Horror Movies That Are Way Better Than ‘Hereditary’ At Being Scary

Critics and horror fans are touting Hereditary as the best horror film in years. But is it really? The answer is no. I’m not saying it isn’t a good horror film. It is. Toni Collette is absolutely phenomenal as Annie Graham, the daughter of a recently deceased demon cult member who’s forced to deal with a dual tragedy and her own spiraling mental health.

The story is creepy. It’s beautifully shot. But the hype surrounding it is a little unwarranted. There are plenty of other horror films that have come before it that have done the same thing, only better.

Here’s a breakdown of horror movies that are better than Hereditary at everything it does. (Spoilers, obviously.)

The Possession Sequence

Hereditary actually has a few sequences to choose from, but we’re going to go with the one deemed to be the most disturbing. That is, the one in which Annie is chasing her son, Peter, through the house and climbs the walls like a goddam spider monkey.

It’s startling, but by its end is mostly laughable.

The Possession Sequence

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2005’s The Exorcism of Emily Rose is one of those “based on true story” possession movies that we’ve all seen way too many of. As a whole, it’s pretty alright.

But its star, Jennifer Carpenter, performs one of the greatest possession scenes of all time, screaming in tongues and contorting her body in ways that make us genuinely uncomfortable.

The Demon At Its Center

Hereditary gives us Paimon, an actual demon and king of Hell. In literary terms, Paimon is pretty interesting — a former Dominion or Cherub who rides on the back of a camel and is sometimes a woman. But in the movie, he’s pretty… tame. Clicking noises abound.

The Demon At Its Center

Let’s talk about Pazuzu, though. The main antagonist in 1973’s The Exorcist is based on the Mesopotamian king of wind demons and is a weird mashup of man, lion, dog, eagle, and scorpion.

In the film, he spits green vomit and violently masturbates with a crucifix, so we’re giving him the edge here.