A Twisted Twofer: Hereditary and Sacred Deer both punish parents

The horror genre is a beast of many stripes. Currently the roost is ruled by Blumhouse franchises like Paranormal Activity, The Purge, and Insidious, along with Poltergeist descendants in The Conjuring film series, such as The Nun. These films do incredibly well – Friday night date staples that deliver the thrills and jump-scares audiences hunger for.

But there’s another strain of horror that’s not nearly as date-night friendly, courtesy of entertainment company A24. These pictures are making names for their directors, and are definitely more disturbing. A24 has a strong indie sensibility that’s reaped plenty of critical attention, with films like Ex Machina, Lady Bird, Moonlight, Eighth Grade and Room. But they’re also fond of horror movies – unsettling, ‘effed-up horror movies – such as The Witch – and the two movies we’re talking about today, both of which should come with a strong warning label.

First up, Hereditary, directed by Ari Aster, about a grieving family coming to terms with life after the death of the family matriarch. Toni Collette is the surviving daughter, and in a career of amazing performances, her work here is bold and unforgettable. As an audience member, if you’re coping with grief, or have strong feelings about being a parent, you might want to steer a really wide course away from this movie. Collette depicts grief at its most primal, naked and horrific. Her despair so raw that we come away wounded and bereft ourselves. Milly Shapiro, Gabriel Byrne and Alex Wolff round out this excellent cast. Aster evokes films such as Rosemary’s Baby, Don’t Look Now and The Wicker Man, delivering us a film worthy of their company, but incredibly hard to watch. 

If you’re feeling you still need one more sock in the jaw, there’s The Killing of a Sacred Deer. The title evokes a Greek tragedy, and director Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster) certainly brings a heavy sense of dread and portent to this story of a successful cardiologist’s (Colin Farrell) relationship with the son (Barry Keoghan) of a deceased patient. Lanthimos (with DP Thimios Bakatakis) overtly resurrects the chilly spirit of Stanley Kubrick, from fluid, dream-like tracking shots, to oddly stilted spousal conversations and moody violin-tortured Ligeti. Acts of violence are witnessed with a sudden, documentarian eye. Again, if you’re a parent, this one has a Proceed With Caution warning label. I’m still processing The Killing of a Sacred Deer. My initial reaction was to go take a good, cleansing shower. Farrell – along with Nicole Kidman – does great work, though the acting style here is very odd, with a kind of hushed theatricality, the purpose of which is hard to fathom.

I love horror in all its disturbing flavors and iterations, and the craft on display in both these films is undeniable. But my reaction to both of these was strong, to the point where I wanted to look away – and I think a lot of that’s due to being a parent. Both films treat children brutally, in ways it’s hard to shake or dismiss (“Oh, that’s just zombies,”). There’s a primeval terror when faced with the inability to protect your child or save them from doom, that both these films painfully evoke. I can’t say either film is one I’m looking to revisit anytime soon. They leave a depressing aftertaste that feels like existential nihilism. Though I’m pretty sure that there’s nothing Toni Collette can’t do. So as we say with many a twisted tale, “Proceed with Caution.”