Hereditary (2018) reviews

The Fuzzy Mushroom take on Hereditary

By Fuzzy Mushroom · Updated 11 November 2026 · The Pros 91 · The Punters 79 · Spore Score 88 · How we write our takes

Why The Pros rate it higher than The Punters

Hereditary is the kind of horror film critics love and some audiences find too much. The Pros give it 91, The Punters 79, and the Spore Score is 88. The 12-point gap comes from expectations. Ari Aster's debut was sold as a scary film, and it is, but it is also a slow, grief-stricken family drama, and viewers looking for jump scares sometimes came away frustrated.

What it does well

After the death of her secretive mother, miniature artist Annie Graham (Toni Collette) struggles with her grief and with her family: her husband Steve (Gabriel Byrne), her teenage son Peter (Alex Wolff) and her odd, withdrawn daughter Charlie (Milly Shapiro). Then a second, shocking tragedy tears the family apart, and Annie is drawn into something she does not understand.

Collette's performance is one of the best in modern horror, ranging from raw grief to fury to terror, and the dinner-table argument is as frightening as anything supernatural in the film. Aster's control is remarkable for a first feature. The camera often frames the house like one of Annie's dollhouses, as if the family are being watched and moved. The sound design, including Charlie's clicking tongue, gets under your skin.

Where people push back

The pace is slow, and the final act turns into a much more explicit occult horror film, which some viewers find a let-down after the psychological drama. The ending raises questions that the film explains in a rush. It is also relentlessly bleak.

Who it is for

Horror fans who prefer dread to jumps, and viewers who can stomach very dark subject matter. Not one for a light night in, or for anyone recently bereaved.

Context

Hereditary was released by A24 in 2018 after premiering at the Sundance Film Festival. Aster followed it with Midsommar in 2019.

The Fuzzy Mushroom verdict

Must-see, with a Spore Score of 88. A modern horror landmark, and a devastating film about grief. The Pros are right, but you have been warned.