The scariest exorcism movies

Key things

• Exorcism movies still inspire horror despite the changing trends in horror.
• Unique twists on exorcism stories like “The Rite” provide refreshing scares.
• Movies like “The Conjuring” masterfully mix horror with compelling storytelling.

While it may not be as popular within the horror genre as it once was, and while it may have changed a lot over the years, the idea of ​​an exorcism is still as terrifying as ever. The demonic horror subgenre continues to deliver great scares and thrills as filmmakers continue to find ways to create unique versions of possession stories.

Although some of the early exorcism related movies aren't as scary as they used to be, there are still plenty of great and scary movies from decades past and years more recent. While exorcism isn't everyone's cup of tea, it can be a great storytelling tool and has created some of the most fear-inducing scenes and moments in film history.

8 Ceremony

When someone is really looking for an exorcism

• Released: January 28, 2011
• Starring: Colin O'Donoghue, Anthony Hopkins, Ciaran Hinds
• Directed by Ole Bornedal
• Rotten Tomatoes critical score: 22%
• Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 40%

Although not well received by critics, Ceremony was a scary movie that took a different turn in the exorcism genre. Rather than portraying someone who is haunted and later possessed by a demonic entity, Ceremony focused on an American traveling to Italy to learn more about exorcisms while believing them to be fake.

What he finds and what the audience sees is completely ossified. Ceremony was a great example of a twist on the traditional exorcist movie formula, and with Anthony Hopkins playing a seasoned exorcist in another of his great horror films, there's a great quality to watch again. Ceremony which has kept her in the genre even years later.

7 Obsession

An unleashed box of terrors that will leave you clutching your seat

• Released: August 30, 2012
• Starring: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Kyra Sedgwick, Madison Davenport
• Directed by Ole Bornedal
• Rotten Tomatoes Critical Score: 39%
• Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 48%

It's not often that a horror film is based on a news article, but the infamous 2004 LA Times op-ed about Dybbuk was the inspiration. Obsession. When a young girl finds and buys a mysterious box at a garage sale, it begins to have strange effects, and her father realizes that something terrifying has been unleashed from within.

While banishing a Dybbuk back to its shell is not considered the same as an exorcism, the similarities are such, as well as the hallmarks of possession itself, that Obsession can be considered an exorcism film. Not only that, the scenes like opening the box remain so terrifying Obsession cannot be forgotten as a truly petrifying demonic element that at times feels like a demonic horror game.

6 Deliver us from evil

New York City cops face demonic mysteries

• Released: July 2, 2014
• Cast: Eric Bana, Edgar Ramirez, Olivia Munn
• Directed by: Scott Derrickson
• Rotten Tomatoes Critical Score: 30%
• Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 42%

Although it was not well reviewed, Deliver us from evil remains one of the scariest exorcism and demon horror films released in the last decade. Eric Bana is a police officer who investigates a series of strange occurrences in New York that seem to be connected to demonic events.

Instead of children or family moving to a new home, Deliver us from evil the demons took aim at the entire world and the police found themselves as terrified as anyone would be in the face of such things. With constant jump scares and real threats, Deliver us from evil it has a tense atmosphere and all the other hallmarks of a truly terrifying experience. A thrilling final exorcism sequence caps the film, which spans the length and breadth of the city and is worth a mystery to the audience.

5 The Exorcism of Emily Rose

Exorcisms brought to trial are still full of fear

• Released: September 9, 2005
• Cast: Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson, Campbell Scott
• Directed by: Scott Derrickson
• Rotten Tomatoes Critical Score: 45%
• Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 60%

Trying to set exorcisms and demonic attacks in a full world can be a problem because it makes them feel less realistic, which is one of the reasons why these events are often confined to a single building in movies. However, The Exorcism of Emily Rose boldly manages to frighten the audience while questioning everything about these terrifying events in a court battle.

After a reverend performs a church-sanctioned exorcism on a woman, but she dies anyway, he is put on trial for manslaughter. The court case is the frame story, while much of the run is an exorcism story told through flashbacks that are made more terrifying by glimpses of a much calmer story told throughout the case. The Exorcism of Emily Rose is an original concept and a terrifying film worth exploring.

4 The Wailing

A remote Korean village and utter terror

• Released: May 12, 2016
• Cast: Kwak Do-Won, Hwang Jun-Min, Chun Woo-Hee
• Directed by: Na Hong-Jin
• Rotten Tomatoes Critical Score: 99%
• Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 81%

Although there are many different great foreign films about exorcisms and demons, The Wailing may be the best of all. A policeman arrives in a remote village in South Korea, where an epidemic has taken over the villagers, leaving them all possessed. Not only is it a far cry from the most common exorcism movie plots, but it can be a completely unique idea that brings plot ideas from vampire or zombie movies into the demonic realm.

A mystery involving the man or entity that started the plague and a race against time as the policeman's own daughter begins to fall under possession The Wailing An absolute masterpiece of the exorcism genre, and an eerie, oppressive feel pervades the entire run, as many of the jump-off moments are backed by an impending sense of doom for the entire village.

3 The Exorcist

The original masterpiece is still a valuable scarecrow today

• Released: December 26, 1973
• Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Max Von Sydow, Linda Blair
• Directed by: William Friedkin
• Rotten Tomatoes critical score: 78%
• Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 87%

It may not have been the first demonic horror film, but it is often considered the first film to feature an exorcism. The Exorcist it was recreated by many, received several sequels, but never equaled the terror it instilled in audiences at the time as it followed a young girl slowly being overtaken by a demonic entity.

Regan, a young girl, exhibits increasingly disturbing behavior to the dismay of her actress, while a priest undergoing a crisis of faith begins to realize that he may have to step in and help alongside a professional exorcist. The Exorcist it doesn't retain all the terrifying qualities it had when it was released over fifty years ago, but it's still filled with fear and an unnerving soundtrack, and remains one of the best horror films of all time.

2 The Last Exorcism

• Released: August 27, 2010
• Starring: Patrick Fabian, Ashley Bell, Iris Bahr
• Directed by: Daniel Stamm
• Rotten Tomatoes critical score: 71%
• Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 35%

A Reverend who has been performing exorcisms for years attempts to prove that these operations are in fact fake by having a documentary crew film him as he performs what he calls his final exorcism. Found-footage horror has popped up as a fad a few times over the years, but it rarely deals with anything like exorcism.

The Last Exorcism is a terrifying depiction of obsession that features many spine-tingling jump scares and leaves the audience gripping their seats for the final act. Unexpected at every turn and full of all kinds of horrors, The Last Exorcism is a particularly terrifying ride that audiences will want to revisit, but won't be sure if they can do it all over again.

1 The Conjuring

The ultimate tale of demonic terror

• Released: July 19, 2013
• Starring: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Lili Taylor
• Directed by: James Wan
• Rotten Tomatoes critical score: 86%
• Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 83%

The story of the Warrens, real demonic investigators who worked for decades around the world, is compelling. The genius of quieter moments, moments of magic and normal family life that made fans feel connected to the Warrens and the extended Perron family helped The Conjuring undoubtedly one of the best horror movies of all time.

Not only is the story incredible and the case compelling, but the cast was brilliant and mentions of Warren's other cases, such as the Annabelle doll, immediately led to a huge series of films from this film. The Conjuring it sets the rules for demons and sticks to them, comes up with petrified scenes like clapping and various nighttime jump scares, and leaves a mark on the audience that helps it maintain a rewatchability that most horror films can't. The ConjuringThe exorcism scenes make up the grand finale that puts it at the top of the list of the scariest and possibly the best exorcism movies of all time.