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Hereditary
UNITED STATES · 2018

Hereditary

Ari Aster
family curse inherited trauma grief and loss occult horror mental breakdown
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Synopsis

Following the death of the Leigh family matriarch, Annie and her children uncover disturbing secrets about their heritage. Their daily lives are not only impacted, but they also become entangled in a chilling fate from which they cannot escape, driving them to the brink of madness.

Cinema Atlas Connection
Ari Aster has cited Ingmar Bergman repeatedly — specifically the way Bergman uses family as a crucible for psychological destruction. Persona, Hour of the Wolf, Cries and Whispers — Bergman's films are horror films that refuse to call themselves that. The grief at the center of Hereditary, the way trauma passes through families like a curse — this is Bergman's territory. Hour of the Wolf is Bergman's actual horror film and is streaming on the Criterion Channel.
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