Hereditary and the Sins of our Mothers

I cannot think of the last time I saw a film that horrified me as much as Hereditary (2018). As a huge horror film fan, I heard all the positive buzz around this film and knew I needed to see it. I thought I had been desensitized to horror films at this point, but nothing could prepare me for this film. Hereditary is the story of Annie Graham, her husband Steve, her moody, teenage son Peter, and her uncomfortably weird daughter Charlie. The film opens with the family grieving the loss of Annie’s mother, Ellen. Annie notes that her mother was very private and due to that she never had the full opportunity to know her mother, leaving her without closure in her death. As the film progresses more and more is discovered about Ellen’s life, and its connection to a dark world. Without spoiling the strange, frantic path of terror this film takes the viewer down, I will describe the deterministic philosophy that drives the narrative. Determinism is the philosophy that all events and human actions are determined by external causes not in control of human free will. The events that transpire within this film were set in motion generations ago and were inherited by the current ones with no choice but to acclimate to them. The very title, Hereditary, evokes the idea of something passed down, outside of our control. This descent into madness is underscored by great acting and great, moody cinematography that makes us feel as helpless as the members of this family. The scariest piece of this film is the feeling of dread, knowing that nothing these people could do could prevent what transpired, and if it were happen to you, you could not either.

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