Hereditary is now streaming on Netflix and quickly made it to the top charts, and this is a great reminder to watch this 97% horror movie from 57 years ago, which got a prequel in 2024. Ari Aster’s filmmaking career began in the late 2000s, gaining recognition for his 2011 short The Strange Thing About the Johnsons. Seven years later, Aster made his feature-directorial debut with Hereditary, a psychological horror movie starring Toni Collette. Hereditary was a critical and commercial success, turning Aster into one of the modern masters of horror.
Hereditary introduces the audience to Annie Graham (Collette), her husband Steve (Gabriel Byrne), their 16-year-old son Peter (Alex Wolff), and their 13-year-old daughter Charlie (Milly Shapiro). After the death of Annie’s secretive mother and another major family tragedy, disturbing family secrets are revealed. Annie soon realizes her family is being watched, and there are some sinister plans that put them in great danger. Hereditary has found new life on Netflix, and its success is a reminder to watch a horror classic from 1968 with similar themes.
Warning: spoilers for Rosemary’s Baby and Hereditary.
Hereditary’s Family Cult Twist Is Very Reminiscent Of Rosemary’s Baby
Rosemary’s Baby Is One Of The Most Acclaimed Horror Movies
In 1968, the world met Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow) in Rosemary’s Baby. Directed by Roman Polanski and based on Ira Levin’s 1967 novel of the same name, Rosemary’s Baby follows Rosemary and her husband Guy (John Cᴀssavetes), who move into the Bramford apartment building in Manhattan. There they meet the Castevets, an elderly couple Rosemary finds to be meddlesome, but Guy, who was initially reluctant to interact with them, suddenly becomes very close to them. Guy, a stage actor, is then cast in an important play, and he suggests he and Rosemary have a baby.
The big twist in Rosemary’s Baby is that a cult is involved in her pregnancy, but it’s a lot worse than Rosemary could have imagined.
Rosemary becomes pregnant under disturbing circumstances, and that unleashes a series of mysterious events around her that lead her to believe she’s being watched and manipulated. The big twist in Rosemary’s Baby is that a cult is involved in her pregnancy, but it’s a lot worse than Rosemary could have imagined. Now, the twist in Hereditary is also a cult, one that Annie’s family is heavily involved in without them even knowing, all thanks to Annie’s mother, the leader of the coven.
The family-related cult twist in Rosemary’s Baby isn’t the only reason why it’s a good watch along with Hereditary. Rosemary’s Baby has a claustrophobic feel just like Hereditary does, and the gradual reveal of the cult operating around Rosemary is reminiscent of the one Annie goes through in Hereditary. Both cults are also looking for a host for their respective enтιтies, entangling innocent people and making their lives a real nightmare they can’t escape from.
Rosemary’s Baby Finally Received A Prequel In 2024, Apartment 7A, On Paramount+
Apartment 7A Smoothly Leads Into The Events Of Rosemary’s Baby
Rosemary’s Baby was a critical and commercial success, making way for a franchise with a 1976 made-for-TV sequel, a TV miniseries adaptation in 2014, and a prequel, released in 2024. тιтled Apartment 7A and directed by Natalie Erika James, the prequel takes the audience a couple of weeks before the events of Rosemary’s Baby to meet Terry Gionoffrio (Julia Garner), who has a brief appearance in the first movie. As such, some of the events in Apartment 7A are parallel to those in Rosemary’s Baby.
Terry is a dancer who has to retire temporarily after a serious ankle injury. After following Broadway producer Alan Marchand (Jim Sturgess) to the Bramford, Terry is befriended by the Castevets, who offer her an apartment rent-free. The Castevets sneak their way into Terry’s life and end up entangling her in their own, disturbing plans, and so Terry not only heals enough to return to dance, but she also becomes pregnant. Rosemary briefly appears as a background character, and the end of Apartment 7A smoothly links to Rosemary’s Baby.
A remake of Rosemary’s Baby was in development in 2008, but the project fell through the following year. After the failed TV miniseries adaptation, in 2021 it was announced that a prequel was being made with Natalie Erika James as director. Unfortunately, despite its potential, Apartment 7A wasn’t well-received by critics and currently has a 42% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Hereditary Vs Rosemary’s Baby: Which Horror Movie Is Scarier
They Make An Excellent Double Feature
Rosemary’s Baby and Hereditary make a great double feature, and they’re both scary in different ways. Rosemary’s Baby is chaotic at times, which, along with the claustrophobic atmosphere, makes the suspense even more intense. Rosemary’s desperation and inability to break free from whatever is manipulating her also make Rosemary’s Baby frightening, and even though the audience knows well what’s going on by the time of the big reveal at the end, it’s still a disturbing one.
Hereditary has more visually shocking scenes than Rosemary’s Baby, with the latter relying more on what isn’t shown.
Hereditary, on the other hand, feels darker both narratively and visually. Hereditary has more visually shocking scenes than Rosemary’s Baby, with the latter relying more on what isn’t shown. This gives Rosemary’s Baby the upper hand as the scariest one, but Hereditary also ranks high in the scare factor. Rosemary’s Baby is a great watch for those who enjoyed Hereditary and its main themes, with a different visual style but as suspenseful and scary or even more.
