Oh my god. This movie has traumatized me and left me saying “what the f###????” for the past hour since I finished it—in the best way possible. Possible spoilers ahead!
Listen—reading the bad reviews, I get some people want a straightforward horror movie. I love them too! I’m a big fan of movies like the Conjuring series and there’s nothing wrong with them. You know what you’re in for and they never disappoint. But this movie has you second guessing your interpretations of what’s happening, and you never really do until the last scene. Is Annie insane? Does she have DID like her mother? Is there something truly supernatural happening? Is it demons? It’s almost like an interactive brain exercise in a way and left my brain exhausted but simultaneously relieved and traumatized. It’s an experience more than just watching a scary movie; you’re questioning your own mind while trying to decipher what’s going on the entire movie, and not many movies can pull that off well, but Hereditary did the thing!
And the end—oh my god, what a terrifying ending! I know some people have criticized the head-bang scene as unrealistic, but that’s the point, in my opinion! It’s supposed to be unnatural and weird and warped, similar to how a demon-possessed little girl may do an insane back-bend or spin her head 360 degrees around. It isn’t natural and that’s what makes it scary!
And the wire saw self-beheading??? And the headless body floating into the tree house?????? TERRIFYING imagery that is not pointless—it serves to make the audience not only scared, but at a loss for words. In shock, almost—and as a horror fan this is something I really appreciated! It isn’t simple terror. It’s a unique approach and I can’t wait to see more from this director.
I also just wanted to say my own interpretation of the end as many of the negative reviewers I’ve seen seemed to think it made no sense. Well, we saw that the mother constantly “sleepwalked” and did things she didn’t remember, like the paint thinner incident or the choking Peter while he was in bed incident. So, why did her husband catch on fire when she threw the book into the fire? Because we’re seeing it through HER eyes, and what truly happened was likely that she doused him in the paint thinner and set him on fire. But she didn’t see herself do this, as she was “sleepwalking” (possessed by either a demon or a malicious alter, but I’m thinking demon lol). And when she went crazy at the end? She was possessed! Notice how as soon as the head drops to the floor, the little blue light floats down and goes into Peter, and that’s when he wakes up from his dirt nap. It’s a possession situation, potentially initiated by her mother before her death, or by Joan, but initiated at some point regardless. At least, that’s how I interpreted it.
And Toni Collette??? Wow! That actress ACTRESSED in this movie. Such a good performance!!
If you’re okay with a slow-burn movie that leaves a ton of clues along the way and ends in a way you would never guess from the first half of the movie, this is your film. Don’t listen to the bad reviews—watch it and come to your own conclusion! I promise it’s worth it (: