Hereditary: Horror film hailed as scariest in years leaves Twitterati sleepless and 'disturbed on a cellular level'

The horror thriller Hereditary , starring Toni Collette , has been hailed as the year’s scariest movie since its debut at the Sundance Film Festival. The feature-film directing debut of Ari Aster debuted with $13.6 million in the US setting a company record for A24, the indie distributor behind releases like The Witch and Moonlight.

Told with an assured precision, its story about the death of a matriarch and how her remaining family is affected is that unique brand of horror that doesn’t quite end when you leave the theatre, or sit down for dinner, or try to go to sleep. It’s the kind of movie that makes you wonder if you’ll ever be able to sleep again.

So, audiences have been taking to Twitter to express just how terrified Hereditary has left them.

People reading are like "wow lol hereditary looks super scary and fun i'll go see it with my boyfriend"

Um no you don't fucking understand.

This isn't bloody haha scary. It's tragic existential miserable horrified scary.

It's not fun. It's not light. It's heavy and extreme.

— NateIsLame (@NateIsLame) June 8, 2018

HEREDITARY (2018):

┏┓
┃┃╱╲ In this
┃╱╱╲╲ house
╱╱👩‍🎨🏡╲╲ we
▔▏┗┛▕▔
╱▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔╲
replicate our darkest traumas
in exacting detail in dollhouses,
dreams, daily lives, and DNA
╱╱┏┳┓╭╮┏┳┓╲╲
▔▏┗┻┛┃┃┗┻┛ 🧒🚏
🚘😮

— Eric Allen Hatch (@ericallenhatch) June 9, 2018

Some of Ari Aster’s filmmaking peers from Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Baby Driver ), Barry Jenkins ( Moonlight ) and the Safdie brothers (Good Time) also took to Twitter to commend the film. Also read — Hereditary, The Babadook, Don’t Look Now: How horror films help us cope with grief, death and loss

I still stand by my words that @A24 play too damn much and I will never forgive them for this violation of my emotional stability!!! Still... @HereditaryMovie opens nationwide today and you need to see it for yourself to experience this horrifically glorious film! https://t.co/r6E0CVVa2k

— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) June 8, 2018

A masterful stroke by Ari Aster that demands viewing on the largest screen possible and in communion with as many sweaty palms and brows imaginable. Such an experience 👌🏿

— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) June 8, 2018

TO HELL WITH YOU ARI GIVE ME BACK MY PEACEFUL SLEEP 😭😭😭😭😭😭

— Barry Jenkins (@BarryJenkins) June 8, 2018

Discerning horror fans must check out 'Hereditary', the debut from Ari Aster. A beautifully shot & performed supernatural thriller that builds to some shocking sequences. I actually said 'Jesus Christ' aloud at one shot. Toni Collette is amazing, but we knew that already. Go see. pic.twitter.com/ULyt1ftLse

— edgarwright (@edgarwright) June 6, 2018

After I saw a cut of Hereditary (without effects even fully finished) it scared me in a deeply unconcous way. That night I turned off my lights and saw a mysterious female figure... https://t.co/0NaxljiuT5

— SAFDIE (@JOSH_BENNY) June 7, 2018

Here are some other reactions:

Hereditary was one of the most unsettling and brilliant films I’ve ever watched. 10/10. Below I have attached a graph to represent my mental state throughout the film. pic.twitter.com/785G7qjzvG

— Christopher (@ChrisTheWeaver) June 9, 2018

#Hereditary is probably one of the most terrifying movies I’d seen. It’s also a movie that made me very uncomfortable and disturbed by the things happening on the screen. The performances by the cast were amazing! Toni Collette is one of the best performances I’ve seen this year

— Jonathan (@camachojonn) June 9, 2018

Hereditary is the absolute shit. best horror movie since The Witch

— alex (@lilxtofu) June 9, 2018

Hereditary is the horror movie for people who buy their hot sauce at this tiny shop in New Orleans that nobody has ever heard of because habanero sauce is too mild for them. Two thumbs up.

— Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) June 10, 2018

With inputs from AP