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

[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] 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.

Creepy Kids

[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] We’re not going to deny the fact that Charlie is one of the creepiest kids we’ve seen on film in a long time. Between the awkward clicking, unsettling artistic talent, and her penchant for bird dismemberment, she’s up there in the grand hierarchy of onscreen underage weirdness. But no amount of uncomfortable chocolate consumption will make up for the simultaneous feeling of wanting to actually punch her through the screen for being so completely unlikable.

Creepy Kids

Then there’s Damien. The ultimate creepy child from 1976’s The Omen. He’s kind of cute, in that son of the devil, future ruler of Hell on Earth sort of way. Equipped with a small army of killer Rottweilers and the ability to make fatal “accidents” happen — to other people — he’s not only creepy AF, but also a little awe-inspiring.

The Seance

Chalkboards, notebooks with shitty drawings, and glassware that moves in place of a Ouija planchette. Hereditary’s seance scenes are straight out of a History Channel pseudo-documentary on hauntings. There’s little buildup, and the payoff never really feels like actual payoff, anyway — just a lot of wind and fire.

The Seance

[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] The seance sequence in 1980’s The Changeling is sort of two-fold. The first part of it — the actual seance — is a slow build to minimal action: a glass shattering against a cabinet. The second actually takes place immediately following the seance, wherein George C. Scott’s John Russell listens back to the recording and hears the faint voice of a boy respond to the medium’s questions. Both are creepy as hell, and both are done in such a way that their drawn-out nature leaves the viewer feeling uneasy and on-edge.

A Corpse Ghost Reveal

Much of Hereditary hinges on Annie’s slow descent into possible madness. So the visions she has of her dead mother popping up in random areas of the house are hard to differentiate between reality and her own mental illness. It’s creepy, sure, but it isn’t anything we haven’t already seen.

A Corpse Ghost Reveal

Like in 1980’s The Shining (which, if we’re being real here, shares more than a few similarities). None are quite as jarring as the corpse ghost moment, though. Not saying we wouldn’t all be down for a little makeout session with a random hot chick in an abandoned hotel, but certainly not when that hot chick turns into the creature from the Black Lagoon.

The Cult

[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] Any good demon movie deserves an equally good demon-worshipping cult. But Hereditary’s never quite feels fully fleshed-out. So you want to give a king of Hell a new body? That’s cool, but why would you need three separate sacrifices to transfer his spirit? And why would Ellen, who, for all intents and purposes, is the leader of said cult, sacrifice herself without some promise of an afterlife of rulership? And why does everyone have to be naked? These are burning questions.

The Cult

You know what’s more frightening than a demon-worshipping cult? One that believes in human sacrifice for the good of the harvest. In 1973’s The Wicker Man, we get just that. There’s something a little “off” about the folks on Summerisle, but they’re generally pretty kind and just trying to do what’s best for their community. Plus, no unnecessary naked beheading.

Horrible Nightmare Visions

Remember that thing about Annie seeing her dead mom pop up in the house? Well, she also has horrible nightmares that revolve around telling her kids how she tried to abort them before they had a chance to come into the world. Sometimes, those visions end with her genuinely attempting to murder her offspring.

Horrible Nightmare Visions

[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] Hear us out here. Not every horrible movie nightmare has to be so overt or superficially frightening to actually be frightening. 1981’s An American Werewolf in London strikes a balance between horror and comedy, and it’s at its best during the film’s infamous mutant nazi massacre scene. A dream within a dream, brought on by David’s descent into werewolfism. It’s ridiculous and over the top, and it’s absolutely perfect.

That Weird Friend Who’s Actually an Agent of Evil

Okay, Joan, we see you. That friendly face at the grief support meetings. The one who’s always so casually in the same place at the same time. You, with your love of ouija and completely obvious ulterior motives. Hereditary couldn’t have made you more transparently evil if it tried.

That Weird Friend Who’s Actually an Agent of Evil

Now, the Castevets, on the other hand… Those sweet old neighbors from 1968’s Rosemary’s Baby were the original undercover evil agents. Who would ever suspect the kindly couple across the hall, smelly necklaces and chocolate mousse in hand? No one, because they were the first (and best) at turning marks into unwitting sacrifices, and Joan is just a cheap knock-off.

The Score

[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] Hereditary’s score is exactly what’s expected from an “elevated” horror film. An unplaceable underlying noise throughout to build a sense of dread. Intermittent tonal crashes to accentuate the terror. Remember that scene in Forgetting Sarah Marshall where Peter talks about “dark, ominous tones?” It’s like that.

The Score

2014’s It Follows has a score that manages to feel both vintage and modern. Pulling influence from classic horror composers and combining it with contemporary electronica pulls the audience in without this in-your-face sense that yes, this is how you should feel at this exact moment. It builds, but it isn’t overwhelming. It’s an homage to the horror that came before it, but it isn’t a rip-off.

Characters You Give a Shit About Living or Dying

Ultimately, for as good of a performance as Toni Collette gives in Hereditary, there’s nothing about her that makes you actually care if she lives or dies. The same goes for the rest of the family, too. Charlie’s death was shocking, but no one sat in the theater afterwards thinking, Man, I really wish that Charlie kid was still around. And it took an actual IMDb lookup just to remember Peter’s name, so that’s saying something.

Characters You Give a Shit About Living or Dying

[dx_custom_adunit desktop_id="RTK_K67O" mobile_id="RTK_5yk0"] Like Hereditary, 1982’s Poltergeist centers on a family fighting an evil presence in their home, hellbent on taking their child. Unlike Hereditary, Poltergeist’s Freeling family is made up of people who not only care about each other, but who make the audience care for them. No one wanted to see Carol Anne get sucked through that portal, and we were all rooting for her safe return. Diane Freeling FTW.