16. The Unborn (2009)
Though it takes quite a bit of time to develop its plot and really get going,The Unborndoes feature several disturbingly possessed characters and creepy figures who haunt the main character.
The story revolves around a girl named Casey (played by Odette Annable), who has supernatural ties with haunting events that include her family’s past and a “dybbuk” who lurks in her bloodline.
The Unbornuses twisted bodies of animals and people to escalate the horror experience. So, even if it was panned by critics, it’s still worth checking out if you want some body horror.
Related:The Best Body Horror Movies of All Time, Ranked
15. Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)
Insidious: Chapter 2starts right after the timeline of the first film. After going to the spirit realm to get his son, Josh Lambert (played by Patrick Wilson) is left behind in the other world—but his body in the real world seems to be okay and lives normally.
Despite living this “normal life,” the Lambert family finds him suspicious and eventually realizes that “Josh” is actually possessed. As for the real Josh, he’ll need to find his way out of the spirit realm.
Related:The Best Horror Movies Without Much Blood or Gore
14. The 8th Night (2021)
The 8th Nightis a mystery thriller with a legend-meets-reality story that revolves around a former exorcist, “stepping stones” (i.e. possessed people), and a myth about two demons who were sealed long ago.
After being disgraced for his research into the myth, a professor vows to prove to the world that what he found is real—by breaking the seal on the “Red Eye,” birthing a monster that causes disaster around the world.
Upon finding out that the “Red Eye” was awakened, a monk (played by Lee Eol) who guards the other “Black Eye” orders the young Chung-seok (played by Nam Da-reum) to look for a successor guardian.
The 8th Nightmay not be an out-and-out scarefest like many Korean horror movies, but it’s full of creepy scenes that’ll haunt you.
Related:The Best Korean Horror Movies of All Time, Ranked
13. Constantine (2005)
Not all demonic possessions happen in pure horror films.Constantineis a great example as a supernatural fantasy film with horror elements, but packed with badassery that makes it feel more like an action flick.
Constantinestars Keanu Reeves as John Constantine, an exorcist who can see angels and demons while in the human realm. As someone who can perceive it all, he maintains the balance between the elements as they coexist in one realm.
After helping the troubled detective Angela Dodson (played by Rachel Weisz), both Constantine and Dodson find themselves caught in an end-of-the-world plot involving the rise of a powerful demon and the unleashing of hell over the world.
Related:The Best Movies About Angels and Demons, Ranked
12. Don’t Listen (2020)
InDon’t Listen, a family experiences unexplained disturbances after they get a new home, with the worst of it being the voices heard by their son Eric (played by Lucas Blas).
Unbeknownst to them, their house has a reputation in the neighborhood as the “House of Voices” and is haunted by a spirit who uses voices to trick victims to their deaths.
When the father (played by Rodolfo Sancho) enlists the help of a parapsychologist (played by Ramón Barea), they unearth a mystery that ties the paranormal occurrences to witchcraft and the occult.
Related:The Best Horror Movies About Witches and the Occult
11. Truth or Dare (2018)
Imagine you’re playing an innocent game of truth or dare when an uninvited player comes in and escalates everything to a deadly level.
Blumhouse’sTruth or Dareis a supernatural horror film that’s filled with tension, emotion, and death as the titular game carries on and its players grow desperate to end it.
With every turn of “truth,” a secret nobody wants to know comes out of the player’s mouth. With every “dare,” a player has to do what they’re dared—otherwise, they die.
Of course, this is no normal game of truth or dare. Along the way, players become possessed by an unknown spirit as they play, and that spirit has all kinds of sinister intentions.
Related:The Best Death Game Movies
10. The Last Exorcism (2010)
WhenThe Last Exorcismcame out in 2010, it was so influential that it got many viewers hooked on exorcism movies, eventually leading to other greats likeThe Rite(2011),The Possession(2012), andThe Nun(2018).
The Last Exorcismis a found footage horror movie that pins exorcism as a kind of hoax as a priest and a filmmaking crew document all kinds of fake possessions and exorcisms—until they get to the case of Nell.
The best part of this film is when the priest confronts the demon who’s possessing Nell, resulting in one of the most gut-turning, bone-crunching scenes in horror cinema history.
Related:The Best Found Footage Movies Worth Watching
9. Ju-On: The Grudge (2002)
One of the most well-known horror movies from Japan isJu-On: The Grudge, which literally translates as “Resentment Curse.”
Years ago, the Saeki family was murdered in a crime of passion, giving birth to a curse that turned them all into vengeful spirits. Now, anyone who enters their house ends up consumed by the same curse.
The ghosts of those who are killed by this curse also become carriers of it, which spreads to wherever they ended up being killed.
What makesJu-On: The Grudgeunique among horror films is that it doesn’t really have a linear narrative, instead jumping around to keep up its mystery and deliver a surprising climax at the end.
Of course,Ju-On: The Grudgeis also iconic for its nightmarish imagery that has caused millions of hours of lost sleep among those who watch.
While the American remake of the film (2004’sThe Grudge) features a Westernized take on the story,Ju-On: The Grudgeoffers a darker, more sinister, and more disturbing atmosphere.
Related:The Best Modern Horror Movies Since 2000, Ranked
8. Noroi: The Curse (2005)
Noroi: The Curseis another unique Japanese horror film about hauntings, except this one uses a blend of found footage style and documentary style to deliver a truly suspenseful narrative.
The film follows the story of paranormal investigator Masafumi Kobayashi (played by Jin Muraki) as he looks into the unsettling case of a house that has sounds of crying babies.
Little did he know that he’d end up caught in a sinister ritual that summons a demonic entity to the human realm, eventually causing a string of events that lead to several disturbing deaths.
Related:The Most Common Horror Movie Tropes and Cliches, Explained
7. The Possession (2012)
The Possessionrevolves around a family who’s haunted by an entity that their little girl brings into their house.
As the story progresses, the development of the plot also gets increasingly horrifying as the truth about the box is revealed. With that, the hauntings and the unexplained events get even stronger (and creepier).
There are many scenes inThe Possessionthat’ll give you chills, like the hand inside the throat or the face in the MRI scan.
Related:The Best Horror Movies About Toys, Dolls, and Puppets
6. Prey for the Devil (2022)
What makesPrey for the Devilunique as a horror film is that it features a female exorcist, which is surprisingly uncommon in many possession movies featuring an exorcist as a main character.
It follows the story of Sister Ann (played by Jacqueline Byers), a nun who’s given the opportunity to learn and practice exorcism because her superior believes that she possesses the gift and a warm attitude towards the victims of demonic possessions.
However, secrets and mysteries give rise to the film’s twists and turns, including the sinister ties and relationships between the characters involved. All of this haunts her up to the very end.
Related:The Best Insane Asylum Movies, Ranked
5. The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
How would the people of the court perceive court statements involving spirits and demons? This is the big question at the heart ofThe Exorcism of Emily Rose, which plays out like a blend between courtroom drama and supernatural horror.
The story revolves around the attempted exorcism of Emily Rose (played by Jennifer Carpenter), which was performed by Father Richard Moore (played by Tom Wilkinson). The failed exorcism landed the priest behind bars and he’s now subject to a trial.
Strangely enough, Erin Bruner (played by Laura Linney), the lawyer who handles Father Moore’s case, finds herself experiencing supernatural occurrences, too. (The Exorcism of Emily Roseis loosely based on the real-life story of a woman named Anneliese Michel.)
Related:The Best Psychological Horror Movies That Are Disturbing & Twisted
4. Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)
Ouija: Origin of Evilis one of many horror movies that features the mysterious Ouija board. It looks like a typical board game, which tempts the characters to play it just for fun—without knowing that the very board calls forth evil instead of the soul they intend to talk to.
Ouija: Origin of Evilis the prequel to the movieOuija(released two years prior in 2014), this time centering on a family living in the year 1967.
The mother Alice (played by Elizabeth Reaser) earns her living as a spirit medium, with her daughters Lina (played by Annalise Basso) and Doris (played by Lulu Wilson) as her accomplices.
When she adds the Ouija board to their scheme, disturbing events start to happen. They think the spirit they call is someone they loved, but it’s an evil one tricking them into believing its dark plot.
Related:The Best Horror Movie Directors of All Time, Ranked
3. The Conjuring (2013)
The Conjuringis one of the best horror movies as it’s based on real-life cases of hauntings and demonic possessions that were documented and investigated by Ed and Lorraine Warren.
The fact that it’s based on true stories will certainly give you goosebumps, and its depictions of paranormal entities and how they pop up on screen are truly terrifying and not for the faint-hearted.
Because of its success,The Conjuringgave rise to an entire franchise of horror movies (collectively known as The Conjuring Universe), which gives us everything when it comes to our horror film needs. The franchise includes spin-off films likeAnnabelleandThe Nun.
Related:The Best Horror Movies on Netflix With Jump Scares
2. The Pope’s Exorcist (2023)
As mentioned above, the thing that can really crank up the scariness of a demonic possession movie is knowing that it’s based on real-life accounts of exorcism performed by real exorcists and practitioners.
That’s the case withThe Pope’s Exorcist, which is based on the booksAn Exorcist Tells His StoryandAn Exorcist: More Stories(both written by the Catholic priest and well-known exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth).
The Pope’s Exorciststars Russell Crowe as Father Amorth, who struggles to exorcise a demon that’s currently possessing a boy. But it’s more than that as dark secrets later unfold, bringing to light something that the Church had kept hidden and untold.
While some of the special effects inThe Pope’s Exorcistare underwhelming for a modern horror film, the themes of faith and demonic possession make for a pretty disturbing watch.
Related:The Best Movies About Priests and Ministers, Ranked
1. The Exorcist (1973)
The classic filmThe Exorcistmay not be as narratively fresh or intriguing as some of the more modern films featured above, but back when it first released, it was one of the scariest films ever made.
The Exorcistfollows the story of Chris MacNeil (played by Ellen Burstyn) and her daughter Regan (played by Linda Blair), who’s possessed by a sinister entity. With the help of priests and exorcists, they try to fight for the little girl’s life and save her from the demon.
At release,The Exorcistsparked controversy for its themes involving religion and faith. Despite all that, it became one of the most successful horror films that spawned numerous sequels, spin-offs, and knockoffs.
Read next:The Scariest Horror Movies That Were Banned (And Why)
