If you thought you liked Hereditary, just wait til you hear Martin Scorsese talk about it. Fresh off his phenomenally well-received premiere of The Irishman, the legendary filmmaker sat down for a 40-minute talk at New York Film Festival to celebrate four notable films and break down some of his favorite scenes and cinematic elements.

In addition to Ari Aster's 2018 horror breakout, Scorses turned the spotlight on Joanna Hogg's directorial debut Archipelago and two films from Hugo Haas, Bait and Strange Fascination. In a Q&A moderated NYFF director Kent Jones, Scorsese highlighted what struck him most about the films, digging into the details of specific scenes.

Speaking of Archipelago, Scorsese said, "She's amazing, Hogg... I just didn't know her. I didn't realize who made the picture. I had no idea if it was a man, woman, whatever. And it's so great you can see films that way and not know who did it, and then find out. So you can look at it as art in and of itself, for itself. " Watch what he had to say in the video below.

When it came to Hereditary, the director had no shortage of praise. After taking a look at the film's pivotal dinner scene, Scorsese heaped praise on the film's family dynamics and the outstanding performances from the cast.

"That’s a remarkable film…The restraint in the frame is extraordinary. Again there’s one cut, one camera move when she stands up that’s quite something. The restraint in the frame is extraordinary. About the whole movie. I try to watch films, it’s very hard sometimes to be able to find the time, and when you do, something that stands out is amazing. This did. I was really electrified by the dynamic, which you see, that’s expressed in this scene. Now the story… I’ve forgotten some of it I’m sorry, but what I didn’t forget was the family, the three of them. That’s what’s important in terms of this filmmaker. And these actors, they’re astounding. Toni Colette, I mean, she’s…. [shakes head]."

hereditary
Image via A24

Scorsese compared the film to horror classics like The Haunting and The Innocents in terms of rich family trauma and emotional impact, highlighting how you could remove the horror elements and the film's emotional storyline would still work. He continued,

"By the way, if you haven’t seen this thing, it is a horror picture and there are sequences later… but the real thing is the sequences where she goes into his room and it intercuts with him in flames… the intercutting and how it’s done. It’s just wonderful filmmaking. Disturbing, there’s no doubt, it’s a horror film in that way. But it’s more than that. It reminds of the best of horror films."

(H/T The Playlist)

For more on Scorsese and The Irishman, check out the links below.