Davika Hoorne to Return for 'Inherit' Sequel, Director Confirms

"Inherit," the psychological horror film by Thai director Banjong Pisanthanakun, will get a sequel, with star Davika Hoorne set to return, Pisanthanakun confirmed in an exclusive interview with Variety.

The film world premiered in September as a Centrepiece selection at the Toronto Film Festival and now closes the Jakarta World Cinema festival. It opens across Thailand on Nov. 19.

Pisanthanakun and Hoorne first worked together on the 2013 horror-comedy "Pee Mak," still Thailand's biggest local box office hit of all time. For "Inherit," Hoorne was his first and only choice for the lead.

Who is Woranart?

Hoorne plays Woranart, a youthful-looking grandmother who moves in with her granddaughter's wealthy family. The household soon discovers she harbors a centuries-old centipede spirit with sinister designs on the youngest member, Oui, played by Baipor Thitiya Jirapornsilp.

"The character has to be sexy, beautiful, and funny at the same time. I think of her as a fashion icon, too," Pisanthanakun told Variety. "The first image that I have was her wearing a bikini and sunbathing beside the pool, which is very modern. She talks like this [era's] woman, talking to ChatGPT. She's a very adaptable girl."

On set, the director advised Hoorne to study two screen monsters: Catherine Tramell, Sharon Stone's character in "Basic Instinct," and Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter in "The Silence of the Lambs."

Hoorne also starred in "A Useful Ghost," the satirical Thai comedy-thriller that won the Critics' Week Grand Prix at Cannes in 2025. She regards that film and "Inherit" as her return to cinema.

"For movie, I carefully choose the project that I want to do," Hoorne said. "One project takes around one year of working, so I really have to choose the one I'm gonna live with for such a long time to bring up my soul as an actress. So, trust me, watch it, I pick for you guys already."

Why did Pisanthanakun return to horror?

The director says that 20 years ago, horror was all about concept — ghosts in photos or on videotapes — with filmmakers competing over where to make the ghost appear. He drifted away from the genre.

"Actually, after 'Shutter' and 'Alone,' there came a time when I really got bored of making horror films; even going to the cinema to watch horror films made me fall asleep right away," he said. "After films like 'Hereditary' and 'It Follows' came out, I felt like there were still other new, refreshing ways to make horror films. The modern horror, especially from the Hollywood side, is now very creative. I think it's the only genre that still has something creative coming up."

His 2021 film "The Medium" was produced by Korean director Na Hong-Jin, who shaped his thinking about international audiences.

"When I made this project with him, he shared his opinion on how the international market would react all the time. I just made this film [the way I normally do]. But he's gonna give his opinion on how the international audience would perceive it," Pisanthanakun said.

He added: "I want the concepts and the story to be as solid as possible, and I want the atmosphere to be everything. It has to be very unique, and everything has to be like authentic."

On artificial intelligence, he takes a pragmatic line: "I think it's inevitable in the system, but I think people can use it as long as it's not violating other people's rights."

What does this change for Thai cinema?

The stakes are domestic as much as artistic. "The Thai film industry right now is not so good — that's the real pressure because I want this movie to bring Thai audiences back to the cinema," Pisanthanakun said.

He added that public funding for Thai film production is neither robust nor consistent — and that it goes only to horror.

Hoorne, who has moved into producing girls' love (GL) titles, a popular Thai romance genre between women, called for broader support.

"It's gonna be better if we have funding from the other help of the government; that help is the independent themes that can go internationally," she said. "When I'm producing a movie or series, it is very hard to find the funding, and it is really hard for Thai films to recruit people for different genres. Because you have to draw people into the cinema, drama or comedy, something that looks small, people tend to wait."

Both principals have full slates ahead. Hoorne has directed a family short film, "Soap Opera," which recently wrapped, and will focus on TV series in 2027. Pisanthanakun is leading a Thai-Korean horror co-production — a sign that, sequel or not, Thai horror is aiming squarely at the international market.