The writer of 2020's scariest horror movie has had a sequel idea for three years

Host
(Image credit: Shudder)

Host was a surprise hit when it premiered on Shudder in July 2020, right at the height of the Covid pandemic, and capitalized both on the universal fear of the health emergency and of the paranormal. Three years later, words and phrases like "quarantini" and "social distancing" ring like echoes of a nightmare from the past, which is why a sequel to a movie whose plot and structure are based around the pandemic has always seemed unlikely. However, Host writer and executive producer Jed Shepherd says he's had a clear vision for a sequel since the first movie debuted.

"I came up with the sequel idea to Host the day after we released it!" Shepherd said in a reply to a fan on Twitter.

Unfortunately, Shepherd didn't follow up with any insights into this Host sequel he's apparently pondered over the last three years. Furthermore, he has since tweeted confirmation that there are no plans to make the sequel.

I'm curious to know though whether his sequel idea would continue with the original's use of a Zoom call as the setting and plot device, or and whether it would even be a found footage movie at all. The whole reason the movie took place over a remote video conference was because of Covid-era protocol, so a sequel - assuming it took place in more recent times instead of directly after the events of the original - could ditch the old format altogether and opt for a more traditional horror movie setting.

Here are the upcoming horror movies we know are in development.

Jordan Gerblick

After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer, I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.

Read more
Sharni Vinson as Erin in You're Next (2011)
Team behind slasher horror You're Next reveal their scrapped idea for a twisted sequel: "My point is, it's really good we didn't make this movie"
Ethan Hawke as The Grabber in The Black Phone
The Black Phone 2 director reveals the one "main difference" between the original horror movie and its upcoming "more graphic" sequel
Bring Her Back
First teaser for follow-up horror from Talk to Me directors is just as unsettling as I thought it would be
Sinners
The most exciting upcoming horror movies coming in 2025 and beyond
It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This
New found footage horror movie is getting major attention from film buffs for the most unlikely reason – the filmmakers say it’ll never be released online
Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried as Jennifer and Needy in Jennifer's Body
16 years after it was released, cult '00s horror movie may be getting a surprise sequel: "We're working on it"
Latest in Horror Movies
Drop
New horror movie starring White Lotus and Yellowstone actors gets a great Rotten Tomatoes score as early reactions call it the "perfect date night movie"
Clown in a Cornfield
First reactions to new clown horror movie say the slasher is giving Terrifier a run for its money
The House of the Dead first look 'Test Subjects'
Resident Evil director offers update on his horror movie adaptation of Until Dawn-sounding video game from over 20 years ago: "It's going to be very, very scary"
Emily Blunt in A Quiet Place Part 2
A Quiet Place 3 is finally happening, but it'll be a while because John Krasinski is so busy: "It's hard to get him"
Theo James as Hal in Osgood Perkins' The Monkey
It might only be March, but Stephen King adaptation The Monkey is now the highest grossing horror movie of 2025
Train to Busan passengers
Train to Busan director is returning to the horror sub-genre with a new movie described as the culmination of his zombie universe
Latest in News
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
Dark Souls 2 fans remind Death Stranding 2 director Hideo Kojima that he won’t be taking the DS2 acronym that easily
Minecraft Diamond Armor
Minecraft Pocket Edition got its name because one of its devs was a big "Nintendo nerd" who wanted to pay homage to the Game Boy Pocket
Death Stranding 2
Hideo Kojima says Death Stranding's themes of connection came about because "I thought I lost everything when I became alone nine years ago"
Monster Hunter Wilds trailer screenshot showing a young woman with long blonde hair tied back into a ponytail smiling slightly, pumping her left fist in the air
Monster Hunter Wilds' infamously confusing menus spare no player, not even Gemma's voice actor herself: "This is honestly what I’m struggling with the most"
Death Stranding 2 kiss
Hideo Kojima says "it was very difficult to direct" Death Stranding 2's big kiss scene, but Norman Reedus thinks "it was niiice" locking lips with Léa Seydoux
Ms. Marvel alongside the mutants of Age of Apocalypse
30 years after the original Age of Apocalypse, Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan will travel to the alt-reality to save X-Men history