Decade of death: 10 greatest horror performances of the 2010s

Hereditary – Courtesy of A24

Toni Collette (Hereditary)

Rather than tell you why Toni Collette’s acting in Hereditary is one of the greatest horror performances of the decade, it would be much simpler to instead include the clip of her sobbing uncontrollably on her bedroom floor and begging for death while she grieves the loss of a child. Or rather, the clip of her breakdown at the dinner table, wherein she moves through such an array of emotions – from anger and sadness to guilt and blame – so swiftly that you can see the vein in her forehead pulsating. Hell, there are several others to choose from also.

The point is: Toni Collette is damn great in Hereditary and I will never forgive the Academy Awards for failing to even nominate the single greatest performance of 2018. As the mother of the Graham family, Collette plays Annie as a woman who is navigating the grief of her past and present while also trying to remain a pillar of strength for her family in the most trying time of their lives. The film itself is a modern masterpiece and one of the scariest movies ever made, but even with the tremendous, attention-demanding direction by first-timer Ari Aster, it’s Toni Collette’s performance that history will most remember.