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[SXSW Review] ‘Hereditary’ is Perfect, Dangerous, Anxiety-Inducing Filmmaking

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Hereditary

From the very second Hereditary begins, you know that you’re in for something different. A slow zoom into a lifelike dollhouse that shifts into an actual house is acutely aware of itself, you are being pulled in to something unsafe. It’s a visual riptide that is about to pull you out to a very unsympathetic, dark sea.

The story follows the Graham family, who is dealing with the recent loss of the family’s matriarch. Not long after the funeral, the family begins to find that the roots of their ancestry may have some terrifying ties.

Hereditary is a strategic assault on its audience. The Graham family’s home is a heightened reality dollhouse, it constantly feels off kilter with certain furnishings with skewed heights or dimensions creating a small piece of the uncomfortable other worldliness that is already working on your viewing psyche. The sound design is a constant binaural pulse that is played almost throughout the first act of the film. Those two elements together are already subliminally accosting you, before the horror elements have even been introduced.

What really blows my mind is that this is director, Ari Aster’s first feature. This dude must have lived many lives as a director previously cause, he is resolute in his filmmaking. Hereditary is dangerous anxiety inducing filmmaking, Aster creates a new, raw and terrifying path for the horror genre.

The film could exist entirely as a family drama and it would have been absorbing. Aster takes care to make the drama elements work, while gradually introducing the creeping dread. A lot like placing a frog in a pot with the temperature slowly rising, you are already being cooked in a substantial amount of resonating horrific imagery and ideas.

I’m a fan of a lot of A24 horror. Atmospheric genre films like The Witch are my specific cup of tea. Hereditary takes the atmospheric elements and adds gravity to them by delivering on the spectrum of what horror audiences love (yes, even some extremely effective jump scares) creating a film that feels like it could bridge the gap of atmospheric slow burn fans and more mainstream horror audiences.

The imagery cut in in the film seriously gets stuck in your head. I’m still thinking about it now. There is a lot of narrative plays that are really smart about crafting the experience to leave you with not only some seriously fucked up imagery but material you may want to go home and research.

The cast in is pure greatness. Toni Collette and each member of her family take you by the hand down familiar, familial paths before leaving you lost alone and without a compass in the dark family narrative. Collette’s grief and character big reveals work terrifyingly organic and grounded.

Hereditary is dangerous anxiety inducing filmmaking, Aster creates a new, raw and terrifying path for the horror genre.”

Hereditary is seriously an achievement for horror in every way. It does some unflinching things with the process of grief and family dynamics and then inverts them in an almost perverse way. It’s a mean-spirited movie, its goal is to fuck you up and it entirely worked on me. From where I’m sitting, there is no way that this film doesn’t end up on my top 5 list at the end of the year. This film is dangerous and I can’t wait to experience it again.

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‘The Strangers’ Invaded Coachella in Instagramable PR Stunt

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Renny Harlin’s reboot of The Strangers isn’t coming out until May 17, but those murderous home invaders are making a pit stop at Coachella first.

In the latest Instagramable PR stunt, the studio behind the film decided to have the trio of masked intruders crash Coachella, a music festival that takes place for two weekends in Southern California.

The Strangers

This type of publicity began when Paramount did the same thing with their horror movie Smile in 2022. Their version had seemingly ordinary people in populated places look directly into a camera with an evil grin.

The Strangers

Harlin’s reboot is actually a trilogy with a more expansive world than that of the original.

“When setting out to remake The Strangers, we felt there was a bigger story to be told, which could be as powerful, chilling, and terrifying as the original and could really expand that world,” said producer Courtney Solomon. “Shooting this story as a trilogy allows us to create a hyperreal and terrifying character study. We’re fortunate to be joining forces with Madelaine Petsch, an amazing talent whose character is the driving force of this story.”

The Strangers

The movie follows a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez) who “after their car breaks down in an eerie small town, are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin. Panic ensues as they are terrorized by three masked strangers who strike with no mercy and seemingly no motive in The Strangers: Chapter 1 the chilling first entry of this upcoming horror feature film series.”

The Strangers

The Strangers: Chapter 1 opens in theaters on May 17.

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‘Alien’ Returning to Theaters For a Limited Time

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It’s been 45 years since Ridley Scott’s Alien hit theaters and in celebration of that milestone, it is headed back to the big screen for a limited time. And what better day to do that than Alien Day on April 26?

It also works as a primer for the upcoming Fede Alvarez sequel Alien: Romulus opening on August 16. A special feature in which both Alvarez and Scott discuss the original sci-fi classic will be shown as a part of your theater admission. Take a look at the preview of that conversation below.

Fede Alvarez and Ridley Scott

Back in 1979, the original trailer for Alien was kind of terrifying. Imagine sitting in front of a CRT TV (Cathode Ray Tube) at night and suddenly Jerry Goldsmith’s haunting score begins to play as a giant chicken egg starts to crack with beams of light bursting through the shell and the word “Alien” slowly forms in slanted all caps across the screen. To a twelve-year-old, it was a scary pre-bedtime experience, especially Goldsmith’s screaming electronic musical flourishes playing over scenes of the actual movie. Let the “Is it horror or sci-fi?” debate begin.

Alien became a pop culture phenomenon, complete with kid’s toys, a graphic novel, and an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. It also inspired dioramas in wax museums and even a frightening setpiece at Walt Disney World in the now-defunct Great Movie Ride attraction.

Great Movie Ride

The film stars Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, and John Hurt. It tells the tale of a futuristic crew of blue-collar workers suddenly awakened out of stasis to investigate an undecipherable distress signal coming from a nearby moon. They investigate the source of the signal and discover it’s a warning and not a cry for help. Unbeknownst to the crew, they have brought a giant space creature back on board which they find out in one of the most iconic scenes in cinema history.

It is said that Alvarez’s sequel will pay homage to the original film’s storytelling and set design.

Alien Romulus
Alien (1979)

The Alien theatrical re-release will take place on April 26. Pre-order your tickets and find out where Alien will screen at a theater near you.

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Home Depot’s 12-Foot Skeleton Returns with a New Friend, Plus New Life-Size Prop from Spirit Halloween

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Halloween is the greatest holiday of them all. However, every great holiday needs amazing props to go with it. Luckily for you, there are two new amazing props that have been released, which are sure to impress your neighbors and frighten any neighborhood children who are unfortunate enough to wander past your yard.

The first entry is the return of the Home Depot 12-foot skeleton prop. Home Depot has outdone themselves in the past. But this year the company is bringing bigger and better things to their Halloween prop lineup.

Home Depot Skeleton Prop

This year, the company unveiled its new and improved Skelly. But what is a giant skeleton without a loyal friend? Home Depot has also announced that they will release a five-foot tall skeleton dog prop to eternally keep Skelly company as he haunts your yard this spooky season.

This bony pooch will be five feet tall and seven feet long. The prop will also feature a posable mouth and LCD eyes with eight variable settings. Lance Allen, Home Depot’s merchant of decorative Holliday gear, had the following to say about this year’s lineup.

“This year we increased our realism within the animatronics category, created some impressive, licensed characters and even brought back some fan favorites. Overall, we are most proud of the quality and value we are able to bring to our customers with these pieces so they can continue to grow their collections.”

Home Depot Prop

But what if giant skeletons just aren’t your thing? Well, Spirit Halloween has you covered with their giant life size Terror Dog replica. This massive prop has been ripped out of your nightmares to appear frighteningly on your lawn.

This prop weighs in at almost fifty pounds and features glowing red eyes that are sure to keep your yard safe from any toilet paper throwing hooligans. This iconic Ghostbusters nightmare is a must have for any fan of 80s horror. Or, anyone who loves all things spooky.

Terror Dog Prop
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