I do wonder how I missed the Fangoria q & a between Jordan Peele and “Midsommar” director Ari Aster. The quote most outlets are using is Peele’s rave of Aster’s film, which is said to play heavily on pagan cult horror, much like “The Wicker Man.” No surprise then that, given Peele was on-stage with Aster, the “Get Out” director had over-the-top praise for Aster’s upcoming movie: “I think you’ve made the most idyllic horror film of all time. You’ve taken Stepford Wives and shattered the attractiveness of that movie with this one. That alone is a feat. This movie is just so unique. This hasn’t existed yet, and anything after Midsommar is going to have to contend with it. I mean, this usurps The Wicker Man as the most iconic pagan movie to be referenced.
Read more‘Midsommar’ Trailer: ‘Hereditary’ Filmmaker Ari Aster Presents A New Nightmare
The new wave of Indie horror that has come forth this decade is nothing short of exhilarating and represents a clear-cut highlight for me in terms of American cinema these last ten years. However, sophomore efforts can be a tricky thing, just look at David Robert Mitchell’s dilemma in following his great “It Follows.”
Read more‘Hereditary’: Family Is A Sacrifice
My actual review for The Playlist.
What I wrote for Awards Daily on 2.1.18:
"Sometimes a horror film comes along that you just feel will change the game. Ari Aster‘s “Hereditary” is just that movie – a spooky, hypnotic film that feels like the culmination of the last 50 years of horror. Aster gives us a melange of “The Shining,” “The Exorcist,” and “Rosemary’s Baby,” three of the greatest of the genre, and creates his own masterpiece in the process. This is a remarkable, triumphant, and confident picture by Aster, who gives the film an almost meditative-like sensation, as you feel every space you’re in, every emotion, every moment of grief. “Hereditary” refuses to employ cheap thrills, creating its cinematic scares with atmosphere, and continuously reinventing itself at every turn. Best of all, it’s anchored by an incredible performance from Toni Collette who is so good that, believe it or not, people were already chattering Oscar towards her direction. She’s that good."