Hereditary

Science!

The past 10 years have had some killer horror flicks.

By sheer coincidence, four of this year’s most poignant and effective horror stories are thematically connected by their exploration of familial mental illness and inherited trauma — the concept of traumatic experiences so deeply affecting that they are passed down from parents to children, whether by nature or nurture (or, in some cases, both). This idea is the driving force behind every terrifying moment in Hereditary, The Haunting of Hill House, Sharp Objects, and Halloween, all of which also happen to have another curious thing in common: Miniature houses.

This summer, the multiplex was almost as hot as the temperatures outside.

These are 10 great movies and performance from the first half of 2018 we hope won’t be forgotten during awards season.

ScreenCrush’s film critic names the ten best movies of 2018 to date. How many of your favorites made the cut?

For those hoping to make sense of some of the particular (and particularly horrific) plot points, the seemingly cryptic imagery, and the film’s unforgettable ending, we’re here to help. It should go without saying, but there are major SPOILERS for Hereditary ahead. You’ve been warned.

In recent years, one horror film emerges early on as the best horror film of the year. In 2017 it was Jordan Peele’s exceptionally smart social thriller Get Out; in 2016 it was Robert Eggers’ period stunner The Witch; in 2018 that honor goes to Ari Aster’s Hereditary. Starring Toni Collette as a woman struggling to cope with the increasingly disturbing implications of her mother’s death, Aster’s ferocious directorial debut plumbs the darkest depths of mental illness to reveal the true meaning of psychological terror.

The director of 2018’s scariest movie on why he made it, what it means, and what’s next.

The staff of ScreenCrush shares the movies they’re most excited to see this summer.