King Paimon, the demonic source of the horror that befalls the family in Hereditary, has a basis in reality. Hereditary, the first feature-length film from director Ari Aster, is a shocking, terrifying, and upsetting horror movie about grief, terrible mistakes, and dark family secrets. After 16-year-old Peter Graham (Alex Wolff) makes a life-changing mistake, his already tenuous relationship with his mother Annie (Toni Collette) becomes irreparably fractured. Compounding this family tragedy is the reveal that something sinister has been shadowing the Grahams for longer than anyone could have suspected.
Hereditary is an incredibly scary movie, and it’s unsettling from the opening where Annie’s miniature models become the lens through which scenes start. The real-life terror at the front half of the movie would be scary enough on its own, but it’s the introduction of King Paimon that powers Hereditary through a haunting and unforgettable finale. There are hints of supernatural forces at work sprinkled throughout the film, pointing to something more than misfortune affecting the family. King Paimon, the demon in Hereditary, is a notable monster in the pantheon of horror movie villains, and his real-life history makes him all the more chilling.
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1 Hereditary Theory Makes Peter’s Fate More Terrifying
A Hereditary theory suggests someone close to Peter was also part of his grandmother’s cult, making his fate even more tragic and terrifying.
Annie’s Mother Ellen Worshiped King Paimon
All Was Part Of The Cult’s Plan
As it’s finally revealed towards the end of Hereditary, Annie’s mother Ellen and her cult of satanic worshipers had been praying to King Paimon for years. Her cult has attempted to bring the demon into the world by offering a human vessel for him to possess, a male one specifically. It isn’t plainly stated, but Annie makes reference to her brother, who took his own life at a young age. He accused his mother of trying to, “put people inside of him” before he died, a sign that Ellen was attempting to use her own child as a vessel. The next male in the family line is Peter.
There are symbols of King Paimon throughout Hereditary; some are obvious, like on the cover of Ellen’s spell book, but others are more subtle, like those painted on a certain telephone pole. When Annie discovers the spell book she learns of King Paimon and understands too late what demonic force has been sabotaging her family. King Paimon uses others to further his ambitions, he uses the cultists, and he uses Annie’s unwilling body when he possesses her. By the end of Hereditary, King Paimon has fully possessed Peter and accomplished a generations-long effort to become a part of the material world.
King Paimon’s Real-Life Origin Sets Up A Hereditary Sequel
The Demon In Hereditary Has Historic Origins
Like some other parts of Hereditary that are inspired by real life, King Paimon is inspired by history. In The Lesser Key of Solomon, a grimoire (book of magic) anonymously written in the 17th century, there are instructions on how to summon 72 demons, one of which is King Paimon. Paimon is known for his ability to answer questions, as he knows secrets, and can bestow his knowledge on those who ask. The Lesser Key of Solomon is compiled from other grimoires dating back further than the 17th century, making it a significant tome in demonology.
With so many more demons in The Lesser Key of Solomon, each with their own powers and desires, a sequel to Hereditary could follow. While no plans have been made for Hereditary 2, in a Q&A session after a screening of Beau Is Afraid, Ari Aster mentioned that he has an idea for a sequel but is not sure if he would ever do it, via This Week Media. That’s all the director said, but after featuring King Paimon in Hereditary, there are still 71 demons from The Lesser Key of Solomon who could pop up in a sequel — or sequels.
How Hereditary’s Paimon Compares To Other Movie Demons
The Demon In Hereditary Is Incredibly Distinctive
Hereditary is considered groundbreaking for many reasons, though one that’s often overshadowed by the many shocking moments (such as the scene in which Charlie is beheaded) and incredible performances is how unique King Paimon is as a demon in a movie. There are dozens of movies about demonic possession, and each plays into the many tropes of the horror subgenre in one way or another. It’s for this reason that the demon in Hereditary should be considered one of the movie’s strengths, as it stands out in several subtle but important ways.
Firstly, the fact that King Paimon in Hereditary prefers male hosts rather than female is a rejection of a regular trope of demonic possession movies. Many of the most well known movies about demons, from 1973’s The Exorcist through to 2005’s The Exorcism of Emily Rose or more modern films like 2024’s Immaculate and Late Night With The Devil, have women or girls being the vehicles of hellish entities. While there are also several movies where a demon possesses a male character, none seem to make this a key plot point like Hereditary.
The demon in Hereditary doesn’t end up in Peter by chance. As Joan points out, King Paimon actively prefers a male host. The fact that the demon was originally in Charlie’s body was a mistake, and one that the cult of Paimon seeks to rectify. Few movie demons have such an outspoken preference for masculinity when it comes to those they possess, and this definitely sets King Paimon in Hereditary apart from his many fictional counterparts.
The other most notable difference is the nature of King Paimon’s presence on earth. Charlie had been marked from birth to be the vehicle of King Paimon. Few demonic possession movies include a character specifically born to be possessed. Unlike many other movie demons who seem to pick the people they possess at random, King Paimon’s host on earth was predetermined, more like Damien, the antichrist in The Omen franchise than many depictions of demonic beings in other films.
The final notable point is that the demon in Hereditary doesn’t turn its hosts into borderline-inhuman monsters. Most demons in horror movies cause significant physical changes in those they possess. This isn’t the case with King Paimon. Once Peter is possessed, his speech and mannerisms are different, but his appearance is unaltered. This marks a significant way Hereditary breaks from many horror movie demons like Pazazu in The Exorcist, which causes many notable transformations in those they inhabit the bodies of.
The feature film debut of writer-director Ari Aster, Hereditary tells the story of the unwittingly cursed Graham family. Annie Graham (Toni Collette) lives with her husband Steve (Gabriel Byrne) and their children Peter (Alex Wolff) and Charlie (Milly Shapiro). After the death of Annie’s mother, the family is beset by disaster and stalked by a supernatural entity that dredges up a past that Annie had spent her life trying to overlook.
- Release Date
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June 8, 2018
- Runtime
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2h 7m
- Cast
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Toni Collette
, Milly Shapiro
, Zachary Arthur
, Gabriel Byrne
, Mallory Bechtel
, Alex Wolff
, Ann Dowd
