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Hereditary branded 'scariest horror movie in years' following Sundance Film Festival premiere
Its scares are said to evoke classic chillers Rosemary's Baby and The Wicker Man
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A brand new horror film is being unanimously touted as the scariest in years following its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
The industry buzz surrounds Hereditary, a new movie from genre film-champions A24 whose previous credits include The Witch, Green Room and Greta Gerwig’s Oscar-nominated Lady Bird.
Directed by Ari Aster, the film – starring Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne and The Handmaid’s Tale star Ann Dowd – received its world premiere at the festival’s Midnight section a few days back, and word-of-mouth is spreading like wildfire.
The synopsis reads as follows:
“When Ellen, the matriarch of the Graham family, passes away, her daughter’s family begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry. The more they discover, the more they find themselves trying to outrun the sinister fate they seem to have inherited.”
Thrillist led the hype in its review, claiming that: “The screams in the theatre were almost as frightening as what was on screen,” while USA Today called it “the most insane horror movie in years,“ adding that ”If you’d ever like to sleep again, then you should probably steer clear of A24’s latest horror offering.”
From The Verge‘s review, it can be discerned that Hereditary boasts a mix of jump-scares as well as “the kind of slow-burn, nearly unbearable tension that can leave an entire theatre holding their collective breath.”
The AV Club deemed the film “the most traumatically terrifying horror movie in ages” while Variety praised its haunted house chills which evoke classics Rosemary’s Baby and The Wicker Man.
There’s currently no word on a release date so UK audiences will have to wait a while longer see what promises to be one of those rare horror films that actually terrifies.
Cannibal drama Raw whipped up a similar frenzy during its festival screening in 2016 with viewers reportedly fainting and vomiting in the cinema.
Adding to the excitement are the below tweets from individuals fortunate enough to see the film already (look away if you don't want the film to be hyped up to staggering degrees).
Hereditary will be released in the US on 8 June.
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