Hereditary gets horror horribly right
In a movie where everything goes wrong for a family, Hereditary is doing everything right, with critics hailing it as a modern horror masterpiece.
Opening here tomorrow, it stars Australian actress Toni Collette as the daughter of a woman whose death unravels terrifying secrets about their family ancestry.
The movie has a 91 per cent approval on review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, and Collette's performance is winning early awards buzz, with Variety calling it "staggering".
"You yearn for something original and for some bold voice to come pounding through," she said of the part.
The script - by writer and first-time director Ari Aster - "was confounding because ultimately it just seemed to be this raw, natural, honest story about grief and an inability to navigate it and how it changes the dynamics within this family", Collette added.
Her character, Annie Graham, appears at first to be a lioness mother looking after her pride, but she unravels as the story progresses.
"There are so many expectations and idealisations about what motherhood is and my character is contrary to all of those.
"I do really like that because it is not always so enjoyable for a lot of women," said Collette.
Time Out described Hereditary as a "new generation's The Exorcist", while The Hollywood Reporter said the film's malevolent premise turns into "a seemingly endless series of unexpected directions over two breathless hours of escalating terror that never slackens for a minute".
Said Collette, best known for Muriel's Wedding, The Sixth Sense, About A Boy and Little Miss Sunshine: "There seems to be a real palpable energy and interest about this one, which is great." - REUTERS
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
