Steve’s Death in 'Hereditary': Unfolding Annie’s Tragic End

Hereditary presents us with a kind of horror bound by no rules. If you ask me, that’s what makes it one of the scariest movies that I have watched in the last couple of years. Ari Aster hardly employs any jump scares throughout the narrative—it’s the maniacal ebb and flow of tension that rattles our souls.

Every moment in the movie subverts your expectations exactly when you think that you’ve figured it all out.

Steve dies almost in a flash, right before Annie’s eyes, and she just watches him burn alive in shock, frozen in grief. It’s sudden and completely throws us off.

In this article, let’s realize the significance of Steve’s death in Hereditary.

Story and Themes

Hereditary is not one of those movies that can be decoded in a single watch. At the same time, it’s so gripping that it doesn’t really become a stale watch even after multiple viewings. In fact, every rewatch reveals a new clue or allegory within the narrative.

The story follows Annie and her family, the Grahams, as they mourn the death of Annie’s mother.

Annie had an extremely strained relationship with her mother growing up, who was suffering from dissociative identity disorder. She eventually cut all ties with her mother, hoping to prevent her influence on her family in any way.

At first, it appears that it is only the logical threat of mental illness that’s looming over the family, considering that Annie’s entire immediate family, even her father and her brother, suffered from mental illnesses and eventually killed themselves.

However, soon after the funeral, Annie realizes that beyond the risk of madness, there’s a sinister entity that her mother has left behind for her to deal with.

To Give You Some Context

The evil in Hereditary is Paimon, one of the eight kings of Hell, and Aster plays on it beautifully.

Paimon’s influence on the family is a slow descent to hell for them.

Right from the film's opening, the entity begins encroaching on the Graham family, with Charlie as its first host. But by the end of the film, we realize that the Graham family's son, Peter, was the main target—the chosen host for Paimon to take over.

The deaths begin with Charlie, which shatters the Graham family to its core. With every passing day, Annie seemingly begins to lose her sanity, while Peter has gone numb ever since, hallucinating about Charlie constantly. Amidst this, Steve is desperately trying to keep everyone sane with no chance to process the grief of losing his child.

Steve breaks down for the first time, on his way back home from the hospital, with an injured, recovering Peter in his back seat.

The Scene

By this point in the movie, Annie seems to have lost it. However, only Annie (and we) know the truth. She realizes that her dead mother’s association with a cult has led a spirit to latch onto their family.

Aware of the looming threat to her son, her first instinct is to burn the book. But when she chucks the book into the fireplace for the first time, Annie is set ablaze. Shocked, she quickly retrieves it from the fire.

When Steve returns, Annie rushes to him to tell him about what she has learned, but Steve is no longer ready to believe his wife, who appears to have completely lost it. He claims to be fearful in Annie’s presence and warns her that he will call the police if Annie doesn’t stop.

Annie completely breaks down before him, as he begs him to believe her (and we so desperately want him to believe her). She tells him that to save Peter, she must sacrifice herself and hands over the diary to Steve to burn it, hoping that she would burst into flames and die, ending the threat looming over Peter. Only, she didn’t know that she couldn’t be more wrong.

Annie bids farewell to Steve and stands there waiting for him to do her “last rites” by burning the book. But Steve refuses bluntly. “I’m not going to do this with you anymore… I know it's not helpful. You are sick, Annie. I need to call the police.”

Annie loses her mind hearing Steve’s refusal, grabs the book from his hand, and throws it into the flames. Immediately, Steve bursts into flames. His cries fill the room as he is burned alive right before Annie’s eyes.

Annie watches in despair as her face crumples up in shock for just a couple of seconds before she is irreversibly possessed.

What Does Steve’s Death Mean?

'Hereditary'Credit: A24

The fire that consumes Steve is not just a supernatural event but symbolic of the brutal rupture of Annie’s carefully constructed defenses. The unfortunate event is a reminder to her that she cannot control her family’s fate through actions.

Another interesting subversion that Aster draws out in the scene is the role of fire in the supernatural. Fire is known to purify—probably why Annie’s first instinct was to throw the book into the fire. However, in this scene, the fire consumes. Instead of purifying, it destroys.

Finally, Steve’s death marks Annie’s psychological death. It is in Steve’s dying moments that Paimon takes complete possession of Annie’s mind. After this, she is completely doomed.

Steve’s death in Hereditary marks the beginning of the end—only it’s not a happy ending.