When the matriarch of the Graham family passes away, her daughter’s family begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry.

Hereditary is a dish best served cold. As a film critic, it is my responsibility to recommend or caution while limiting the effect I could possibly have on your own personal experience. Spoilers are a big no-no. Despite that rule, the more eagle-eyed can see things from a mile away. So, if you are they type sensitive to spoilers, or if you are the type of person that spots things in a movie from a mile away, stop reading this review. Bookmark this page and come back after you have seen Hereditary. In short, this is one of the best horror films of the year. I recommend it. Now go. Get thee hence and return so we can discuss.

Waiting.

If you are reading this you have either seen Hereditary or have an insatiable need to ingest the written word. Enjoy.

After the production and distribution companies flash upon the screen, a short, three-paragraph obituary informs us that a death has occurred. Densley written and sterile, the blurb informs us that Ellen Graham has passed. Training the viewer from frame one, first-time feature director Ari Aster sets a precedent that demands the audience be engaged and involved.

The story opens on the survivors of the loss going through the motions of the mourning process on the day of the funeral. Steve (Gabriel Byrne) wakes his teenage son Peter (Alex Wolff) for the funeral and hunts down quirky 13- year old daughter Charlie (Milly Shapiro) who has spent the night out in the treehouse. Annie Graham (Toni Collette), Ellen’s estranged daughter and caretaker sits in the car waiting to leave. The scenario is somber but relatively average. After the ceremony, however, the unit begins to fragment and it seems that Gramma may not have left after all.

The healing process unearths secrets that had, up until then hovered just under the surface. Annie sneaks off to a support group for mourners, Steve buries himself in work and whiskey, Peter hits the bong with his friends, and little Charlie begins drawing morbid sketches in her book. Then things really get weird. As Annie reluctantly goes through her deceased mother’s belongings, she discovers dark truths about her family tree and what may be in store for her.

Let’s call this right now. Collette should be expecting an Oscar nomination if Lionsgate invests in the campaign. She begins the film as a stable woman in mourning who slowly unravels as her world begins to crash. Suspicion, remorse, terror, anger, they all wash over her face in a kaleidoscope of emotions in each scene with effortless nuance. Shapiro’s silent, effective performance is haunting to the point that she may even scare up a nomination of her own. While Byrne is adequate, Wolff shines as the conflicted and confused Peter. Each performance, each character is given the time to develop and exhibit their own special story to great effect. This is a testament not just to the actors pulling off the performance, but to the writing that informs us with behavior rather than simply telling us what we need to know.

From a technical standpoint, Hereditary is a masterful piece of work. Pawel Pogorzelski‘s photography plays with what is just inside visibility with shapes and shadows in the dark that could be anything from sinister to banal. Colin Stetson‘s abrasive synth score recalls Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury‘s work on Annihilation with its mix of traditional and electronic instruments.

Aster’s script is elegant and shocking as it layers storytelling, red herrings, and psychological drama, with outright horror. What I truly appreciated was the film’s trust in the audience to stay with its long, sometimes excruciating shots held during the most painful or harrowing of scenes. Aster’s direction trusts that we will stick with it and, man, the payoff is there. Yes, this review is on the shorter end of things, but the less you know, the better.

Hereditary is a mercilessly clever horror film that you must experience.