re: Anyone else intrigued by 'Hereditary'?

Thanks for the link. It clarified some things, and I read some others that clarified some other things, but I still have some things that didn't make much sense.

As far as demonic cult films go, I'll stick with my all-time favorite horror flick, Spellbinder.

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But in the end, the payoff was fricking weak.

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i was really sad to see it devolve into a typical demonic possession flick.

Incredible visual and auditory treat (so many great shots and sounds) with a knockout performance from Collette, but the script was weak

**SPOILERS**





The ending of this movie was so, so disappointing. The entire first half I was hooked; the beheading of Charlie shocked me, and the ensuing drive home focused on the son’s face and then hearing the mother’s reaction was an amazingly frightening sequence. I loved the scenes with the highschool kids, they really seemed to nail the awkwardness that a demonic possession might cause w/ one’s peers.

Toni’s performance was, as others have stated in this thread, quite good. Definitely not the Best Actress standard of the last few years of Brie Larson in Room, Frances McDormand in Three Billboards, and Sally Hawkins in Shape of Water, but still a solid performance. However, the other performances IMO left a lot to be desired. Largely the script’s fault though, especially for the son. The son’s constant crying was horrible and drew laughs from most of my theatre.

Further, the ending was completely predictable and unoriginal. The Witch was in my mind the entire movie and I was very disappointed that the second half of the movie was essentially the same concept, except in 2018 Utah instead of Puritan Northeast. Family turns against itself because of unseen force that might not even be real, everyone in the family dies except one, and the one survivor joins an evil spirit cult/group at the end.. It felt so rehashed. Not to mention that The Witch executed its ending with MUCH more skill and did not resort to explanatory exposition dialogue to get its point across

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Toni’s performance was, as others have stated in this thread, quite good. Definitely not the Best Actress standard of the last few years

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I don't agree with that. She was so incredibly convincing while in grief in the bedroom after Charlie died that I couldn't wrap my head around how an actor can go to that place and give that kind of a performance. It was so real and so upsetting.

I liked it. Part family drama and part supernatural horror film. I think I understood most everything that happened except the following:

SPOILERS!!!






Was Paimon in Charlie’s body since birth and the cult was waiting for a chance to transfer him to Peter? If so, then Charlie’s death was a necessary part of their plan and was orchestrated by them somehow. I assume the scene showing the family photo on the altar of candles meant that the grandmother used her family as a sacrifice, thus the weird letter Annie found in the book written by her mother telling her that her pain will be worth it in the end.

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Was Paimon in Charlie’s body since birth and the cult was waiting for a chance to transfer him to Peter?

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Correct

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If so, then Charlie’s death was a necessary part of their plan and was orchestrated by them somehow.

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Correct that it was necessary. Though I do not think they orchestrated the way Charlie died, it was more a happy accident and allowed Joan to start the ritual to transfer Paimon into Peter.

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I assume the scene showing the family photo on the altar of candles meant that the grandmother used her family as a sacrifice, thus the weird letter Annie found in the book written by her mother telling her that her pain will be worth it in the end.

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Correct. The mother was clearly seen as the leader of this cult, with Joan as her #2 in command. For the "greater good" of sacrificing her family, Paimon will now reign on earth.

That’s what I was wondering. Did the symbol mean that the cult caused the accident somehow?

One of Paimon’s powers was that he could see the future. If so, he could’ve had the cult place the animal in the road at that spot. It’s a stretch, but how else do you explain the symbol on the pole?

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Did the symbol mean that the cult caused the accident somehow?

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I cannot see how the cult could have caused the accident. She ate a cake with nuts in it. The brother panicked and drove her to the hospital. She opened the window and stuck her head out. None of that was influenced by the cult.

The symbol could have just been there as a way for the cult to mark their presence or establish some kind of border for ritual purposes.

Edit: Was the symbol on there before or after the accident? If after, then the cult clearly marked it because if the nature of the accident and it being part of their greater plan.

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Was the symbol on there before or after the accident? If after, then the cult clearly marked it because if the nature of the accident and it being part of their greater plan.

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i hope that's what it is