Home is Where the Horror Is: Family Dynamics in Horror Films
Hereditary (2018)
Hereditary (USA) vs. Incantation (Taiwan)
Forget haunted houses—sometimes, it’s the family inside that’s truly terrifying.
Both Hereditary (2018, USA) and Incantation (2022, Taiwan) tap into a deeply human fear: that the people closest to us—and the secrets they carry—can be the source of our undoing. These aren’t just ghost stories or demon flicks. They’re about how generational trauma, expectations, and family curses can pass down more easily than heirlooms.
🧬 Hereditary: A Legacy You Can’t Escape
Milly Shapiro in Hereditary (2018)
In Hereditary, grief becomes the doorway to horror. Annie’s family appears ordinary at first, but as secrets unfold—about a hidden cult, a family history of mental illness, and a planned possession—the viewer is pulled into a nightmare that was set in motion long before the opening credits.
“Hereditary is about how belief systems, especially ones forced on us by others, can destroy families,” Professor John Hall noted. “It’s not just demonic forces tearing the family apart—it’s the pressure to hold it all together when it’s already broken.”
The horror isn’t just external—it’s inside the family’s DNA. The trauma is passed down, like a curse they never agreed to carry.
🧿 Incantation: When Love Invites the Curse
Incantation (2022)
In Incantation, a mother’s desperate love for her daughter is what drives the horror. After breaking a sacred taboo during a documentary shoot, she brings home a spiritual curse that begins to infect her child. Like Hereditary, Incantation is about inheritance—but in this case, it’s karma, not cults, that seals their fate.
The scariest part? It’s not about survival. It’s about how even love—when tied to guilt and denial—can be dangerous.
Professor Hall shared that while he’s less familiar with the religious roots of Asian horror, he sees a clear difference in tone:
“In a lot of Asian horror, the characters are trapped by fate or karma. It’s not about fighting off the evil—it’s about dealing with the consequences of choices made long ago.”
Incantation (2022)
🫀 Final Thoughts
What makes these films so chilling isn’t the demons or ghosts. It’s the idea that family—what should be your safest space—can be the very thing that ruins you.
Whether it’s a grandmother’s secret cult or a mother’s well-meaning mistake, both Hereditary and Incantation show us that home is not always a refuge. Sometimes, it’s where the curse begins.
Next week, we will explore the power of found footage films.
