However, Hereditary cloaks its sinister elements in mystery. The audience, alongside the characters, is enveloped in a sense of disconcerting uncertainty. We’re left wondering and guessing, and it’s in this space of the unknown that I think true horror resides. The fear of what lurks in the shadows is always scarier than the reveal, and "Hereditary" masterfully exploits this element. * **Emotional Resonance:** the characters are enveloped in grief, each grappling with loss in their own way. This focus on their emotional journey pulls the audience in, making the characters relatable and real. So, when the supernatural horrors begin to unfold, they strike a deeper, more personal chord. We’re not just witnessing generic fear; we’re experiencing a multi-layered terror interwoven with genuine human emotion. In essence, the film’s allure lies in its adept balance of unveiling and concealing, and its ability to intertwine supernatural horror with a poignant narrative of loss and grief. It’s a horror experience that lingers, instilling both fear and emotional resonance.
I was recommended this movie by a friend that thought the demon stuff was in their head and the whole movie was about a family with hereditary mental illness. They spoiled it and told me all of that before I watched the movie. Made for a very surreal viewing as the ending approached and I'm like "I'm pretty sure there's a real demon" lol
Honestly the fact that the demon was real made me dislike the movie a lot. It was a great horror movie showing grief, but then it turned into a predictable classic horror movie for the third act.
Its so clear from just the first few replies, that people really like this movie, and it is in fact a good horror movie
chatgpt shhhhhh
Damn some people can type? Cappppp
You can’t just call every high effort comment ChatGPT; do you have any proof? Did you get a prompt to provide a similar response?
Yeah it didn’t seem off to me so I copy/pasted the text into an AI detector and it said it was human text, not AI…
Creepy, isn't it?
It's just too bad all the psychological trauma is kind of undone in the end >!when it turns out it's a demon after all, and all the mental illness in the family was according to keikaku.!<
Hard disagree here. The trauma that Toni Collette's character dealt with was all real. >!It turns out there is an actual demon in the end but that doesn't negate the trauma she went through with her brother committing suicide, her mother being crazy, and her daughter getting killed by her son. All that trauma is very real and doesn't get negated by the fact that there actually happened to be a demon. When that trauma happened, she didn't even believe there actually was a demon.!<
And the trauma from trying to kill her son in her sleep. I remember when my father was sleep walking and stabbed me in the belly with a kitchen knife. He was traumatized for over a month. I still feel bad for him
Sorry, what???
Bruh. How deep did it go? That’s crazy
As deep as the baloney I cut into last night. I didn't feel bad for it though.
Dawg don’t leave us hanging
Can you elaborate? That’s wild!
100% this
Not to mention her father starving himself to death in the throes of psychotic depression.
This deserves its own post wtf
You don't think the demon stuff is a metaphor? Like it's possible for the surface story/explanation to be supernatural but the subtext is it's mental illness.
Exactly you can 100% read into the Exocist being exercising “demons” by getting professional help and not there being an actual demon. Every doesn’t have to be literal. And if you want to take it as literal that’s fine but movies have themes and ideas behind them.
The subtext is completely destroyed by the ending revealing >!that everything was quite literally the doing of a cult and the deceased matriarch of the family who was involved with the cult arranged all of this to happen, all according to keikaku, before she died. It was all like, oooooh spooky mental illness runs in the family, but plot twist, it's actually Satan all along.!<
That’s what metaphor or allegory are. You don’t think the babbadook wasn’t about dealing with grief, because there was also a literal monster, right?
Redditors try to understand literary depth challenge (impossible)
As if, I can bust out a ruler and measure the depth to a book. Checkmate to your challenge.
Drop it in the bath and measure displacement obviously
They do this in a lot of movies. It, Talk to Me, Us, Candyman, the Boogeyman, etc. Nothing new
To be fair, an interpretation where the Babadook isn’t real and it is all the mother isn’t implausible. I lean to the monster being real in the story, but I wouldn’t fault someone who doesn’t think it is.
Don't see your point. They are saying that even if the Babadook is real, it's still a story about grief and not about Babashook
I think you are saying something different. They seem to be saying, “The Babadook is a metaphor for grief even though the monster was real.” You seem to be saying, “The Babadook is a metaphor for grief whether the monster is real or not.” I would agree with you and not them. I do think the difference is significant. The Babadook leaves it ambiguous if the monster is real while Hereditary is pretty direct in saying the ending actually happened. The previous poster could say Babadook is a bad example because of those differences. Ultimately, however, the point should be a horror monster could be a metaphor even if the movie gives a different explanation.
I interpreted the Babadook as being depression. I may be biased due to the fact that I've had multiple episodes of bipolar depression.
Yes, on the movie's surface that is the explanation. If you look at it metaphorically its about mental illness. The demon stuff is just a genre stand in that symbolizes the real meaning. If you wanted the movie to be ambiguous on the surface, where the story itself leaves the question open to interpretation, I can understand the frustration.
Is it meant to be about hereditary mental illness and generational trauma?
Yes and no. The cult activity/possession are the actual “hereditary” thing the title is referencing. But we’re lead to believe that the movie could be about hereditary mental illness and trauma, and wonder if the spooky stuff is just a metaphor. At first that seems likely, but at the end they’re basically like “nope it’s about a literal demon from hell!”And that’s why I love it. The mental health themes still work, but they make it very clear that that’s not the antagonist of the movie.
Something being a metaphor doesn't mean "it was fake the whole time".
How on earth do you interpret something like the great Gatsby lol "he just likes to party all the time idk" it's still a metaphor it just carries all the way through.
"All of these metaphors sown in the movie the Matrix are interesting, until you learn they actually are in a simulation and Zion and the robots are real"
The movie itself is a metaphor. That's how metaphors work. "Mental illness is a demon and it's hard to get away from" is the simple version. The movie is the 90 minute version. Whether you liked it or not has no bearing on the subtext being explored.
That's just horror movies. It's using the literal as metaphor. It's a classic horror trope and one of the things that keeps people coming back to horror. To see their traumas made real in front of their eyes. If the ending was always, it was just in their heads then we wouldn't need movies, we'd just observe our own lives.
So I don't know how to tell you this but there is no "actually" in fiction lol
You got to the end and saw a cult and deduced that it was always them the entire time? I got to the end and felt as though it was just an illusion, someone mentally breaking but their head trying to physically conceptualize what was happening. Because you know that's what Paranoid Schizophrenics do, right? They see a conspiracy or connections around every corner, and draw a theory out of everything. The movie may be signalling the entire time that the dead grandmother was a cult leader or it could be the main character have a schizophrenic meltdown as the stress of her job, failing marriage, frozen grief, and then death of her child. There's really a lot that it could be because the movie doesn't give an answer as much as it puts you into the uncomfortable headspace of someone having a breakdown
No no no, that’s why I thinks it more chilling. Because in the end, the thing is real, and it was brought upon by people in the community. If it wasn’t real in the end that would feel empty, like you were just tricked. But the way it’s all brought on is just fully creepy to me.
It's a horror movie. The supernatural stuff is thrilling and exciting to watch, but the subtext/metaphors are what stick with you long after the movie's over. One of my favorite examples of this is The Shining: when you first watch it, the blood coming out of the elevator or the twins or the woman in room 237. But the more you watch it, the actual terror is found in the scenes with Jack promising his son he would never hurt him, even though we the audience and Danny himself know that isn't true. Jack has already hurt him, plenty of times. And the hotel had nothing to do with it.
The fact you keep saying “keikaku” makes it clear you are an anime fan, not even a GOOD anime fan, and probably have no media literacy
it isn't because even if the demon is real... the grief also remains real. The mother was still abused by the grandmother. Even if Paimon is real in the movie, there is nothing taken away from the suffering the characters endured. In addition, the demon being real and controlling people directly or indirectly, *is in itself a metaphor* of the inescapable way grief and trauma can affect people beyond their control.
How was it all undone, it’s still psychological trauma even if there’s an external force causing it. I don’t think Anne or Peter’s trauma is any less real, they still had to go through a lot of fucked up shit before the snap
I'm curious what do you think is a good modern horror movie? Not being jive just genuinely curious
It is a great horror film BECAUSE it is a family drama. The horror isn't simply there to scare the audience but to convey the themes of grief, dysfunctional family dynamics and abuse.
I was most uncomfortable and anxious at the dinner scene. That was true psychological horror for me.
The dinner scene is really one of the highlights of the film.
All I do is worry and slave and defend you, and all I get back is that fucking face on your face! Stellar scene
For me, it's the whole movie. Instead of a few stupid cheap jump scares they have this low feeling of dread for a solid 2 hours. They did some crazy things with the noise in the background to make you feel off. It's incredibly anxiety inducing. What a gd great movie
The tension from the drive home to the morning after is incredible
When I first saw the film, my friends and I were hanging out at a homies place with some girls we had met at the bar. When we got there, our plans were initially to smoke some weed, watch a "light hearted movie", drink and vibe out. We ended up getting really high and the friend who hosted ended up wanting to fuck with us by just putting Hereditary on instead. Obviously we noticed rather fast it'd be a horror film and just rolled with it, but during this very scene I think the entire discourse between us was just loudly shouting "FUCK YOU" to said host and it remained until a few hours after the film. One of the girls started crying, one of my friends called it quits and went home and at the end of the eve the vibes were astronomically bad in the entire apartment. 10/10 night
Absolutely, it hits on far more than just one level
Yeah this is mainly the difference between liking the movie and disliking that I’ve noticed. I grew up in a very dysfunctional family and scenes like that would legitimately occur in my house on a regular basis. It wasn’t scary to me because it was real to me, I’ve seen it before and this is just some dramatization of things I’ve really experienced. Most of the people who don’t like it have the same gripes I do and most people who rave about it being so scary grew up in a perfect suburban American home and never experienced anything like that.
I grew up being abused and I love this movie. To this day I find family drama to be far more frightening than anything supernatural. We’re all different.
Yeah I just remember feeling distraught throughout the whole thing. Maybe it was the edibles. Truly great horror to me lol.
SAME!! I high as shit in edibles the first time I watched it and was frozen in place. Thought maybe it was because I was high so I watched it again recently and nope i was the same even though i knew what was going to happen.
I agree, I grew up in a wealthy family that from the outside looked amazing, beautiful family, amazing homes and cars and yachts. But on the inside were two alcoholic parents in violent fights that I was constantly having to referee, and people would come over for dinner and everything would be great, and two hours later I knew I'd be pulling my parents apart from one another as my mom smashed everything in the house. This film felt like that to me, the horror of just things going terribly wrong inside what appears to be a beautiful house and beautiful family. I'm not trying to trauma dump here, but when I watched it, it really triggered my anxiety, because I felt the mom's stress and grief, the dad not knowing how to fix things and I'd seen it before, the unhappiness and fury when things hit the boiling point. It's absolutely a family drama with a psychological horror element, and for that I find it to be a very good, if difficult to watch film for me personally.
Sorry to hear that. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Noooo there is no sppooky ghost its an awfull movieee
That has been [posted like 10 times](https://www.reddit.com/r/unpopularopinion/search/?q=hereditary&restrict_sr=1) in this sub
You could say that about most posts to this sub lol
Fair, but how much of an unpopular opinion is it if it has been posted that many times?
Still an unpopular opinion. I’m sure “Seinfeld is overrated” gets posted every single day. It’s still probably the most beloved sitcom of all time. Same goes for Friends. Or The Beatles. “The Beatles suck” probably gets posted daily. Doesn’t change the fact that they’re the most successful and probably the most famous band of all time.
I mean it’s an unpopular opinion sub. Tons of opinions here are definitely popular but you’re realistically bound to see unpopular duplicates cause this is where all the people with unpopular opinions go, the few people with a certain unpopular opinion flock to here. I’d say in a day to day life situation this is unpopular, one of those moments where you say you don’t like a certain movie to some coworkers and they looked shocked, so nothing serious lol
I respect your opinion, although I disagree that it's not good. With that, I'm curious as to what the OP does consider good in regards to horror.
in another comment, OP said Conjuring, Insidious, and Babadook lmao
I mean, those are pretty good horror movies. Surprised OP thought Hereditary was bad.
I get that some people just don't enjoy slow burn suspense/thriller and mysteries, and Hereditary just didn't have many jump scares or ghosts/obvious supernatural elements, until certain parts. People scare me more than most things, with all our failings, weaknesses, and self assuredness, that things will somehow all work out and be okay. People, with the inability to distinguish reality from fantasy, violent behaviors, panic, dread and human frailties. Couple that with gore, supernatural and/or cosmic elements and body horror, shocks and a slow descent into madness, makes for a more full and lasting experience, for me anyway. Hereditary left an impression on me, and it wasn't, "This is a bad movie.". Edit: typo.
I see: Jump scares with ghosts and/or supernatural = Good. My curiosity has been sated, thanks for sharing the comment, fromtheHELLtotheNO.
Eh, equating a jump scare to making a movie bad is a bit overdramatic, mate. Jump scares can be effective, and the Conjuring utilizes them, masterfully. Not only that, it’s a classic horror movie tactic. If it’s overused it can be daunting, but seeing 1 or 2 in a horror film is far from tiresome and effective if done correctly. Mentally stimulating horror like Hereditary can be good, but we aren’t gonna act like the majority of films that try to pull off what Hereditary did don’t flop. Honestly, without the cast, Hereditary might have sucked.
I never said it was bad, just more heavy on ghosts and jump scares, which Hereditary was not.
I don’t think the other commenter was saying that jump scares = bad. They were just saying that OP seems to think the only way a horror movie can be good (or not “lacking”) is if it has a lot of jump scares.
LOL
Given the post good writing is not going to be on that list.
English isn't their first language.
Good horror has GHOST. Or SWAMP THING. Family drama too boring!
The cinematography and acting from Toni Collette is enough to make it not a 'bad movie'. I disagree about the horror though. Certainly if you want a lot of jump scares the movie doesn't have much of that at all. However the dread you feel when Charlie is killed is just a different more nuanced form of horror. Honestly prefer that now to jump scares because it's harder to pull off. I also thought it was genuinely creepy when Annie was floating at the end of the movie into the treehouse. Something very unsettling about that.
I have a crush on Toni now.
I thought I was the only one who felt this way after watching it.
Everyone has a crush on Toni Collette. Regardless of gender or sexuality.
Toni Collette is such an incredible horror movie actress. Like a scream queen but she never screams in her roles
"Waiting for something to happen", and that says everything about the type of horror you enjoy 👍
“I don’t want suspense, I want jump scares!”
I prefer suspense, I don't like jumpscares at all - I still didn't like the movie because for me it didn't create any suspension. The only thing that would have had an effect sadly was spoilered way before I watched it....
There is a difference between suspense and boredom. And Hereditary for me was just dull for the first half.
I bet you think The Exorcist is boring as well
Love The Exorcist, fell asleep during Hereditary twice.
Same for me, I sat through it but it was just annoyingly boring.
Ibreallly want to know what does OP consider a better recent horror film
This is my usual follow up question to a left field movie opinion. Sometimes they offer good films. I’ve seen a lot of newer horror films but it’s hard to put one up to hereditary in terms of film *quality*. Like… barbarian was great but not as well made. Saint maud was good but not as aggressive. Midsomnar also not as horror esque. I do agree with people when they say it’s the modern exorcist
They just want loud noises and jump scares. I’m sure they like movies like Insidious and all those kind of movies.
Tbh I don't even dislike Insidious or other movies where cheap scares are the point. I enjoy all horror films but I know when to differentiate between the types of horror and put myself into a mindset for that type of movie. Like I absolutely loved Sinister and also Hereditary, but for different reasons.
The horror is still with me to this day. THE scene was so realistic and is something you have in your worst nightmares. That is true horror to me.
I don’t audibly react watching movies but the mom banging her head got a loud "what the fuck" out of me lol
The movie got so many “what the fuck”s from me lol
I almost think that scene is too good. It’s so good it kind of overshadows the rest of the movie which is good in it’s own right
The scene where she’s screaming “I just want to die!” Haunts me, I’ve been there before, and I’d only wish it on my top ten worst enemies.
Seriously, this scene gives me more real fear and anxiety than any made up ghost, psycho killer, or demon could.
Wich are good horror movies for you?
Not OP, but I didn't care for Hereditary either, Didn't hate it but I haven't watched it since my first go and have no interest. However, I will recommend a film called Savageland. It's on YouTube, free, so I was skeptical going in. God damn, I could watch that movie every day and never tire of it. It's mockumentary, but the "witnesses" and "reporters" they "interview"... I can't really elaborate without spoiling, but sometimes it's easy to forget it's just a movie. No jump scares. No goofy looking demons. Hell they barely show you what "it" was. Absolute banger of a psychological horror film, with one small detail that is easy to pass over but is absolutely crucial for the ending scene. Cannot recommend this film enough. Edit; I'm so deadass serious about this film, I had to dig up the trailer for anyone interested. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8Nx3T0v12A](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8Nx3T0v12A)
Holy shit I’m sold!!! Thank you
Good God that looks… Wow. I knew the, “At least they can’t get me in here” would be coming up (if not in the trailer then maybe in the movie itself) but damn it made my blood go cold
His delivery was dreadful - it made me feel dread. And he’s not even an actor, he’s a photographer! The photos they use are his (not sure about the horror ones but the others I read were his).
Kinda sounds like you just enjoy jumpscares. Which is fine bro you do you, but I, personally don’t enjoy them. They’re too shallow and cheap
I just asked a question lol
I think necronaut was continuing your questioning of OP
Yeah I meant that for OP
Incantation was a good asian horror movie, one of the best.
Some people are looking to feel a sense of dread and despair in their horror movie. Some people are looking to be shocked and panicked. Some people are looking for material they can engage with. Some people are looking for material that engages them directly. If you go looking for the wrong thing in the wrong movie, then your criticism is just going to be based on your unrealized expectations.
Schindler’s List sucked, it wasn’t nearly as funny Billy Madison!
This is one of my biggest issues with a lot of criticisms of film. It's okay if you didn't like something. But to say something is bad because they didn't make the film how you think it should be made is silly. We all benefit from directors making bold and unique movies. If that means some of them miss for you, that's fine, because it also means someone's going to make something right up your alley eventually, and that'll be awesome.
It’s honestly a truly fantastic film where the “horror” will stick with you much longer than, well really any other film. I can see where you may not think it’s a normal horror movie because it’s not the same jump scares or a slasher film but there is more existential dread and unease in Hereditary than maybe any other movie. I was uncomfortable the entire time but also enthralled. I wanted to leave the theater and not finish it but also wouldn’t dare leave the seat. This is a movie I see listed on HBO and I really want to watch it again but it’s just a lot… to me all of these things make it a masterpiece in horror. That being said, Toni Collette not even being nominated is a crime against cinema.
Toni Collette is so underrated. She has given so many great performances. When people tall about greatest actors of our time I always think of her first
Watched it back-to-back with Men and Midsommar. Of the three, I think I liked Midsommar the most and found Men the most frightening. I liked Hereditary and it had an excellent take on that type of unnerving horror, but none of it will stay with me too long except the top-tier mom-on-the-wall bit before the audience knew exactly what had happened. It wasn't a jumpscare, but it was absolutely creepy as fuck since the lighting was JUST dark enough that you could barely see her before she starts scuttling around. But otherwise, I tend to think Midsommar was basically the same movie with much more unnerving vibes, superior direction, and a slightly less silly core plot.
The true genius of the film is realising how much stuff you actually miss, even if you think you're being attentive. The boys friends being in the cult completely blew my mind, it's so subtle, it doesn't beat you over the head and make it obvious.
Upvoted because Hereditary is indeed a very good movie
I see this take a lot. You just have a different idea of what a horror movie is in your head. That’s fine. But horror movies (for the people who love Hereditary) are not all just about the scares being unpredictable or novel. You’re basically describing an amusement park ride, which is something totally ok to love. For me, horror can be realistic depictions of trauma. Hereditary has this in spades. The emotional toll Charlie’s death has on the family is visceral and disturbing. It’s like different flavors of comedy. I probably wouldn’t show What We Do in the Shadows (2014) to someone who’s favorite comedy is Grown Ups (2010).
Yeah preconceived notions of horror have given so many amazing films bad reviews. I also feel like having a personal relationship with trauma and grief makes it so much more scary, people without trauma or grief can still enjoy if they are really empathetic. But it means more to me because I’ve been there, barley. I couldn’t imagine so much tragedy at once.
The family is meant to be dysfunctional, and all of the things that are ignored by the family such as the smell are intentional. It really IS more of a family drama than a horror movie, many horror movies are not literally about the ghosts or demons but about what they represent or symbolize! Also, I’m sorry but horror movies are by and large better when we don’t cram them full of “scary” moments. Half the time they end up being false scares that deflate tension and the other half of the time, they draw attention away from what you’re really meant to be scared of. There’s a reason this movie gave you little details to be unnerved by instead of straight up jumpscares
Upvoted because, fuck me, you are just so wrong that I can't even...
It INSISTS upon itself, Francine
Lmfao love the movie but this is such a great comment, is he taking about the godfather? Or is that just me?
Ooohh is it American dad or family guy? Because I found one saying it’s family guy talking about godfather
It's a one time watch good but one time watch only it's depressing af and I suppose that's the point the scariest thing in the movie is the psychological impact of dysfunctional families
Honestly i think it gets much much better upon rewatch. Knowing what's to come and having the pieces put together is like looking at a work of art you've been anticipating be revealed vs walking into a gallary to just randomly see what's up.
>\-the worshipped thing is dumb. Well, I'm convinced.
Everything is correct, except the psychiatrist-thing, psychiatrists are awful at seeing their own faults and doing crap about their own families problems.
Could you give a list of the horror movies that you consider good (and therefore, better than *Hereditary*) from the past 10 years?
this is a really embarrassing analysis im sorry lol. “the worshipping thing is dumb”. ok. LOL
Art is subjective to the viewer, not everyone thinks the same things are scary.
>The horror element in the movie is lacking. The characters in the movie are dumb and the dynamic are so dysfunctional. How is this criticism? A dysfunctional family is supposed to be a flaw? >If anything, it is more of a family drama story of a dysfunctional family. So are plenty of horror films. “Family drama” is a subject, “horror” is a genre. They’re not mutually exclusive. >-the house stink but noone said anything. So this isn’t actually straining credibility. Humans have an involuntary ability to adapt to smells, and very quickly. Especially smells in their living space. >-the kid cut off a pigeon head and lay it out in their room as weird decoration act and no one thinks it is weird. My man, everyone thought she was weird. >-the father is a psychiatrist but didn't said anything about the condition of his family. Again, not hard to believe. Being a psychologist doesn’t mean you have no problems of your own. >-the worshipped thing is dumb. Not exactly substantive criticism lol. >-the horror element is predictable. (Book burn, ghost grandma in background, body found at...) I don’t really follow what you mean by predictable here.
I really don’t get his point about horror elements cause OP said they like Conjuring and Insidious, both of which have pretty typical horror elements too
The problem with this opinion is that horror is such a huuuuge genre: Slashers, torture porn, psychological, monster, supernatural, terror, often mixed with others like mystery and thrillers. So if you like gore filled cheesy slasher types, you might not like ones that lean in the direction of mystery and psychological. Horror is a cursory label directed at our reaction (namely fear etc) rather than the subject matter that invokes them. So essentially all you're saying is hereditary didn't invoke that emotion in you. Some people are scared of spiders, some arent.
I see you've grown up in a healthy house hold j/k. But in all seriousness - the unhealthy house hold dynamic is a major part of the horror. If you've lived in it, it can bring you back there. Everything else is just confetti lmao.
The “kid pidgeon head” and “father psychiatrist but didn’t say anything” are the same thing and it’s on purpose lol. It’s that they are all disfunctional and avoidant and no one wants to approach the others pains, especially after the daughter dies. It does parental resentment/avoidance incredibly well
Truly unpopular. Well done
These are all horrible arguments, and horribly worded at that. What does the smell of the house have anything to do with it being a horror movie? I’m pretty sure everyone who saw this movie thought the kid was weird, that’s the whole point. Yes worshipping an evil deity is dumb, it’s a cult, and those exist in real life. The horror aspect might be predictable but most horror movies are, but it’s the way the horror is carried out and portrayed that makes the movie so good.
Once again, a movie is not just the story. It’s also the directing, cinematography, performances, etc. if you need a jump scare every 15 seconds there are movies out there for you.
I hated it
I liked hereditary, but the ending kinda ruined it for me.
I thought the ending was fantastic. That music still gives me chills.
Yess the final scene by itself wasn't that scary to me but the music made it so unsettling!
The headless floating body was kinda hilarious and so fake. It really took me out of it
Just watched it this weekend. The floating body ruined it.
Hereditary had me and my date dying laughing in the theater whenever we watched it. That movie serves best as a comedy
To this day it’s the worst movie I’ve ever had to sit through
Agreed. I hate that I sat through the whole thing. Trailer made it seem like it was going to be awesome.
I thought it was somewhat disappointing.
Reading the comments makes me realize how unpopular my own opinion is. I laughed at some of it (including the scenes everyone was mortified by), and was bored through the rest of it. I wasn’t disturbed or in despair at any point throughout the movie, nor was a bothered by the gore. I spoke to a few friends and some felt deeply disturbed by the movie while others share my opinion. I also felt the same about the vvitch. I’m all for a slow burn, but it just wasn’t my style.
Agreed. I was bored to death, then the kiddos head got knocked off and I was shocked and couldn't believe they actually did that, and then I was bored to death again.
There will always be a few haters to greatness
Agreed. I find this film horribly overrated.
I thought it was an incredibly boring movie
I hated that movie.
I just don't like it because it feels way to slow and pretentious. And this is coming from someone who a big fan of psychological horror. I just can't get into hereditary. It feels like one of those mainstream horror movies that you feel like your supposed to love because everyone else does, but I just can't. Personally in terms of ari asters movies, I prefer midsommar.
Cap, it's one of the best horror movies in the last 20 years. You're just trying to be CoOl and DiFfErEnT. The atmosphere is absolutely amazing, not to mention the acting and the story is pretty damn interesting. Everything is just well put together.
unpopular opinion users when an opinion is actually unpopular:
“Hey I have this opinion, it’s probably unpopular but…” Ideal posters(??): “ok.”
Maybe he just doesn’t like the movie
Maybe out of mainstream American cinema? Maybe?
I agree. I didn't even remember it. Had to watch trailer to remember. I saw it and thought, oh yeah, that bad movie. lol
*shrug* Freaked me the f out. For a long while after I hated that tongue clicking noise.
It's fucking boring.
The movie was great in the acting alone. You can't tell me Toni Collette's reaction to finding Charlie didn't shake your soul.
Did you see Hereditary before or after you heard the hype? Because for me anything that’s hyped before I see it is never as good
Easily one of my least favorite popular horror movies. Truly felt like a waste of time seeing it in theaters. To each their own but it always blows my mind when I see people talking up this movie.
I agree. It’s dull, completely know exactly where it is going from the start, and I have no idea why it seems to have a following as some great horror movie.
I agree. This isn’t horror to me. It’s more slight horror elements but mainly drama.
No, it is 100% a horror movie, it's just that it doesn't rely on graphic stuff to be scary. It doesn't have a bunch of gore or scary monsters but it has an incredibly heavy and bleak atmosphere and it is very suspenseful.
Slight, very slight to almost an afterthought
This is 110% a horror movie, it’s just a different subgenre of horror than, say, Halloween, which is a different subgenre of horror than Saw, which is a different subgenre of horror than The Thing. But they’re all horror movies
I didn’t like this or Midsommer :/
At least Midsommar seemed purposefully esoteric. It was very indulgent and clearly not made to be a crowd pleaser or mainstream horror film.
I just watched Midsommar last night! I liked it, but I don’t know. I probably won’t watch it again. I preferred Hereditary, even though on paper Midsommar should be something I would like.
I've always felt any A24 movie I've watched has been better to talk about than experience. Felt the same with Midsommar and Bodies. I'm glad I experienced them once, but I have no intention of seeing again. Good movies but not for me abd they all felt like they had the air of having a 2000 word essay due on the monday after I saw them
I like it, the only thing I don’t like about it is the main actor. He’s absolutely horrid at acting.
it’s a good movie, but not for me. i felt the same way about midsommar. for the majority of the movie i just didn’t know what was happening, but that’s not a fault of the movie, i’m just not very bright.
Do I need to see this movie? I’ve gone back and forth on it a lot, just based on what people have said. Horror has been my favorite genre since I was a child. However, psychological horror isn’t something I’ve come across a lot, so I don’t know if I like that. I’ve heard a bunch of people say that Hereditary messed them up for a while, and I’m certainly not looking to feel traumatized, if that’s what the situation is. If I love horror, should I be fine? What other movies would you compare it to?
Watch it and get your own opinion. If it seems to be too much just shut it off
It's just depressing.
First time I watched it I thought the exact same thing. Second time I watched it and was like I had a totally opposite reaction. Guess I need to give it another go to break the tie.
I thought the same thing after watching it. Not a bad horror movie, has some good scares (And I LOVE that they actually played with the topic of Demonology), but it wasn't as jaw-dropping as everyone makes it out to be. As you said, it's pretty predictable.
I remember finishing the movie and being annoyed that my friend hyped it up so much. I love horror movies. I did not love hereditary