Fans ofHereditaryneed to check out this other highly-acclaimed horror film before it leaves Netflix. Sitting at an impressive 90% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes, the Ari Aster-directed horror film stars Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff, and Milly Shapiro as a family struggling with a deeply personal loss while also being the target of a secret supernatural conspiracy. Beyond the surface level scares, what makesHereditary’s storyso enduring is the way it is used the horror genre as a springboard to explore grief.
Horror has always been a fruitful place to explore darker emotional beats like grief, with otherA24 horror movies being great to watch afterHereditary. However, possibly the best companion piece forHereditaryis another highlly acclaimed horror film that debuted a few years before it that also explores grief. That movie, which actually has a better Tomoatometer score thanHereditary, is about to leave Netflix and is a must-watch for horror fans — especially those who lovedHereditaryand want more movies like it.
The Babadook Is Leaving Netflix Soon - What The Movie Is About
The BabadookIs One Of The Best Horror Films Of The 21st Century
Fans of the critically acclaimedHereditaryneed to ensure they check outThe Babadookbefore it leaves Netflix. Directed and written by Jennifer Kent,The Babadookfocuses on Amelia and her six-year-old son, Sam. Still reeling from the death of her husband Oskar the night she went to the hospital to deliver Samuel, Amelia struggles with her grief and the challenges of raising the increasingly erratic Sam. Things only become stranger and more harrowing when they discover a frightening pop-up book calledThe Babadook, which increasingly targets them specifically.
King Paimon: The Hereditary Movie Demon (& His Origin) Explained
King Paimon is the demon responsible for all the horror that comes to the Graham family in Hereditary, and the spirit actually has a basis in history.
The Babadookis overtly a mix of psychological and supernatural horror, with the influence of the titular book increasingly driving Amelia to darker potential actions. The visuals of the film are unsettling, with the muted color palette fitting well into the bleak outlook the characters have. At times it can feel likeSmileor other similar horror movies that play with the perception of the main characters and the audience. However, the film itself is also an engaging examination of grief and the way it impacts people even years after the tragedy that caused it.
Hereditary & The Babadook Both Deal With Themes Of Grief Through Horror
HereditaryAndThe BabadookBoth Focus On Grieving Mothers
At the core of bothThe BabadookandHereditaryis the struggle to overcome grief. In both films, the supernatural scares are set in motion by very realistic horrors. The grounded pain and terror of losing a loved one, whether that be a child inHeredeitaryor a husband and father inThe Babadook, is the kind of realistic fear that keeps families up at night. Both films then use the dangers and torments of a psychological force to reinforce that pain, leading to a powerful exploration of how people can become their own worst enemies when consumed by grief.
WhileHereditaryis about a family that is consumed by grief and lost in efforts to find meaning in it,The Babadookis about efforts to confront and wrestle with grief.
Both films take different routes, albeit both being largely focused on a mother dealing with her pain in a way to grows too real. WhileHereditaryis about a family that is consumed by grief and lost in efforts to find meaning in it,The Babadookis about efforts to confront and wrestle with grief. They both ultimately explore the same theme but from very different perspectives, allowing the main characters to contend with their pain in different ways. It makes them an interesting companion piece, showcasing the different ways the same emotional arc can play out.
Hereditary Vs. The Babadook - Which Movie Is Scarier
HereditaryNails The Unsettling Atmosphere, ButThe BabadookBecame An Instant Classic For A Reason
BothHereditaryandThe Babadookare among the more critically acclaimed horror films of the last fifteen years, gaining particularly high marks for their thematic strength and impressive acting. Both films are also at their very core scary movies, with the grounded terror contrasted with bizarre supernatural threats.WhileHereditaryhas a greater sense of atmosphere throughout its run-time, the movie doesn’t excel as well in the moment to moment frights. Those beats, like a character suddenly catching on fire or another one committing gruesome self-harm, can be unexpected but less effective than the unsettling tone around them.
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By comparison,The Babadooksucceeds in setting the tone but nails the actual jump scares and frightening beats. The movie isn’t afraid to simply let the scares play out either, with some of the most frightening moments seeing the Babadook slowly moving in an unnatural manner towards its potential victims.The Babadook’s titular creature become a modern horror icon for a reason, and that frightening design plays into the best scares in the film. Audiences who likedHereditarywill find plenty to love inThe Babadook.
Hereditary
Cast
The feature film debut of writer-director Ari Aster, Hereditary tells the story of the unwittingly cursed Graham family. Annie Graham (Toni Collette) lives with her husband Steve (Gabriel Byrne) and their children Peter (Alex Wolff) and Charlie (Milly Shapiro). After the death of Annie’s mother, the family is beset by disaster and stalked by a supernatural entity that dredges up a past that Annie had spent her life trying to overlook.
The Babadook
The Babadook, directed by Jennifer Kent, explores the struggles of a single mother grieving her husband’s death while confronting her son’s fear of a lurking monster. As they contend with this unseen entity, the sinister presence grows increasingly pervasive in their lives.
