Every now and then, a filmmaker comes along and just blows us all away. They shatter expectations, and even set a new bar in their genre. Spike Lee gave us Do The Right Thing. Nolan really burst onto the scene with Memento. And when Spielberg released Jaws, I think we all knew the game had changed. Ari Aster has just released his first film, Hereditary, and it may already be his masterpiece. It’s a story of a broken family, that begins with an obituary, and it gets worse. . .

“I just don’t want to put any more stress on my family.”

Hereditary centers around the Graham family. Annie (Toni Collette) has just lost her mother Ellen, after a very strained relationship over the years, a result of Ellen’s intense mental illness. Annie struggles with maintaining a relationship with her son Peter (Alex Wolfe), and young daughter Charlie (Milly Shapiro). The family members soon find themselves encountering strange occurrences around their home, and discovering dark secrets about their history. What follows is one of the most gut-wrenching bouts of family drama ever put to screen, coupled with absolutely terrifying horror that leaves you emotionally affected by the story’s end.

Hereditary is an incredibly well-rounded film. Aster has already proven he has a terrific grasp on not just pacing, but framing the scene, and building tension right up to the moment of awesome payoff. The film is very impressively shot for a debut, and the use of miniature imagery (Annie is a miniature artist) and deceptive angles to help develop and foreshadow the plot is just tops.Everything comes together to create a constant sense of unease, and terror, as we delve into a family torn apart by psychosis, and newly emerging secrets and tragedy. It’s a perfectly crafted tale, where not a shot is wasted, or moment disconnected from the overarching march to the insane climax.

“You didn’t kill her. . . She’s not gone.”

While Hereditary is an absolute showcase of Aster’s visual panache, it’s still a film that stands entirely on its performances. The cast brings their A+ game to this slow burning horror, with Collette giving probably the best singular performance of her career. She approaches the role of the troubled grieving mother with such genuine misery and ferocity that her pain consumes the entire scene. Alex Wolfe (previously of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle fame) is also surprisingly adept at exuding the pain of a son who cannot process the emotions forced upon him by his suffering mother. The pair together own the entire film with powerhouse acting that would absolutely mean huge awards buzz, if this were anything but a true horror film. A few scenes involving cries of grief will stay with This Guy for a long time. Collette’s wailing is the most realistic expression of misery I’ve ever seen on screen.

I really don’t want to give too much away, as Hereditary is best enjoyed if you go in as blindly as possible. Just be ready for an emotionally draining experience, coupled with 120 minutes of continuous dread. The marketing is both accurate, and terribly deceptive in a very clever way. So expect the unexpected. Hereditary is without a doubt the best horror film to his theaters in a long time, and already one of the best films of the year. See it on the big screen while you can. It’s worth the discomfort.

This Guy Scores It: 9.75/10