This film does not deserve one star... I would give it a 4.5 if I could. Firstly, Acting. Toni Collette offers up a damn near perfect performance, she was truly incredible. Alex Wolfe was also gave a sledgehammer performance, and same with Gabriel Byrne. Milly Shapiro was nothing short of terrifying as Charlie.
I rate this film so high for three main reasons. It breathes new life into the horror genre. Hereditary is a film that offers up an incredible story, incredible acting, and finally something new! Both this film and the VVitch will forever be looked upon as great because of how ambitious each film was. Hereditary is like nothing I have ever seen before. This is not a film to be "watched", but it's one to be experienced. It succeeds at being both the most messed up and disturbing movie ever, as well as not being too "over the top". This film doesn't try too hard to be scary, and best of all it avoids cheap and stupid jump scares, something most horror films these days depend on. I truly believe that there will never be another film of the same caliber for a very long time. Ari Aster creates a perfect environment which is what set the stage for this film to be great. I am absolutely in love with the Cinematography. It's truly incredible
The reason I take points off of this film is due to the final 10-20 mins. Minus the ending. Either Ari Aster tried to make the film more scary than it already was, or he just ran out of steam. These moments were supposed to be scary, but it just came off as cheesy, and something we have all seen before. I thought that the ending brought back what the film had lost in those moments, but I really wish that those moments just didn't exist. Some parts of these 20 or so mins were creepy, but it was just a few that were plain out stupid.
Overall, a 9/10 or a 9.5/10. One of the top 5 greatest horror movies of all time.
A WARNING:
For those that are wondering if they can handle it, this movie hurts. This film wants to make you feel bad, and it wants to keep you that way. There aren't really any jump scares, but this IS NOT a fun horror movie, like the conjuring. Those types of films make you jump and laugh. This film makes you want to throw up (Not because it's gross). The first hour and a half is horrifically disturbing, The last 20 mins is the part where I feel Ari Aster ran out of ideas, but the ending might be the most messed up part