Hereditary is a horror movie which was was released in June of 2018. Before that it was premiered in January at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. It has an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes and has received widespread critical acclaim. The movie revolves around a family living in Utah that is experiencing the loss of the mother’s mother Ellen Leigh. After the funeral, weird things start to happen to the family. As the movie slowly unfolds, more and more horrible events end up befalling them. The pace of the movie is very slow, with long big shots to increase tenseness and make the viewer scan the screen for anything out of place.

The unique sound design is also used to the filmmaker’s advantage against the audience. The repetition of certain sounds keeps the audience alert and tense. An example of this is the clicking sound the youngest child Charlie makes constantly throughout the movie. It arouses their curiosity to figure out why she makes this sound, and it is even used when Charlie is nowhere to be found in the scene. By the end of the movie all one can do is hold whatever is closest to them tightly and watch the horror unfold. The trailer and promotion for the movie is very important in the success of the film, since it gives you no real idea on how the plot is going to end up unrolling.

Through the excellent use of cinematography and sound design, along with exceptional performances from many actors and actresses in the film, I have decided to give this movie a rating of 9.5/10.