How Family Dysfunction Drives the Horror in ‘Hereditary’

In her terrifying examination of family dysfunction and generational trauma, Ari Aster’s 2018 film ‘Hereditary’ demonstrates how unresolved grief and unspoken secrets may have disastrous results.  Fundamentally, the film explores the horrific reality of a dysfunctional family collapsing under the weight of its past rather than merely supernatural dread.

 The Graham family, which includes Annie (Toni Collette), her husband Steve (Gabriel Byrne), their daughter Charlie (Milly Shapiro), and son Peter (Alex Wolff), is presented as an apparently typical family coping with Annie’s mother’s passing.  But there is a disturbing tension between them right from the start. 

As the movie goes on, it unfolds that in the past Annie and her mother had a tense relationship and that their family has a troubling history of mental illness and tragedy.  Because of this history of emotional suppression and secrecy, anguish festers and eventually shows up in horrifying ways.

Image Courtesy: People

The strained bond between Annie and Peter is among the most glaring instances of dysfunction in ‘Hereditary’.  Annie once attempted to hurt her son during a sleepwalking episode, which is the source of her repressed anger toward him.  After Charlie’s unexpected death, this unresolved tension gets worse and results in heartbreaking confrontations full of guilt and blame.  Instead of supporting one another, Annie and Peter snap, revealing their severe emotional scars.

According to the movie, the Graham family’s demise was caused by both generational trauma and the destructive effects of emotional neglect in addition to outside otherworldly powers.  They are emotionally and physically exposed to the horrors that devour them because they are unable to communicate, show love, or face their past.  ‘Hereditary’ is ultimately a chilling reminder that sometimes the most scary monsters aren’t supernatural but rather ones that are inherited from family members.

–Farheen Ali