The Babadook
2014Australia★ 6.56 pt match
Like Hereditary, this one is rooted in grief, paranoia, and feeling powerless. Both circle the same ground: family wounds passed down and family duty. Same energy: bleak, haunting, slow burn, and escalating.
Hereditary
2018USALanguage: EnglishDirected by Ari Aster★ 7.3
Following the death of the Leigh family matriarch, Annie and her children uncover disturbing secrets about their heritage. Their daily lives are not only impacted, but they also become entangled in a chilling fate from which they cannot escape, driving them to the brink of madness.
Themes and style
Tone
bleakhauntingcold and detachedmelancholicsurreal
Pacing
slow burnescalatingslow build to explosion
Story
unravelingsurvival
Emotion
griefguiltparanoiafeeling powerlessloss of innocencefiguring out who you are
Themes
family wounds passed downfamily dutyreligion and faith
Feel
exhaustingquietly hauntinggut punchemotionally wreckingdiscussion starter
Violence
graphicWhere to watch
Foreign films like Hereditary
These foreign films share the same emotional core, themes, and structural feel as Hereditary. Every one of them has confirmed English subtitles or dubbing.
The Orphanage
2007Spain★ 7.25.5 pt match
What ties these together is grief, guilt, and loss of innocence. They share the same lens on family wounds passed down and family duty. Same energy: haunting, melancholic, slow burn, and escalating.
Huesera: The Bone Woman
2023Mexico★ 5.93.5 pt match
Like Hereditary, this one is rooted in figuring out who you are, grief, and feeling powerless. They share the same lens on family duty, family wounds passed down, and religion and faith. The feel is the same: bleak, haunting, slow burn, and escalating.
His House
2020UK★ 6.43 pt match
Both films sit with grief, guilt, and figuring out who you are. Both circle the same ground: family wounds passed down. Same energy: bleak, haunting, slow burn, and escalating.
Ring
1998Japan★ 7.13 pt match
Like Hereditary, this one is rooted in paranoia, feeling powerless, and grief. Both circle the same ground: family wounds passed down and family duty. Same energy: haunting, bleak, slow burn, and escalating.
Onibaba
1964Japan★ 7.73 pt match
Like Hereditary, this one is rooted in grief, guilt, and loss of innocence. They share the same lens on family wounds passed down and family duty. Both move the same way too, bleak, haunting, and slow burn.