Filmed in Utah, ‘Hereditary’ nearly scared ‘The Sixth Sense’ out of me
People everywhere are shocked to learn that Derrick Clements' second-scariest movie ever is "Hereditary," starring Toni Collette. The movie was filmed in Utah.
"Hereditary" is one scary movie.
Milly Shapiro stars in "Hereditary."
I missed seeing “Hereditary” at Sundance this year, so I was eager to finally see it in its theatrical run, which is now playing.
It’s a horror film that was filmed in Utah — a combination of one of my favorite genres and one of my favorite places — and it’s not only the year’s scariest movie so far, but one of the best, period.
Before I get into some of the specifics of “Hereditary,” like the incredible central performance by Toni Collette, I feel like sharing a rather strange element from my own past I have trouble understanding, which centers around another horror movie starring Toni Collette: “The Sixth Sense.”
The biggest twist is not what happens at the end: It’s how my life got twisted after seeing it. “The Sixth Sense” seriously messed me up.
Here’s what happened. I was writing for the middle school newspaper, and my assignment was to write a personal column about movies (I got the bug early). It was 2000 or 2001, and “The Sixth Sense” was new on VHS tape, so I was given the assignment to go watch it and write something about it.
I only accepted the assignment because I assumed my parents would make me turn it down again. But that day after school, the conversation didn’t go as planned.
“Mom, I need to watch ‘The Sixth Sense’ for the school newspaper. Can we rent it?”
What I expected her to say: “I don’t know. That seems a little bit mature for you. How about finding another movie to write about?”
What she actually said: “OK, let’s go to the store and get it.”
Whenever I would walk through my local Hollywood Video store, I avoided spending too much time in the horror section. They had mannequins and animatronics related to different movie genres (try to recreate THAT magic, Netflix!) and the horror section was designed like “It’s a Small World” from hell.
Just walking through the section scared me, but this time, I was going to be finding a movie from it.
When we got home, my parents and I had another round of expectations-mix-up.
What I expected would happen: We would sit down, together, and watch “The Sixth Sense.”
What actually happened: I put the tape in the player, sat nervously on the couch, and watched the whole thing, alone.
Whether it was the mixed expectations or something else, this night would prove to be one of the most consequential of my life. First, the movie terrified me. From the opening scene with the creepy guy and the gun to the visions of dead people throughout the movie — especially the kid who turns around in the hallway and the back of his head is all gone (oh my goodness!) — I was terrified from beginning to end.
But this is the consequential part: For the next several years, I had trouble sleeping peacefully through the night. I would turn lights on, and I frequently would go wake up my mom in the middle of the night just to be sure she was still there. Reminder: I was in middle school when I saw it, so the troubled years I am referring to were years that I was a high school student.
Strangely, no other scary movie that I have seen since has affected me in this way. Not “The Exorcist.” Not “The Shining.” Not “Rosemary’s Baby.” Horror has become one of my favorite genres, and these movies never get to me in the way that “The Sixth Sense” did.
But “Hereditary” is the first movie to scare me in the same visceral, deep way that “The Sixth Sense” scared me. So far, in the nights since I have seen it, I have been fine, but the feeling is the same.
This movie is phenomenal. The layers of beauty go deep: There is so much going on visually, narratively, dramatically and thematically. And the performances are terrific.
I won’t say anything about the plot, because I love the way it unfolds, but like “The Sixth Sense,” it involves grief, death and a creepy little kid.
It’s simply one of the best horror films in years. I cannot recommend it strongly enough. But don’t take any middle-schoolers.