When Ellen, the matriarch of the Graham family, passes away, her daughter’s family begins to uncover cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry. The more they discover, the more they find themselves trying to outrun the sinister fate they seem to have inherited. Making his feature debut, writer-director Ari Aster exhibits the craft and precision of a nascent auteur as he unleashes a nightmarish vision of domestic breakdown, transforming a family tragedy into something ominous and deeply disquieting. Aster pushes the horror movie into chilling new terrain with this shattering portrait of heritage gone to hell. Anchored by a powerhouse performance from Toni Collette (Little Miss Sunshine, Muriel’s Wedding), Hereditary, “spins a devastating portrait of an American family in sudden, inexplicable decline.” (Los Angeles Times)

“I’m sure by now you’ve heard a lot about this title—the allusions to other horror films it reminds people of, how fast your heart will be beating when you watch it, etc. Even though no amount of explanation can properly describe what this is, here goes: Hereditary was made for the art house. It’s a masterfully constructed family grief drama pressed through a haunting and shocking horror movie filter with an atmosphere heavily influenced by Japanese ghost story films—think Kwaidan or Ugetsu—and other dramatic horror films like Don’t Look Now or The Innocents. It’s a terrifying, expertly crafted film that requires total silence, a darkened auditorium, and a big screen. Needless to say, the Burns has you covered. View at your own risk!” – Andrew Jupin, Senior Film Programmer