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Interview with ‘Hereditary’ writer-director Ari Aster – Part One

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Hereditary represents a generational achievement in horror filmmaking and filmmaking period.  Since Hereditary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2018, Hereditary has been compared to such classic horror film titles as The Exorcist and The Shining

Hereditary has accumulated such a fearsome reputation that its upcoming theatrical release almost seems anti-climactic.  Everyone who’s seen Hereditary has declared the film to be an instant classic. 

Hereditary marks the feature filmmaking debut for writer-director Ari Aster, who spent the past decade making short films.  “The reactions have been very exciting,” says Aster.  “To be honest, I was initially just very relieved that people didn’t think it was a giant piece of shit.” 

Hereditary tells the story of Annie Graham (Toni Collette), a woman who suspects that her mother’s death has unleashed a supernatural force that threatens to destroy Annie and her family. 

DG: What was the genesis of, the inspiration for, Hereditary, and what is the significance of the film’s title? 

AA: I wanted to make a serious meditation on grief and trauma that gradually curdles into a nightmare – the way that life can feel like a nightmare when disaster strikes. The true significance of the title shouldn’t dawn on the viewer until the end of the film, but suffice it to say that Hereditary is concerned primarily with the insidiousness of family ties. Over the course of the film, it becomes increasingly clear that this family has no free will; their fate has been passed down to them, and it’s an inheritance that they have no hope of shaking.

DG: What were the themes that you wanted to explore with this film? 

AA: There are lots of movies about tragedy bringing people together and strengthening bonds. I wanted to make a film about all the ways that grief can tear people apart and how trauma can totally transform a person – and not necessarily for the better! Hereditary is a buffet of worst-case scenarios leading to an ugly, hopeless end. Now I just need to investigate why I wanted to do all that.

DG: What was the stylistic, visual strategy that you and your cinematographer discussed prior to the start of filming, and how would you describe the look and tone of the film?

AA: Well, I’ve been working with my DP, Pawel Pogorzelski, since I met him at AFI, and we’ve developed an amazing shorthand. We speak the same language, to such an extent that we become quite upset with each other at the very hint of a disagreement or misunderstanding. The way I work – and I’m sure that there are better ways of working – is that I always begin by composing a shot list, and I don’t talk to anyone in the crew until that shot list is complete. From there, questions of execution, lighting, production design, etc, become central. But first, every head of department needs to be able to see the film in their head. In this case, the camera would be very fluid, detached, observational – encroaching. The tone is tough to speak to…but I can say that I would often tell the crew that the film should feel evil. We’re with the family, and we’re joined to them in our ignorance of what’s really happening, but there should also be the sense that we’re watching them from a more knowing, sadistic perspective. 

DG:  What are the genre influences that you brought to this film, and what do you think audiences will find most compelling and frightening about this film? 

AA: It was important to me that we attend to the family drama before we attended to the horror elements. The film needed to stand on its own as a domestic tragedy before it could work as a scary movie. So, most of the references that I gave to the crew were not horror films. Mike Leigh was one – especially Secrets and Lies and All or Nothing. We also talked seriously about The Ice Storm and In the Bedroom, which has a reversal at the 30-minute mark that isn’t so different from the one in Hereditary. Bergman is one of my heroes, and Cries and Whispers was something I was thinking about, along with Autumn Sonata for the way that it dealt with the mother-daughter relationship. The horror films we discussed were mostly from the 60s and 70s. Rosemary’s Baby was an obvious touchstone. Don’t Look Now is a big one. Nicholas Roeg, in general, was big for me. I love Jack Clayton’s The Innocents. And then there are the great Japanese horror films – Ugetsu, Onibaba, Empire of Passion, Kwaidan, Kuroneko

DG: How would you describe the family dynamic that exists within the Graham family when we first meet them in the film, and how would you describe the journey they take throughout the film? 

AA: The Grahams are already isolated from each other when we meet them. The air needed to be thick with a fraught, unacknowledged history. From there, things occur that only serve to alienate them further, and by the end of the film, each member of the family becomes a total stranger – if not a seeming double of themselves – to the other. To reference Freud’s essay on the uncanny, the home in Hereditary becomes resolutely unhomelike.

DG:  How would you describe the nature of the malevolent presence that plagues the Graham family in the film, and how do they respond to this?

AA: There are many toxic influences at play. Guilt, resentment, blame, distrust…and then there’s a demon, too. 

DG: How would you describe the nature of the relationship that exists, both in life and death, between Charlie and her grandmother, Ellen? 

AA: To explain this would be to betray some pretty big reveals in the film. I’ll refrain to avoid spoiling!

DG:  What was the biggest challenge that you faced during the filming? 

AA: We built the entire interior of the house on a sound stage. Everything inside the house was designed and built from scratch. Beyond this, we had the additional challenge of needing to create a miniature replica of the house (among many other miniatures). This meant that we needed to design every element of the home well in advance of shooting. That doesn’t just mean that we needed to decide on the layout of the house and the dimensions of the rooms, which is actually the easiest thing for the miniaturist to replicate; it meant that we needed to make committed decisions regarding the set dressing very early on. So, we needed to know what the furniture would be, what the wallpaper would be, what plants we’d have in each room, what drapes we’d be putting over the window, and so on and so forth. We shot everything involving the dollhouses in our last week of production, and it was so tight that we had miniatures being shipped in on the very days that they were being shot.

Hereditary will be released on June 8, 2018.  

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New Poster Reveal For Nicolas Cage’s Survival Creature Feature ‘Arcadian’ [Trailer]

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Nicolas Cage Arcadian

In the latest cinematic venture featuring Nicolas Cage, Arcadian emerges as a compelling creature feature, teeming with suspense, horror, and emotional depth. RLJE Films has recently released a series of new images and a captivating poster, offering audiences a glimpse into the eerie and thrilling world of “Arcadian”. Scheduled to hit theaters on April 12, 2024, the film will later be available on Shudder and AMC+, ensuring a wide audience can experience its gripping narrative.

Arcadian Movie Trailer

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has given this film an “R” rating for its “bloody images,” hinting at the visceral and intense experience awaiting viewers. The film draws inspiration from acclaimed horror benchmarks like “A Quiet Place,” weaving a post-apocalyptic tale of a father and his two sons navigating a desolate world. Following a catastrophic event that depopulates the planet, the family faces the dual challenge of surviving their dystopian environment and eluding mysterious nocturnal creatures.

Joining Nicolas Cage in this harrowing journey are Jaeden Martell, known for his role in “IT” (2017), Maxwell Jenkins from “Lost in Space,” and Sadie Soverall, featured in “Fate: The Winx Saga.” Directed by Ben Brewer (“The Trust”) and penned by Mike Nilon (“Braven”), “Arcadian” promises a unique blend of poignant storytelling and electrifying survival horror.

Maxwell Jenkins, Nicolas Cage, and Jaeden Martell 

Critics have already begun to praise “Arcadian” for its imaginative monster designs and exhilarating action sequences, with one review from Bloody Disgusting highlighting the film’s balance between emotional coming-of-age elements and heart-pounding horror. Despite sharing thematic elements with similar genre films, “Arcadian” sets itself apart through its creative approach and action-driven plot, promising a cinematic experience filled with mystery, suspense, and relentless thrills.

Arcadian Official Movie Poster

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‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3’ Is a Go with Enhanced Budget and New Characters

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Winnie the Pooh 3

Wow, they’re churning things out fast! The upcoming sequel “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3” is officially moving forward, promising an expanded narrative with a larger budget and the introduction of beloved characters from A.A. Milne’s original tales. As confirmed by Variety, the third installment in the horror franchise will welcome Rabbit, the heffalumps, and the woozles into its dark and twisted narrative.

This sequel is a part of an ambitious cinematic universe that reimagines children’s stories as horror tales. Alongside “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” and its first sequel, the universe includes films such as “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare”, “Bambi: The Reckoning,” and “Pinocchio Unstrung”. These movies are set to converge in the crossover event “Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble,” slated for a 2025 release.

Winnie the Pooh Poohniverse

The creation of these films was made possible when A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book “Winnie-the-Pooh” entered the public domain last year, allowing filmmakers to explore these cherished characters in unprecedented ways. Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield and producer Scott Jeffrey Chambers, of Jagged Edge Productions, have led the charge in this innovative endeavor.

The inclusion of Rabbit, heffalumps, and woozles in the upcoming sequel introduces a new layer to the franchise. In Milne’s original stories, heffalumps are imagined creatures resembling elephants, while woozles are known for their weasel-like characteristics and a penchant for stealing honey. Their roles in the narrative remain to be seen, but their addition promises to enrich the horror universe with deeper connections to the source material.

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How to Watch ‘Late Night with the Devil’ from Home: Dates and Platforms

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Late Night With The Devil

For fans eager to dive into one of this year’s most talked-about horror films from the comfort of their own home, “Late Night with the Devil” will be available for streaming exclusively on Shudder starting April 19, 2024. This announcement has been highly anticipated following the film’s successful theatrical release by IFC Films, which saw it earning rave reviews and a record-breaking opening weekend for the distributor.

“Late Night with the Devil” emerges as a standout horror film, captivating audiences and critics alike, with Stephen King himself offering high praise for the 1977-set film. Starring David Dastmalchian, the movie unfolds on Halloween night during a live late-night talk show broadcast that disastrously unleashes evil across the nation. This found footage-style film not only delivers scares but also authentically captures the aesthetic of the 1970s, drawing viewers into its nightmarish scenario.

David Dastmalchian in Late Night with the Devil

The film’s initial box office success, opening to $2.8 million in 1,034 theaters, underscores its wide appeal and marks the highest opening weekend for an IFC Films release. Critically acclaimed, “Late Night with the Devil” boasts a 96% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 135 reviews, with the consensus praising it for rejuvenating the possession horror genre and showcasing David Dastmalchian’s exceptional performance.

Rotten Tomatoes score as of 3/28/2024

Simon Rother of iHorror.com encapsulates the film’s allure, emphasizing its immersive quality that transports viewers back to the 1970s, making them feel as if they are part of the eerie “Night Owls” Halloween broadcast. Rother lauds the film for its meticulously crafted script and the emotional and shocking journey it takes viewers on, stating, “This whole experience will have viewers of the Cairnes brothers’ film glued to their screen… The script, from beginning to end, is neatly sewn together with an ending that’ll have jaws on the floor.” You can read the full review here.

Rother further encourages audiences to watch the film, highlighting its multifaceted appeal: “Whenever it is made available to you, you must attempt to view the Cairnes Brothers’ latest project as it will make you laugh, it will creep you out, it will amaze you, and it might even strike an emotional cord.”

Set to stream on Shudder on April 19, 2024, “Late Night with the Devil” offers a compelling blend of horror, history, and heart. This film is not just a must-watch for horror aficionados but for anyone looking to be thoroughly entertained and moved by a cinematic experience that redefines the boundaries of its genre.

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