Writer/director Ari Aster makes his directorial feature debut with what critics are calling 'this generation's The Exorcist'.
Toni Collette - Annie
Alex Wolff - Peter
Milly Chapiro - Charlie
Gabriel Byrne - Steve
Ann Dowd - Joan
Obituary confirms that Ellen Graham recently died after a prolonged illness.
Life goes on for her daughter Annie, husband Steve, son Peter and oddball daughter Charlie.
While Peter is smoking weed at a party, Charlie unsupervised scoffs a slice of cake, unaware that tasty treat is filled with nuts, causing her to go into anaphylactic shock.
On the way to hospital, Peter swerves to avoid a dead animal, but Charlie's head collides with a telephone pole, decapitating her.
Please note camera showing strange symbol engraved.
In the morning, Annie is understandably distraught.
Re-visiting bereavement group, Annie is approached by fellow member Joan, who she opens up to.
New found friend reveals how she contacted her grandson through a seance, which inspires Annie.
Game of 'is there anybody there' results in Annie apparently being possessed by Charlie, but a splash of water from Steve brings her back to normal.
Searching through late mother's keepsakes, Annie finds a photo album with Ellen and Joan, and highlighted paragraph describes demon Paimon, one of the eight kings of hell.
Annie is drawn to the attic and discovers a headless corpse, who she believes to be Ellen. Also, said symbol is written in blood nearby.
When Steve refuses to burn Charlie's sketchbook, she does the deed herself, which results in hubby becoming toast.
Peter is chased into the attic by a now possessed Annie, who spots members of Ellen's cult in the shadows.
Up in the rafters, Peter watches Annie eventually garotting neck.
Unable to take any more, he commits suicide via nearest window.
A glowing light enters Peter's body, compelling him to follow Annie's levitating corpse into the tree house.
We see Charlie's head has been crowned and placed on top of mannequin representing Paimon, together with Annie and Ellen's bodies ideally placed for worship.
Surrounded by naked followers, Joan greets Peter as both Charlie and Paimon.
Freed from female host and reborn into this world as a healthy male, all hail Paimon.
Suspended in darkness, camera zooms out, as if like one of Annie's miniatures.
Marketing
The Exorcist?
Like Jim Royle would say - my ass.
To be honest, one of the best horrors in recent years has more in common with Devil's Due, a pretty rubbish found footage take on Rosemary's Baby.
Trailer paints the very dumb and misleading picture of relentless jump scares.
Why?
Hype is not tripe
Suspense builds to a flurry of 'what the fuck' moments.
Highlights include:
Peter covered in ants, a very realistic mold of Charlie's head and particularly, Charlie's ghost briefly appearing before Peter.
Effect of head rolling off shoulders which almost instantaneously transforms into a basketball has to be seen to be believed.
Backstory is laid on a bit thick, but Toni Collette is simply superb, and easily on par with Essie Davis's tortured widow in The Babadook.
Whether cutting off dead bird's head (symbolizing her death), or making clicking sounds, Milly Chapiro makes our skin crawl.
As the most 'normal' person in whole situation, Byrne takes nightmare on the grumpy chin and although sporadically good, Wolff is the weakest card in impressive pack.
Having said that, close up of sheer shock will stay with me.
Entire house is a set, allowing filmmakers to remove walls.
Ingenious.
Pawel Pogorzelski's cinematography is excellent, ensuring wide shots are always interesting, even when there's nothing going on.
Under the influence
Swarm of flies excitedly buzzing around Ellen's corpse smacks of Hellraiser, and even sequel Hellbound.
Climax and big reveal plays out like fellow arthouse animal The Witch.
Annie scuttling on ceiling?
Hmmm, The Exorcist III springs to mind.
To be fair, Legion and Grandma did the same thing in 2010.
Probably on purpose, Peter diving through attic window mimics Karras's self-sacrifice in The Exorcist.
Cracks
As soon as Joan is introduced, eventual twist came as no surprise.
Symbol is shown too often, and I was hoping that demonic cult wouldn't be responsible for entire ordeal.
Unfortunately...
After Steve is killed, psychological trauma is ditched to rev the gore engine, kinda going against what film stood for.
Most disappointingly of all, Aster's skillfully crafted spectacle just isn't scary.
Also, how did Ellen's crew manage to sneak Ellen's corpse inside attic without family knowing?
Far fetched to say the least.
WHAT?
Remember, you read mega coincidence here first.
Before Steve is burned alive, Annie initially decides to burn Charlie's sketchbook, but instead, finds consequences happening to her.
No matter what ANYBODY says, principle is identical to Red Dwarf episode Justice.
Rimmer explains to Lister that prison complex is covered by the Justice field, making it physically impossible to commit any kind of crime.
Sceptical and curious, Lister gives arson a whirl by burning bed sheets.
And guess what?
Ha ha ha!
Toni Collette - Annie
Alex Wolff - Peter
Milly Chapiro - Charlie
Gabriel Byrne - Steve
Ann Dowd - Joan
Obituary confirms that Ellen Graham recently died after a prolonged illness.
Life goes on for her daughter Annie, husband Steve, son Peter and oddball daughter Charlie.
While Peter is smoking weed at a party, Charlie unsupervised scoffs a slice of cake, unaware that tasty treat is filled with nuts, causing her to go into anaphylactic shock.
On the way to hospital, Peter swerves to avoid a dead animal, but Charlie's head collides with a telephone pole, decapitating her.
Please note camera showing strange symbol engraved.
In the morning, Annie is understandably distraught.
Re-visiting bereavement group, Annie is approached by fellow member Joan, who she opens up to.
New found friend reveals how she contacted her grandson through a seance, which inspires Annie.
Game of 'is there anybody there' results in Annie apparently being possessed by Charlie, but a splash of water from Steve brings her back to normal.
Searching through late mother's keepsakes, Annie finds a photo album with Ellen and Joan, and highlighted paragraph describes demon Paimon, one of the eight kings of hell.
Annie is drawn to the attic and discovers a headless corpse, who she believes to be Ellen. Also, said symbol is written in blood nearby.
When Steve refuses to burn Charlie's sketchbook, she does the deed herself, which results in hubby becoming toast.
Peter is chased into the attic by a now possessed Annie, who spots members of Ellen's cult in the shadows.
Up in the rafters, Peter watches Annie eventually garotting neck.
Unable to take any more, he commits suicide via nearest window.
A glowing light enters Peter's body, compelling him to follow Annie's levitating corpse into the tree house.
We see Charlie's head has been crowned and placed on top of mannequin representing Paimon, together with Annie and Ellen's bodies ideally placed for worship.
Surrounded by naked followers, Joan greets Peter as both Charlie and Paimon.
Freed from female host and reborn into this world as a healthy male, all hail Paimon.
Suspended in darkness, camera zooms out, as if like one of Annie's miniatures.
Marketing
The Exorcist?
Like Jim Royle would say - my ass.
To be honest, one of the best horrors in recent years has more in common with Devil's Due, a pretty rubbish found footage take on Rosemary's Baby.
Trailer paints the very dumb and misleading picture of relentless jump scares.
Why?
Hype is not tripe
Suspense builds to a flurry of 'what the fuck' moments.
Highlights include:
Peter covered in ants, a very realistic mold of Charlie's head and particularly, Charlie's ghost briefly appearing before Peter.
Effect of head rolling off shoulders which almost instantaneously transforms into a basketball has to be seen to be believed.
Backstory is laid on a bit thick, but Toni Collette is simply superb, and easily on par with Essie Davis's tortured widow in The Babadook.
Whether cutting off dead bird's head (symbolizing her death), or making clicking sounds, Milly Chapiro makes our skin crawl.
As the most 'normal' person in whole situation, Byrne takes nightmare on the grumpy chin and although sporadically good, Wolff is the weakest card in impressive pack.
Having said that, close up of sheer shock will stay with me.
Entire house is a set, allowing filmmakers to remove walls.
Ingenious.
Pawel Pogorzelski's cinematography is excellent, ensuring wide shots are always interesting, even when there's nothing going on.
Under the influence
Swarm of flies excitedly buzzing around Ellen's corpse smacks of Hellraiser, and even sequel Hellbound.
Climax and big reveal plays out like fellow arthouse animal The Witch.
Annie scuttling on ceiling?
Hmmm, The Exorcist III springs to mind.
To be fair, Legion and Grandma did the same thing in 2010.
Probably on purpose, Peter diving through attic window mimics Karras's self-sacrifice in The Exorcist.
Cracks
As soon as Joan is introduced, eventual twist came as no surprise.
Symbol is shown too often, and I was hoping that demonic cult wouldn't be responsible for entire ordeal.
Unfortunately...
After Steve is killed, psychological trauma is ditched to rev the gore engine, kinda going against what film stood for.
Most disappointingly of all, Aster's skillfully crafted spectacle just isn't scary.
Also, how did Ellen's crew manage to sneak Ellen's corpse inside attic without family knowing?
Far fetched to say the least.
WHAT?
Remember, you read mega coincidence here first.
Before Steve is burned alive, Annie initially decides to burn Charlie's sketchbook, but instead, finds consequences happening to her.
No matter what ANYBODY says, principle is identical to Red Dwarf episode Justice.
Rimmer explains to Lister that prison complex is covered by the Justice field, making it physically impossible to commit any kind of crime.
Sceptical and curious, Lister gives arson a whirl by burning bed sheets.
And guess what?
Ha ha ha!
