Is Hereditary 2 Happening? Don't Lose Your Head, But Ari Aster Has An Idea
When I walked out of a theater after watching "Hereditary" for the first time, I legitimately wondered if writer and director Ari Aster came from a Mormon upbringing. Much of his 2018 feature directing debut was filmed on location in Utah, a state where members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints still make up the majority of the general population. Growing up as a non-Mormon in a largely Mormon small town, I gleaned what I could of devout Mormon culture from the outside, coupled with the things I learned from people who had either left the church or had largely ceased to practice the religion (including, as I eventually learned, my own mother). So, naturally, when I saw "Hereditary" — a horror flick about toxic familial relations and sinister cults shot in my own backyard — I couldn't help but speculate that this was the handiwork of a former Mormon working through their disillusionment with the organization.
It wasn't, of course. Aster was born into a Jewish family (which may account for the absence of unmistakably Christian iconography in the film, as Aster once noted during an interview with Newsweek), although you can see how he's grappling with related themes involving family and religion through the lens of horror in "Hereditary." He has only continued to do so in his work since then (most explicitly in "Beau is Afraid"), building upon his feature debut thematically with each new passing project. But would he ever consider building directly upon the disturbing story of the Graham family with a "Hereditary" sequel? Somewhat shockingly, the answer isn't no, at least according to Aster himself.
Why hasn't Hereditary 2 happened yet?
The prospect of a "Hereditary" sequel is a curious one, solely because the original movie, you know, doesn't readily lend itself to one. Aster's film, in summation, centers on Annie Graham (Toni Collette), a miniatures artist who is still mourning the recent loss of her mother — a figure who, like virtually all parents in Aster's films, is a source of discomfort and anxiety rather than one of comfort — when tragedy strikes again, further alienating her from the rest of her family. Eventually, Annie learns her mother belonged to a cult that worships the demon king Paimon and wishes to use her teen son Peter (Alex Wolff) as a vessel for the entity to enter our world. One thing leads to another and, wouldn't you know it, Peter ends up becoming a host to Paimon, with the rest of his family having now been killed.
So far as conclusions go, the ending to "Hereditary" is pretty self-contained and seems to leave nary a plot thread dangling for a sequel to pick up. Then again, you could say the same thing about a lot of horror classics that would go on to receive multiple follow-ups. Still, one assumes the lack of an obvious place to go with the story from there is the main reason why Aster used the film's critical and commercial success to get other original projects green-lit, rather than charging full speed ahead into a franchise the way other low-budget horror hits have (see: "Saw," "Paranormal Activity," "Insidious," "The Purge," and so on).
Everything Ari Aster has said about Hereditary 2
We probably wouldn't be having a conversation about "Hereditary 2" at all if Aster hadn't gone and poked the bear all on his own. While promoting "Beau is Afraid," the filmmaker participated in a Q&A at the American Cinematheque's Aero Theater following a double feature screening of "Hereditary" and his sophomore directorial effort, "Midsommar," both of which were backed by A24 (via This Week Media). Also, it occurs to me that I should have cracked a "Midsommar" joke involving bears earlier but alas, it's too late.
Anyway, A24 has recently started branching out into horror franchises, starting with Ti West's "X" film series and continuing with the upcoming sequel to "Talk to Me." As such, moderator Joshua Rothkopf couldn't help but ask Aster if the studio had yet to approach him about making sequels to either of his first two horror films. His cryptic response? "I have an idea for a sequel to 'Hereditary' ... Who knows if I'll ever do it." Sir, you should know you can't just drop a bombshell like that and not expect to whip up the internet into a frenzy. He presumably made his exit from the stage pursued by a bear after that. (There, see, I know I could get a "Midsommar" reference in there.)
What could happen in Hereditary 2
One of the cleverest things Aster does as a filmmaker is using tried-and-true horror tropes and conventions to organize his stranger and more bizarre ideas. For example, as twisted as things get in "Hereditary" (a film where, among other things, the characters are haunted by disturbing visions and even lop off their own heads), its actual plot has a whole lot in common with a more mainstream horror flick like "Paranormal Activity 3," especially during its second half. Heck, even the "Halloween" series dabbled in the topic of evil cults with "Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers" (which is not to say it did that well, mind you).
The question is, would "Hereditary 2" take a similar approach, or does Aster have something less conventional in mind? One could imagine a sequel sort of along the lines of "Omen III: The Final Conflict," where Peter/Paimon is now grown-up and out in the world doing his evil business. Perhaps his followers would function as his family in this scenario, allowing Aster to continue exploring the idea of your "kin" being a source of harm and danger rather than a loving presence. Anyway, I'm sure whatever idea Aster's come up with is much weirder and darkly comical than anything I could whip up off the top of my head.
Who will the stars of Hereditary 2 be?
If "Hereditary 2" were ever to happen (which, as Aster himself pointed out, is a long shot), then it feels like Alex Wolff would have to return as Peter/Paimon, right? He's already on his way to being a modern Scream King thanks to his roles in "Hereditary" and "Old," along with his turn in the upcoming "A Quiet Place: Day One." It could even be an interesting acting challenge for him, seeing as he would essentially be playing a completely different character this time around.
Beyond that, the world of "Hereditary" is one where the dead can reappear (either as hallucinations or genuine specters), so anyone who died in the first film is fair game to come back for a follow-up, Toni Collette included. I'm still not even remotely convinced "Hereditary 2" needs to happen, but Aster clearly isn't afraid of taking big swings, and if he's up for the challenge then it would be interesting to see what wild ideas he comes up with this time. Worst case scenario, he makes a hard-left turn like "The Exorcist II: The Heretic," which is the only kind of go-for-broke, what-even-is-this horror sequel I would actually want to see Aster take a go at anyway.