Exploring the complexity of human relationships in The Babadook, Hereditary, and Psycho, Rebecca McCallum’s horror analysis pocketbook examines the damaging nature of secrets, acts of repression, and the (taboo) horror of motherhood.
There isn’t much I haven’t already seen when it comes to horror films. I’ve been watching them ever since I was old enough to get away with it, or even before (on one occasion I got in to see The Exorcist while underage because I was accompanied by a priest!). I’ve seen all the regular horror tropes play out in scores of films, with varying degrees of success.
Although the overriding premise of Ari Aster’s first feature, Hereditary, isn’t a particularly original one, the unfolding and execution of that premise is exceptional.
