Ari Asher's groundbreaking debut nailed every aspect it was going for. The cinematography is great and really establishes an unsettling tone throughout the whole movie. Despite the lack of jumpscares like traditional horror movies, Hereditary relies on silence and camera work to convey each characters thoughts and feelings to the things happening around them. However, the movie also has very creepy moments, especially towaeds the end that turn out a perfect blend between suspense and scare.
My favorite scene in the movie is when Alex Graham comes home after accidentally decapitating his younger sister, Charlie Graham, in an automobile accident. He is left is complete shock after her death and does not say a single word for the new few minutes. Its a slow segment through the movie, but the silence that is presented really demonstrates the scared and damaged emotional state Alex is left in. He gets into bed, dreading the next morning where his mother, Annie Graham, will inevitably find her daughter's headless, decaying body in the back seat of the car. You don't even see Annie's reaction to the body, but you can hear the horrifying screams and cries she lets out when it all happens. What would usually not be scary in other movies, is absolutely heartwrenching and disturbing in this movie.
Towards the end of the movie, it shifts into a dream like state, or nightmare I should say. Alex is awaken and finds his father, Steve Graham, dead and burnt to a crisp when Annie reveals herself possessed and chasing after Alex. The best shot in this sequence by far comes from the headbanging scene while Annie is chasing Alex. Alex runs to the attic, shielding away from Annie, when you hear this loud and rapid banging, which you assume to be a hand or foot, which wouldn't be very intense However, this assumption is turned into pure nightmare when it cuts to Annie, floating below the attic door, banging her head against it at an inhuman like speed. Once more, the camera zooms in to emphasize this demonic entity that has possessed Annie. This is one of the many examples of the amazing cinematography throughout the movie, and one of the scariest as well.
My favorite scene in the movie is when Alex Graham comes home after accidentally decapitating his younger sister, Charlie Graham, in an automobile accident. He is left is complete shock after her death and does not say a single word for the new few minutes. Its a slow segment through the movie, but the silence that is presented really demonstrates the scared and damaged emotional state Alex is left in. He gets into bed, dreading the next morning where his mother, Annie Graham, will inevitably find her daughter's headless, decaying body in the back seat of the car. You don't even see Annie's reaction to the body, but you can hear the horrifying screams and cries she lets out when it all happens. What would usually not be scary in other movies, is absolutely heartwrenching and disturbing in this movie.
Towards the end of the movie, it shifts into a dream like state, or nightmare I should say. Alex is awaken and finds his father, Steve Graham, dead and burnt to a crisp when Annie reveals herself possessed and chasing after Alex. The best shot in this sequence by far comes from the headbanging scene while Annie is chasing Alex. Alex runs to the attic, shielding away from Annie, when you hear this loud and rapid banging, which you assume to be a hand or foot, which wouldn't be very intense However, this assumption is turned into pure nightmare when it cuts to Annie, floating below the attic door, banging her head against it at an inhuman like speed. Once more, the camera zooms in to emphasize this demonic entity that has possessed Annie. This is one of the many examples of the amazing cinematography throughout the movie, and one of the scariest as well.