10 Unanswered Questions About Hereditary : Unanswered Questions Episode 37

[@YuriAbietti]

King Paimon is an ancient entity that was worshipped in the arabian peninsula, in pre-islamic times, as "Arsu" or "Ruda", words that in the local dialects roughly translates to "the kind" or "the benevolent". He was a pagan deity, a protector of travelers and merchants and caravan routes in the desert. Some scholars of ancient religions or magic practitioners link him also to another similar deity called Al-Kutbay, a god of knowledge, wisdom and writing. That's why usually Paimon is represented on a camel or dromedary (sometimes carrying a scroll): that was how Arsu/Ruda were also represented. Since his "god" days, he's always been a very "gender-fluid" god/spirit (sometimes he's male, sometimes female, and in modern times the grimoires describe him as a male with a feminine face). Of course, after the spread of monotheistic religions, all ancient pagan gods had to become angels or demons... There is also a different "demon" called Gremory that is clearly a more "feminine" version of the same entity. In the Solomonic Magic tradition (since the "Testament of Solomon" and the "Book of the Office of Spirits", to the later "Lesser Key of Solomon", "Clavis Inferni" and other medieval and renessaince grimoric texts) he's the King of the West (the other "higher" Kings being Oriens in the East, Amaymon in the South and Ariton/Egyn in the North), usually associated with water, serpents, the color blue, the unconscious mind, dreams, sunset and autumn (and also to the correspoding Archangel, Gabriel). His name in the grimoires probably comes from an hebrew word (Pa'amon) that means "little bells", and the texts usually say that his coming is preceded by the sound of bells and trumpets. I love "Hereditary" but it always baffled me as why Ari Aster decided to use a demon from the Lesser Key that was not really suited for his story: there are a lot of other Spirits in the same catalogue that are described as clearly malevolent or at least dangerous and decidedly male, while Paimon is usually portraied as more or less benevolent or at least indifferent and, as I said, is "gender-fluid" (and not in the least interested in "possessing" someone or to live in the material plane). Maybe he just liked his Sigil... (the symbol of the pendants and in the pole is his Goetic Sigil and it's used to summon him following a very precise and fairly complex ceremony). So why choose a demon not very suited for the story you have in mind when there are a lot of other beings much more fitting? My personal guess (jokingly) is this: someone in the production team was a practicing magician and they decided to summon Paimon and make a pact: we'll give you visibility and energy beyond anything done so far by humans (with a motion-picture, his sigil showed to millions of people, et cetera) and you will assure our success with the movie. :D Not a bad pact, anyway!

[@MiriRose13]

I love how AA used artwork in the form of paintings in Midsommar and the dollhouses in Midsommar in his movies.

[@thefourmoodgroups2589]

Count me among those who love this movie. Great job on this video, Josh. An extra enjoyable edition of Unanswered Questions!

[@kwasihill7233]

A wise man once said “We have to stop acting like we know the way ahead, like we know the rules. There are no rules. We’re lost”

[@jc6800]

Nice! This is one of my fav movies!!

[@sabrinaloizides-merideth9874]

This is absolutely one of my favorite movies! And you are so right: Toni Colette was robbed of her Oscar yet again.

[@peterdanior4538]

7:51 love that line

[@CourteousKitsch]

I had mixed feelings about this film and overall thought it was only "okay" simply because I didn't want to think about it anymore. But I think that indicates it did disturb me on a deep emotional level. This video did help me revisit those questions I was hesitant to explore, so my overall opinion of the movie has improved.

[@RobbDorn]

Thank you Josh. I was already planning a rewatch of this film over the weekend, and this may help further my enjoyment of it. I’m certainly in the camp of love this film despite it making my head hurt.

[@jazcc]

This was a good one. It explains any issues I couldn’t understand. I think the movie was interesting for sure.

[@lostinthemasses]

Wow that guidance counselor bit really took me by surprise lol

[@momster64]

Well now my brain hurts. Thanks a bunch. Honestly though, great analysis! Gonna go watch it again, for maybe the 10th time….

[@jewpower42]

Great video, as always! Great insight on a great movie!

[@ikmor]

Great answers! I really like the movie. The angst as she grieves her dead daughter... Man...

[@robinlamont4167]

How Toni Collette never got an Oscar is a travesty.

[@buckfidencoincidencetheori7200]

Cry about it JK snub if the year but horror is underlooked most of the time unfortunately. 10/10 performance tbh

[@andresvelasco2767]

She should've at least been nominated

[@Jesse__H]

It was a snub, for sure.

[@Nicolas.Vincent]

@@Jesse__H it wasn't that good a movie. She's the only amazing thing about it.

[@Jesse__H]

​@@Nicolas.VincentI disagree, I thought it was phenomenal. Glad we agree on her, though.

[@Emulous79]

When the Rasta was asked for some free ganja, he said "You have to Paimon."

[@jonhufford6980]

This is definitely one of those films that really doesn’t start to open up until you’ve watched it at least a second time. Not unlike It Follows in that regard.

[@peterdanior4538]

My guidance counselor told me that my future involved a lot of head and he helped me get started

[@john_blues]

I loved Hereditary. My girlfriend punched me in the arm when it was over. So we're a split household. lol. It was great to hear all of the extra information from the director.

[@thefourmoodgroups2589]

Wow! It rose to the level of an arm punch? Harsh.

[@Nicolas.Vincent]

​@@thefourmoodgroups2589😂

[@PatrickCraig-lh5is]

_Josh:_ "...which you'll know if you've ever tried to fight one..." _The 'It's Alive' Baby:_ Hold my breast milk

[@anubusx]

I find it funny that Steve burns considering that Gabriel Bryne played Satan.

[@TheLonelySoulja]

Only seen this movie once and will never watch it again, but thanks for the answers.

[@samwill7259]

Man, awkward thanksgiving right? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA **shot**

[@anubusx]

The telephone pole was calling all the shots from the start...

[@a1investigations433]

Top 10 horror film. Thanks for these insights!

[@donnywilliams9494]

My biggest question is why is the movie so devoid of religion? Not once do any of the characters suggest they seek out spiritual advice. In a movie about demonic possession, no one even thinks to consult a holy book or talk to a religious leader? Honestly, it may make the movie scarier, because that lack of religion basically means there's no hope. Zero chance their getting out of it.

[@Nicolas.Vincent]

🤘⸸⛧⸸🤘

[@Beardo2517]

I just really can't understand what peoples infatuation with Margot Robbie is. Tony deserved the Oscar big time

[@Nicolas.Vincent]

I think it's cause she's hot 🔥⛧🔥

[@ReverendBenzo]

I loved this movie when I saw this in the theaters. My real main question though when I saw it was, what was the point of the ghost/seance scene?

[@flywheelshyster]

My brother bought this Blu ray for me for my 36th bday a few years back, it was my first Blu ray as he bought the player for me too lol but I still haven't gotten around to it this everyone says it's so good and I have to turn this off now cause spoilers, sorry. I will let itnplay with volume down

[@Nicolas.Vincent]

Just watch the movie! 🤷‍♂️

[@flywheelshyster]

@@Nicolas.Vincent 😆 🤣

[@Nicolas.Vincent]

​@@flywheelshysterI didn't really think it was all that. Supposed "Elevated" genre as they were calling it for a while...maybe it's still called that? But it was OK. I liked the Occult content, it was well done for that sort of story in cinema. The worst perpetrator being Halloween 6 🥺

[@vonVile]

I thought the movie was okay. My problem besides on how stupid Charly is for eating the cake is that the climax of the film is way too short. That final night should have lasted 20 minutes. Getting back to the cake, it was poorly thought out. Instead of showing a mountain of chopped nuts the director should have used peanut oil to make the cake. This would have hidden the peanuts and not make Charly look stupid. There even could have been a shot of Charly asking if there's peanuts in the cake with the response being "No". This would set up the question that the person is either a member or they thought it was a different type of oil. As for question 7, the light is Anne's mother's spirit. She is still manipulating the situation even after death. A major clue to this is at her funeral. When Anne is giving the eulogy her mother's picture changes images.

[@movietimelines]

i went back and looked and i don't see the picture changing images?

[@jeambeam3173]

Then the point of the pile of nuts completley went over your head. The point of the shot is to give you the vibe that many of the ppl even the teenagers are in on it whether they know it or not. The mother and son were given herbs to make them more subsetable to possession the mother given to her through the tea from her mother's friend. And Charlie through the weed he smoked that was his friends. Right after he smokes Charlie's ghost or the demon starts fucking with him

[@TheGreatDevlin]

14:26 Um... Well... Moving on I guess?

[@Nicolas.Vincent]

Charlie is in The Sunken Place? ☕️🥄

[@thefourmoodgroups2589]

Nice emoji usage.

[@Nicolas.Vincent]

@@thefourmoodgroups2589 🤘

[@LightHawkAlchemist]

Neither hate nor love this movie

[@sarabrucker7847]

The clicking noise is for riding a camel.

[@ILikeHorrorMovies-zz4zl]

So i was right about the community post

[@KMHill]

The biggest remainng question is "What pole and what tips?" ?!?!?

[@MikeD974]

Love this movie

[@echedp8903]

I didn't like Hereditary but I will say the acting was well needed of a reward. Midsummer also didn't seem like my kind of thing, but it has really grown on me with repeat viewing so maybe I should give this one a second go.

[@rubberlover666]

I'm one of the "it was fine" people. Miles better than Midsommar. I like the idea that Charlie never existed. Might need to watch it again with that in mind.

[@Nicolas.Vincent]

Yeah. It was ok 🤷‍♂️ I liked the Occult story, but not the family drama. I'd wanna see a sequel, watch Paymon go around doin dirty!🤘 Start it right from the moment this one ends.

[@joshuafrohm921]

Im in the middle its fine, not great, but not bad.

[@kevinmyles6369]

Great, fascinating questions and answers to this incredible masterpiece. One of my all time faves, this movie!

[@YouShouldntBeDancing]

If only more movies were as thoughtful and detailed as Hereditary. I wonder if possession ran in the family, as per the title of the film. I could use a prequel about grandma to help sus it all out, lol. Anyway, great video, as always. Bless.

[@Nicolas.Vincent]

As boring and pretentious as Hereditary? Give me a sequel the moment the 1st one ends!

[@zinka777]

I only disagree with you about the telephone pole thing. Your analysis of the actions of the characters is based on pure rational, free will point of view. But what if the cult has some powers or abilities like sigil magic (the sigil being the Paimon symbol on the pole here), which would be able to influence people's will to some extend, under the right circumstances. The demons usually are manipulators, so I would think their cult's magic would be inclined to follow the same route. We don't know how long exactly they were working on bringing Paimon into a human male, it could be generations for all as we know, until everything fell in the right place. So the closer they get to the ritual being complete, their power of influence could become stronger. Some forms of magical practice acknowledge the importance of potential, in order for the ritual to come to fruition. The closer they are to the goal, the potential is stronger. I've always thought of the cult as being very old, and if they're able to magically cast a real demon into somebody, I'd say a little manipulation in order to lead a very important person to the right place at the right time wouldn't be THAT much of a big deal.

[@glennbotes8937]

The cast was perfect. Now this is how a horror movie should play out. Thanks for this video, had questions.

[@Nicolas.Vincent]

I would honestly prefer to see the flick from the precise moment it ends! 🤘⸸⛧⸸🤘

[@Gorgutsforcongress]

I bet the people saying Hereditary is overrated are the same people who gobble up the shite that James Wan vomits up every year.

[@Allen_82]

Hereditary IS overrated and Wans movies are hit and miss in my opinion.....anyway you were saying

[@Nicolas.Vincent]

I have only ever screened Malignant of Wan's and compared to the stale family drama of Hereditary, I could pretty confidently say that Malignant is a much more entertaining feature. Maybe not a better movie, but more entertaining. I liked the Occult story about Hereditary, but it was just ok. I wouldn't ever bother watching any other Wan flick, they just don't appeal to me. Haven't screened Midsommar either, probably won't bother after seeing Hereditary. Maybe Ari Aster will come out with something more appealing down the line? 🤷‍♂️

[@a1investigations433]

Definitely different audiences. Despise malignant and think hereditary is the bee's knees.

[@zinka777]

I'm neither here nor there with Wan, some of his stuff is terrific (I really like Malignant), but a lot of the time it's just mindless fun or even really bad. But I also have a strong feeling people who diss Hereditary would rather see Paimon act like that demon thing from Insidious or god forbid Valak in that awful flick The Nun. I guess it's a case of different audience.

[@SuperNiceteeth]

I'm kind of neutral towards this movie. I don't think it's bad, but I didn't enjoy it.

[@DanT.Inferno]

I thought it was about mental illness.

[@tritonjay9871]

You, sir, are ten feet tall and two inches wide.

[@movietimelines]

lol. i have no idea what this means.

[@kjay2340]

how was she even able to breast feed charlie at all?

[@thefourmoodgroups2589]

Some women can lactate without having just given birth.

[@sabrinaloizides-merideth9874]

There are ways to induce lactation in women who haven't had a child. Some women continue stimutating their mammary glands to produce milk for a long time. Women who adopt babies sometimes do this so they can breastfeed.

[@Nicolas.Vincent]

​@@thefourmoodgroups2589😂

[@Nicolas.Vincent]

​@@sabrinaloizides-merideth9874😂

[@wimvanderstraeten6521]

This is basically a variation of Rosemary's Baby.

[@ZAPPED916]

It’s also a variation of a horror film.

[@Nicolas.Vincent]

​@@ZAPPED916😂

[@a1investigations433]

Except superior. And I love Rosemary's Baby.

[@KashFlow24G]

Greatest horror movie of all time 🎉

[@andresvelasco2767]

At least its in the Top 5

[@Nicolas.Vincent]

🤨🤭

[@a1investigations433]

I'd say at least top 10 or so!

[@tjtharp603]

Good job on the deep dive but definitely not my cup of tea ☕

[@otomon5]

Hereditary is OK

[@kunonabi]

The only question I had during the movie was whether or not the son was adopted since he didn't remotely look related to anyone else in the family. It honestly bugged me the whole time. As for the film I loved it until the climax where it turned into silly, tired nonsense.

[@Nicolas.Vincent]

I know, the whole time I'm thinking who did Tony Collette hook up with all those years ago? 🤔🤫

[@SmoothAdventureProductions]

Never seen the movie. Let’s gooo!

[@Nicolas.Vincent]

Fascinating

[@jondaw9411]

Great video Josh but … c’mon. A Demon with a nut allergy? Really? I appreciate that Hereditary is a “Marmite” movie but I can’t believe that Astor is the great movie maker that all these answers would suggest. I’ve seen the movie three times now and to me it’s a mess. Hmmmm…Marmite.

[@movietimelines]

the nut allergy thing doesn't bother me because it's a demon forced into the body of a young human girl, complete with all the vulnerabilities and issues that a human body comes with.

[@Nicolas.Vincent]

Paimon's Bane 🌰🥜 😂

[@MiriRose13]

I guess that’s the chance you take when you’re an a-hole demon who steals flawed human bodies. Jerk was asking for it.

[@VanguardSolarEnergy]

I saw this movie in a theatre when it came out. Friday night opening weekend; pretty big crowd. There was laughter, a lot of it. The audience was laughing AT the movie. While I realize things were going over their heads, the movie does open itself up to that kind of ridicule because it is so disorganized and half-baked. They were straining the narrative to shoehorn in their recherché ideas rather than allowing them to flow organically through the story. I think there are really good elements to this film and one of the greatest acting performances I have ever seen. But I was also among those laughing at how some things just didn’t land and ended up being risible. Therefore, I can confidently say that it was…ok.

[@zinka777]

I saw it in the packed theatre as well, and I can tell you, nobody laughed. Not even the kids, who were mostly there to see another stupid jump scare horror movie and were the prevalent audience because it was the weekend. A good number of people walked out quite pale, though. I've spent the evening talking to my friends about it over some beer (and peaunts), and we're by no means a bunch of movie snobs. I think it's become somewhat fashionable to call out A24 for being overrated, mostly because of that stupid term "elevated horror".

[@HornedSerpent86]

I never care for the movie hereditary I thought it was really boring.

[@RBKeown]

This movie ain't that great. Sorry. Put it in the same category as Babadook and Us. Straight style over substance. The movie looks great, beautiful. Heaven's Gate is beautiful. Had great style. This movie screams that it is smarter than its audience. Now, whomever states that it is just smarter than me wins the prize.😊

[@Nicolas.Vincent]

I mostly agree. I didn't hate it, it was ok, but I really don't get what the big deal is supposed to be about it either. I probably won't watch it again.

[@a1investigations433]

Agreed on Babadook and Us. Think Hereditary is a masterpiece. All style and substance to burn. That said, some movies don't work for some people. My wife and daughter swear Jaws 2 is superior to Jaws. They're not stupid, just wrong. ;)

[@zinka777]

@@a1investigations433 Agree on everything with U except for the Jaws. Me, i don't like either Jaws particularly 🤣

[@vmhvampir]

Well I watched this movie 2xs And still didn't like it, but I will watch this later. Love your stuff.

[@HeyImRosko]

I'm still firmly in the "overrated" camp. The movie is fine. Just ok.

[@TonyGearSolid]

I loved Hereditary up until the ending. I felt the movie would've been more effective if they left things vague on whether or it was madness caused by grief or a ritual performed by a genuine cult.

[@Nicolas.Vincent]

Thus film is about a Cult. There is no ambiguity.