Ari Aster Wrote a Prequel for “Hereditary”. Here's Why It May Never Come Out
Ari Aster Wrote a Prequel for “Hereditary”. Here's Why It May Never Come Out
Rebecca AizinTue, June 9, 2026 at 3:48 PM UTC
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Ari Aster attends the 16th Governors Awards at The Ray Dolby Ballroom on November 16, 2025 in Hollywood ; Milly Shapiro in 'Hereditary'Credit: Frazer Harrison/WireImage; A24 -
Ari Aster revealed he has written a prequel to Hereditary, but feels it's not the right time to make it
The director shared that Hereditary remains his most beloved film and continues to influence modern horror movies
Aster rejects the term "elevated horror" and says he never intended to separate his work from the horror genre
Ari Aster has carved a name for himself as a horror master since 2018's Hereditary, but a follow-up movie to his terrifying breakout hit may not be in the cards.
The director, 39, made his feature film directorial debut with the horror flick starring Toni Collette as a grieving daughter who starts to unravel cryptic and terrifying secrets about her ancestry. He followed the film with 2019's Midsommar and 2023's Beau Is Afraid, before pivoting to 2025's Western thriller Eddington.
However, Hereditary remains one of his most beloved movies, and at a Q&A session following a screening of the movie at American Cinematheque's annual Bleak Week on Sunday, June 7, Aster revealed he has a prequel written that further explores the world.
"I wrote a prequel to this," Aster said, per Gold Derby. "It never feels like the right time. It's a prequel, not a sequel so I don't know where this goes."
Milly Shapiro and Toni Collette in 'Hereditary'Credit: A24
The movie itself has only continued to grow in popularity, with Aster reflecting that every movie he's made since has felt like "diminishing returns as far as their reception is concerned," but that hasn't stopped the director from feeling "thrilled" about the love for Hereditary.
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"You want something to last. It's great," he said during the Q&A. "More people come up to me and say they love this film more than any of the others. Midsommar I guess is the other."
He added that people continue to tell him that they've seen influences from the 2018 film in more recent horror movies. Aster said that surprised him as he felt he made Hereditary "in a tradition" of those that came before him, including "almost self-consciously nodding to Rosemary's Baby."
Alex Wolff in 'Hereditary'Credit: A24
"I suppose I see its influence here and there but this film has so many influences that I also see these things where I'm like yeah, they're in the same tradition as mine," Aster said. "Rob was doing the same thing. The Witch came before me."
The director also opened up about being put in the category of "elevated horror" alongside directors Jordan Peele (Get Out, Nope) and Robert Eggers (Nosferatu, The Witch), and how he rejects the notion that his movies are separate from others in the genre.
"I hate the term elevated horror especially because it's sort of a box that I was put in and horror fans took umbrage," Aster said. "'Who do you think you are?' I didn't say it, I didn't say it."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
