Many fans consider The Exorcist to be the scariest possession horror movie ever filmed, and all the films that came after it haven’t been able to compete in their eyes. Den of Geek claims that The Exorcist is the scariest movie ever made. The horror subgenre that depicts demonic possession, though, has gotten rather inventive in terms of the storytelling that goes into these films over the past 10 years. But films are products of their time. A series of films that takes on its own demon to convey both outright terror and subtle humour is the Evil Dead franchise.
One widespread fallacy about possession films is that an exorcism is always the solution and that there must be a demon inhabiting the victim’s body. Contrary to common belief, not everyone’s soul has the capacity to be saved, and there are a variety of alternative ways for someone to become possessed by something that doesn’t originate in hell. Here are some of the top possession films to see next, from possessed objects to blood from hell showering down.
Christine
Christine is a 1980s horror movie that was adapted from the same-named Stephen King book. Only eight months had passed since the novel’s publication when the movie was released in December. In Christine, Keith Gordon plays an unpopular youngster named Arnie who buys a 1958 Plymouth Fury. Arnie’s behaviour radically changes as he spends more time with and in the car and develops an obsession.
The Plymouth Fury fixes itself flawlessly in front of Arnie one night after it has been vandalised by one of his bullies. Christine is one of the less spooky possession films, but Stephen King aficionados and general moviegoers should still watch it.
Demons
Demons, a B-horror film from 1985, has developed a cult following similar to other 80s B-horror films. In a nutshell, the story centres on a group of college students who go to a movie at a recently remodelled theatre. The movie they’re showing is a horror movie, and the lobby of the theatre includes a similar mask prop that one of the viewers got scratched by.
The infected Rosemary (played by Geretta Geretta) changes into a demon shortly after being scratched. She then starts attacking the other theatre goers, transforming them all into devils. Demons is by no means blatantly frightening, but it will appeal to viewers of flicks like The Evil Dead from the 1980s. The theatre atmosphere and the mystery surrounding the possessed provide just the appropriate amount of camp and body horror effects.
Insidious
With Patrick Wilson playing a prominent role, James Wan’s Insidious has a well-known connection to his Conjuring Series. Insidious and the succeeding films, however, are more closely associated with the notion of “the further” than with the purported real-life cases of the Warrens. One of the scariest demonic possession films in horror, the movie is mostly known for its disorienting use of sound and music.
Similar to The Conjuring, Insidious features its own universe with stories that follow Elise Rainier, a specialist in the paranormal, who is portrayed by Lin Shaye. She is murdered off in the first movie, hence these movies act as prequels. The fifth film in the series, which will catch up with the Lambert family ten years after the events of the second movie, is eagerly anticipated by fans of the series. In July 2023, Insidious: The Red Door will be released in theatres.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Invasion of the Body Snatchers has been recreated four times in all, not including films that are just loosely based on the premise. The Body Snatchers, a science fiction book by Jack Finney, served as the inspiration for the 1956 motion picture. One of the rare remakes that has been deemed superior than the original is from 1978.
Even though it starts out slowly, this well-known retelling quickly gains momentum because to the last scene. Fear of the unknown, paranoia, and hysteria are common themes in horror films. However, the premise of Invasion of the Body Snatchers is unlike any other in its field, and the film’s pod people strike stealthily, making them much more horrific.
Jennifer’s Body
When Jennifer’s Body debuted in 2009, it was viewed as a failure. Despite having a $16 million budget, the movie only made $31.6 million at the box office worldwide, with Megan Fox as one of the stars. The picture received negative reviews for a number of reasons, one of which being the dialogue, which was typical of Diablo Cody films. But as of late, Jennifer’s Body has enjoyed somewhat of a revival. Vox believes that Jennifer’s Body is now recognised as a feminist horror movie and asserts that it would be a sleeper smash if it were to be released right now. In the story, a high school student succubus feeds on the male students there to stay young and attractive.
The friendship between the two female companions Jennifer (played by Fox) and Needy (played by Amanda Seyfried), however, hints at a far deeper theme throughout the movie. The two share a relationship that totters on the edge of platonic and romantic, something that the critics overlooked when the movie first came out. When the layers of dense speech are removed, Jennifer’s Body offers so much more than just gore and blood, easily ranking among the funniest possession flicks.
Night of the Creeps
Night of the Creeps, which ranks second on Collider’s list of the most bizarre horror films of the 1980s, is arguably one of the decade’s best-kept secrets. A college campus is destroyed when two clumsy pals unleash a corpse with a terrifying space slug. The slugs enter your body and eat their way into your brain, turning you into a zombie and seizing control of your nervous system. In contrast to Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Faculty, they zombify you rather than maintaining your human appearance while they have control over you until they become you.
Every lovable quality of 80s horror is present in Night of the Creeps. The space-slinging gore blends flawlessly with the corny speech and general comedic tone.
Sinister
The movie Sinister really capitalises on its name. Every year, Broadband Choices, a UK-based entertainment company, ranks the scariest films based on research. The 2020 winner, according to the service provider, was Scott Derrickson’s 2012 movie Sinister. Their data is collected by tracking the heart rates of their participants, and their measurements are based on a range of factors utilised to create a video.
However, the majority of spectators enter Sinister unaware that it is in fact a possession movie. Through the use of Super 8 films, the evil spirit Bughuul, also referred to as the child-eater, takes control of a child in order to have the child murder their families. The movie scatters in pieces of the Super 8s that crime writer Ellison (played by Ethan Hawke) endures despite the demon’s blatantly horrific nature.
The Conjuring
The cases of actual paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren served as the inspiration for the Conjuring movie series. The Conjuring Universe, a series of films based on supernatural characters from the series, was born out of the success of the first movie and its two sequels. The Conjuring currently holds the top spot among all horror franchises in terms of revenue. The original trilogy has received generally positive reviews from critics and viewers.
Like its predecessors, The Conjuring centres on a family that invested all of their money in a home that turns out to be haunted. The presence in the Perron family house wants to take control of the mother figure before killing her offspring. The movie successfully portrays possession and exorcism, and it frequently relies on realistic effects.
The Evil Dead
It is difficult to exclude Sam Raimi’s 1981 cult hit The Evil Dead while talking about possession flicks. The movie has a scary idea and a tonne of fantastic practical effects. When Ash (Bruce Campbell) and his four friends go exploring in the woods in search of a fun night in a secluded cabin, their luck soon turns when they discover an ancient book known as the Necronomicon. The gang accidentally unleashes an evil power after reading the book aloud, which kills them one by one.
The 1981 picture is regarded as one of the most frightful films from the 1980s, although the sequels that followed the original were more focused as horror comedies. The Evil Dead is frequently overlooked by casual audiences despite the same-named 2013 remake and the upcoming 2023 film Evil Dead Rise. The Evil Dead and the Deadites is our top choice for possession films you should watch next since it’s nearly difficult to compare films involving demonic possession without bringing them up.
The Faculty
The Faculty is your typical, everyday horror movie from the 1990s, with a plot that is reminiscent of I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream. This set of teenagers’ main distinction from the other movies is that they are being eliminated one by one by an alien power that wants to take over a human’s body. The group begins to doubt one another’s very existence as they search for the “queen bee” responsible for the illness. The Faculty is a brave attempt at reviving a previously told tale that pays homage to both The Thing and Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
