The Most Shocking and Disturbing Movies of the Past Century 》

Hereditary

Ari Aster’s Hereditary is a horror movie that works on multiple levels. There is a slow-burn story about demon worship and possession that slowly takes center stage as the film goes on. But more immediately, there is a quietly tragic story of a family torn apart by unspeakable trauma.

Toni Collette infuses scenes with manic gravitas, and Alex Wolff and Milly Shapiro play brother and sister with a kind of sibling rivalry almost anyone can relate to. Shapiro has a weird tongue-clicking noise that will haunt you long after the credits roll, and Wolff gives a haunting performance as a young man who discovers there is no basement level to hell as his life continues to unravel.