The new horror hit “Hereditary” is either one of the scariest
slow-burn thrillers since “Rosemary’s Baby” or an incomprehensible
piece of supernatural gobbledygook. Despite the skill of the
direction and the fact that the film sort of hangs together, I’m going
with the latter. The film involves a family of four (led by Toni
Collette and Gabriel Byrne) who are dealing with the death of the
eccentric (or batshit crazy!) matriarch. Although at first the family
tries to go on with their lives as normal, it soon becomes impossible
to do so. There is a tragic death and it becomes clear that
supernatural forces are going to do their best to destroy the family.
The film involves grave desecration, séances that are all too
effective, hallucinations, ghostly visitations, decapitations, car
accidents, sleepwalking, embarrassing confessions, all-too realistic
miniatures, crazy speeches, possession, and dire Satanic mischief. It
isn’t dull, and Byrne and (especially) Collette give excellent,
heartbreaking performances. But as the film heads toward its demonic,
upsetting conclusion it becomes too much to take. Some of the
individual scenes are very frightening and use scare tactics I’ve
never seen before. But the ending of the film is too far-flung to
justify the film’s serious tone and great acting. It turns out that
the movie we’ve been watching for more than two hours is just a sort
of grand cosmic joke. It’s too much, and although the hardcore horror
fans will want to check it out, “Hereditary” is just too weird for
general audiences. “A Quiet Place,” which also is experimental but
which has a much less histrionic story, is much better.