One Of A24’s Most Divisive Horror Movies In History Is Now Streaming On Netflix

Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Hereditary.

Director Ari Aster’s 2018 film Hereditary remains one of the most divisive horror movies in modern history. Though not all audiences liked the movie when it premiered, it’s no surprise that Netflix recently released Hereditary for streaming. Produced by acclaimed studio A24, Hereditary was hyped as an instant modern horror classic before its premiere, drawing in plenty of viewers who wanted to experience this frightening phenomenon for themselves.

Though A24’s Hereditary delivered plenty of scary scenes and an engaging story, the film had a shocking reception in theaters after it split general audiences down the middle. Hereditary has its fair share of fans and haters, but it ended up being one of the most popular, profitable, and disputable films ever produced by A24. All in all, this film’s reputation is expected to make Hereditary a top viewing choice on Netflix.

Hereditary Is Now Streaming On Netflix – What The Horror Movie Is About

Hereditary Is An Intense, Frightening Tale Of Familial Grief And Demonic Possession

Hereditary centers around the Graham Family made up of mother Annie, father Steve, son Peter, and daughter Charlie, and begins with them attending the funeral of Annie’s mother, Ellen Leigh. Following the funeral, Annie attends a support group in which she confesses her difficult childhood and the tense relationship she had with Ellen. Meanwhile, Annie’s son Peter attends a high school party and is forced to bring his younger sister Charlie along. However, after the latter has an allergic reaction from eating cake with walnuts at the party, Peter tries racing her to the hospital, only for Charlie to get decapitated by a telephone pole in a horrific accident.

The Graham family is fractured by the death of their youngest child, and a grief-stricken Annie is taught how to perform a seance to communicate with Charlie’s spirit. Though Annie succeeds in doing so, Hereditary reveals she accidentally summoned the Demon King Paimon, who is trying to possess her and Peter. Not only that, but Ellen was also part of a secret, Satanic cult manipulating the Grahams into invoking and providing a host for Paimon.

Why Hereditary Is So Divisive (Despite Its 90% Score On Rotten Tomatoes)

As An Art Film, Hereditary Gained More Prestige From Critics Than Audiences


The house lit up in the Hereditary poster

Before its theatrical release, Hereditary received rave reviews from critics, with A.A. Dowd of AV Club drawing comparisons between it and hit horror classics like The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby. The film received a remarkable 90% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and made $87.8 million against its $10 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo. However, despite these reviews and high box office numbers, audiences gave Hereditary a 71% score on Rotten Tomatoes, as well as a D+ on CinemaScore.

Since A24 is an independent movie company, it’s actually no surprise that one of its films didn’t appeal quite a strongly to more mainstream audiences. It’s even more understandable with Hereditary, as it’s a 127-minute slow-burning psychological horror film. The movie relies more on building tension and suspense over time rather than using multiple jump scares like in typical Hollywood horror films. It’s also an incredibly dark and intense story of how unresolved grief and dysfunction destroy a family, making it a deeply unsettling cinema experience.

Despite its mixed reception, the film succeeded in presenting a unique and haunting story about grief, trauma, and fate that features some of the most unforgettably frightening scenes in modern cinema.

In the end, Hereditary is more of an art film than a horror blockbuster, so it certainly wasn’t going to appeal to all audiences in theaters. Despite its mixed reception, the film succeeded in presenting a unique and haunting story about grief, trauma, and free will that features some of the most unforgettably frightening scenes in modern cinema. Hereditary isn’t for the faint of heart, but that should make it all the more appealing to fans of the horror genre now that it’s on Netflix.

Source: AV Club, Box Office Mojo, CinemaScore, Rotten Tomatoes

Related Posts

Uma Thurman’s New Netflix Movie Is A Kill Bill 3 Replacement For Those Who’ve Waited 21 Years For A Tarantino Sequel

Uma Thurman’s New Netflix Movie Is A Kill Bill 3 Replacement For Those Who’ve Waited 21 Years For A Tarantino Sequel

The following contains spoilers for The Old Guard 2.Quentin Tarantino’s two-part action thriller movie, Kill Bill, stars Uma Thurman as ᴀssᴀssin Beatrix Kiddo, also known as the…

James Gunn’s Superman First Social Media Reactions Are Here – See What Critics Are Saying

James Gunn’s Superman First Social Media Reactions Are Here – See What Critics Are Saying

Social media reactions are finally here for James Gunn’s Superman movie, with critics giving their first thoughts on the DC Universe installment with David Corenswet. After years…

Psychological Thriller Becomes #1 Streaming Hit In America Months After M Box Office

Psychological Thriller Becomes #1 Streaming Hit In America Months After $23M Box Office

2025 has been an uneven year for horror movies so far. On the one hand, this year has already had one of the best horror films in…

Zombies 4: Dawn Of The Vampires Review – My Love For The Disney Franchise Has Mostly Avoided Being Tarnished

Zombies 4: Dawn Of The Vampires Review – My Love For The Disney Franchise Has Mostly Avoided Being Tarnished

Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires is perhaps the single movie release I was most looking forward to in 2025. I love the Zombies movies, not because…

Stephen King Adaptations That Are Completely Different From His Books

Stephen King Adaptations That Are Completely Different From His Books

Stephen King is one of the most beloved authors of horror and thriller novels, but does the respect for his work always stretch to the adaptations?

One Of The Biggest Deaths For Avengers: Doomsday & Secret Wars Just Became Impossible After Huge MCU Update

One Of The Biggest Deaths For Avengers: Doomsday & Secret Wars Just Became Impossible After Huge MCU Update

The upcoming Avengers movies will not be able to use a major death that had been teased by a Marvel Cinematic Universe star. Avengers: Doomsday and Secret…