“It’s heartening to see so many strange, new faces here today. I know my mom would be very touched, and probably a little suspicious.”

Hereditary, a horror movie compared by many to be this century’s The Exorcist (1973) falls instead somewhere between the crafted and unified terrors of William Freidkin’s movie and the more episodic, simpler shocks of the later attempt to continue the Satan bandwagon, The Omen (1976). All this with an (un)healthy dose of Rosemary’s Baby (1968) thrown in.

Directed by Ari Aster, Hereditary begins slowly with the funeral of an elderly woman, mourned by her daughter and grandchildren, and by a collection of eccentric friends. The daughter, Annie, played by Toni Colette becomes the centre of the film, constantly teetering on the edge of a mental breakdown, whilst tragedy after tragedy hit her family. In the first two acts of the film, we are uncertain how much is happening in Annie’s head, but the final part, criticised by some for being overly-explanatory, ratchets up the horror into a more macabre and visceral, though less subtle level.

It certainly sticks with you – the shocks are memorable, a mixture of unsettling, weird imagery and jump scares, with a set design and soundscape that keeps you on edge. It almost meets the cinematic level of The Exorcist, but for me I felt manipulated by the director one time too many. Having said this, Hereditary just about manages to stay this side of camp, helped mainly by the convincing performances of Collete, Gabriel Byrne and of Milly Shapiro and Alex Wolff as Annie’s husband and besieged children.

Good to watch on Halloween.