Summary

• Classic demonic possession movies continue to be popular, showcasing a timeless terror that still haunts audiences today.
• Unique takes on demonic possession, like those in Luz and The Possession, offer fresh and exciting spins on the genre formula.
• The best demonic movies, from classics like The Exorcist to modern hits like The Conjuring, are essential for any horror fan's viewing list.

Demonic possession has captured the imaginations of filmmakers for decades, and the best demonic movies have terrified audiences for just as long. Movies about demonic possession have been scaring viewers as far back as the silent era in the early 20th century, with The Student of Prague one of the earliest efforts in 1913. Possession still feature heavily in modern horror, there remains a huge audience for demonic movies. Dipping into the realm of the dark spirits is just as exciting as it is intimidating, and there are a plethora of the best demon movies to choose from.

The best demonic movies are often the ones that take unique approaches to the formula. However, classic takes on demonic possession still continue to do serious business at the box office in modern times. New or old, whether it's Evil Dead Rise or The Exorcist, possession movies can be found on some of the biggest streaming platforms available to subscribers and some are even available for free for more casual viewers. The cream of the crop should be considered essential viewing for any horror fan.

30 Night Swim (2024)

Late Night Swimming Has Never Been So Hellish

While most demons in horror movies end up possessing people, 2024's Night Swim switches up the formula by having its terrifying entity inhabit a swimming pool. The premise may seem a little strange on the surface, but director Bryce McGuire ensures that any doubts viewers may have are fully assuaged by the Night Swim ending, as do the performances of leading cast Wyatt Russell and Kerry Condon. Night Swim feels unique among demonic possession movies, and it uses its gimmick of a possessed swimming pool to incredibly great effect.

The movie focuses on the Waller family, who move into a house with the central cursed swimming pool. From there, many of the standard visual tropes of demonic possession films take place, with plenty of disturbing visuals and jump-scares throughout. Night Swim also feels like a standard Blumhouse horror movie throughout, so fans of the studio will feel right at home. While Night Swim isn't perhaps at the tier of the absolute best horror movies about demons and possessions, it's certainly a solid addition to the subgenre.

29 Prey For The Devil (2022)

Trained Demonic Specialists Get More Than They Bargained For

Director Daniel Stamm's 2022 horror movie Prey for the Devil ups the tension from most demonic possession movies by focusing on characters who are already schooled in exorcising demons. Instead of characters who are regular people that find themselves tied up in the antics of a hellish supernatural entity, Prey for the Devil instead features a group of trained Catholic exorcists and Nuns. This makes for a unique experience, as the likes of Ann (Jacqueline Byers) and Father Quinn (Colin Salmon) quickly learn that all the confidence and expertise they have doesn't count for much when the forces of Hell decide to make them a target.

Like many films about demonic possession from the last few years, Prey for the Devil didn't fare too well with critics. However, fans of the subgenre embraced it with open arms as a worthwhile and entertaining watch. It ticks all the boxes most viewers are hoping for when watching a movie about demons and possession, while its premise also allows it to put a few unique twists and spins on the classic tropes too.

28 Immaculate (2024)

Sydney Sweeney Stars In A Shocking Tale Of The Conception Of The Antichrist

Sydney Sweeney has been one of the breakout stars of the 2020s, and in 2024 she starred in Michael Mohan's intriguing demonic possession horror movie Immaculate. The religious themes in Immacualte especially stand out against many other entries in the subgenre, and screenwriter Andrew Lobel managed to take the often-used idea of a Church being a front for a demonic cult and make it feel fresh. Critics especially warmed to Immaculate, with the reviews being consistently positive despite some feeling it was a little slow with its pacing at points.

Sweeney herself gives a great performance as Sister Cecilia, a young novice who heads to Italy to begin her training as a Nun. However, she quickly finds the Convent she's ed has a far more sinister purpose than first appears. Before she can figure out what it is though, Cecilia finds — much to her shock, given that she's a virgin — that she's fallen pregnant. While the demonic aspects in Immaculate are vaguer than some others in the subgenre, Immaculate balances this out by being an altogether more cerebral entry than most.

27 Late Night With The Devil (2024)

One Of The Most Inventivde Demonic Posession Movies Of The Decade

2024 has been a good year for demonic possession movies. However, of all the new ones to grace screens, the highlight is Late Night With The Devil, from directors Colin and Cameron Cairens (who also wrote the screenplay). Fans of the subgenre found it especially intriguing due to the fact it's a found-footage movie set in the late 1970s, when movies about demons and possession were arguably going through a golden era thanks to films like The Exorcist. However, while this mild tap into nostalgia may have been an initial pull, it's not the reason Late Night With The Devil stands out.

The movie is structure like a lost episode of a fictional late night talk show, Night Owls with Jack Delroy. As explained during the opening moments, Late Night With The Devil is the final episode of the show. Host Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian), informs viewers that his special guest that evening is Lily, a young girl who is reportedly possessed by a demon. While Jack and the audience are almost condescendingly skeptical, they soon learn that, far from being an attention-seeking charlatan, Lily is the real deal.

Late Night With The Devil currently sits on Rotten Tomatoes with a 97% critic score and 81% audience score, showcasing that the inventive and experimental demonic possession movie was executed near-flawlessly.

26 The Cleansing Hour (2019)

A Well-Executed Spin On A Classic Idea

Director Damiedn LeVeck took his 2016 short film The Cleansing Hour and expanded it into a full movie in 2019, and the results are both impressive and incredbly popular with many fans of demonic possession flicks. The movie focuses on Father Max (Ryan Guzman), a fraudulent livestream show host who has gained his fame by performing on-screen exorcisms. Of course, every single one of Father Max's shows is faked — until, that is, a real demon decides to stop by.

While the idea of fraud paranormal investigators or exorcism-specialists stumbling across real occurrences of the supernatural is nothing new, The Cleansing Hour stands out for how well it executes the idea. The movie was especially notable for many critics due to its cinematography and practical effects, and the performances of cast Ryan Guzm, Alix Angelis, and Kyle Gallner all ensure that The Cleansing Hour feels incredibly immersive throughout.

25 Luz (2018)

A Demon Hunts A Woman Who Conjured It As A Child

Tilman Singer's 2018 directorial debut Luz follows the titular cab driver as she finds herself being mysteriously questioned in a police station after a car crash. That leads to a night filled with supernatural terror. It's soon revealed that a demon is hunting Luz after she recklessly conjured it in her youth while staying at a religious school. It possesses new bodies as it attempts to get closer to her, and it all starts when the demon possesses a doctor attempting to hypnotize her. The horrors only get worse from there.

The German horror movie is a hypnotic mind-bender that takes a fresh approach to the subgenre.

The German horror movie is a hypnotic mind-bender that takes a fresh approach to the subgenre. Luz is most notable for its unconventional narrative structure, and as it was shot on 16mm film, the movie is grainy and adds to the dread. Between the non-linear way Luz unfolds, the gritty-looking aesthetic, and the intentionally slow pace, Luz is a tense and exhausting demonic possession movie. Critics loved the movie, giving it an 87% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

24 The Possession (2012)

A Demonic Movie Based On The Dybbuk Box

The vast majority of the best demonic possession movies stem from Christian beliefs or practices, particularly within Catholicism. However, The Possession takes a slightly different approach and centers around a dybbuk box from Jewish mythology. After a young girl comes into possession of the box, she's slowly taken over by the malicious spirit residing within it, as it preys upon the drama of her family life instigated by the difficult relationship between her parents. The story is based on a 2004 New York Times article (via Shock Till You Drop).

Jeffrey Dean Morgan leads the movie with a much more vulnerable character than he's generally used to.

The use of Jewish folklore makes The Possession feel truly unique when it comes to demonic possession movies, and it has some of the most terrifying jump scares in the genre. Jeffrey Dean Morgan leads the movie with a much more vulnerable character than he's generally used to. His performance, along with some flourishes from producers, Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert, helped it become one of the more standout PG-13 horror movies of recent years.

23 The Devil's Candy (2015)

A Family Moves Into A Demonically Possessed Home

In The Devil's Candy, a family's life is irrevocably altered when they move into a new home that, unbeknownst to them, was once inhabited by a serial killer who appears to be compelled by a demonic force. This demonic force attempts to consume Jesse, an artist and the husband of the family. The possession side of things isn't the focus of the narrative. However, it leaves more room for the drama that makes the horrific sequences so much more intense, as the audience comes to know the family at the heart of the story.

Pruitt Taylor Vince's performance as the terrifying killer Raymond Smilie is more than enough to etch the movie into even the most hardened horror movie fans' memories.

The movie's build-up more than pays off by the end and the bloody finale makes it one of the best possession movies available to stream, even without the demons. Pruitt Taylor Vince's performance as the terrifying killer Raymond Smilie is more than enough to etch the movie into even the most hardened horror movie fans' memories. The Devil's Candy is one of the best demonic movies, and it sits at an extremely high 92% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a rare high score for a horror movie.

22 The Exorcist III (1990)

The Real Sequel To The Original Exorcist Movie

After a poorly-received Exorcist sequel in 1977, Exorcist II: The Heretic, the original author and screenwriter of The Exorcist, William Peter Blatty added some salvation to the franchise's image with an adaptation of another of his novels. The Exorcist III picks up the story where the original movie left off, but this time revolving more around the fate of Father Karras. Lieutenant William F. Kinderman investigates a series of murders and soon discovers a connection to the same demonic possession that haunted him years earlier.

The Exorcist III is not only quite a frightening experience in its own right but a theologically stimulating one too. Blatty's dialogue-driven style makes a lot of the horror stem more from a meeting between philosophical ideas and the audience's imagination. While the threequel isn't as great as the original movie, not much is, and The Exorcist III is still a great possession movie. The 1990 release is easily the best Exorcist sequel in the critically beloved franchise.

21 Burnt Offerings (1976)

A Possessed House Brings Out The Worst In Its Victims

Burnt Offerings is about a family that rents a mansion in the summer. While so many of the best demonic movies are about families moving into new houses, this 1976 release offers something unique. Once the family settles into the house, frightening and strange occurrences start happening, and they're haunted by supernatural forces within the mansion. The change here is that the more the family turns on each other, the more the house rejuvenates itself, almost based on their fear and distrust.

The characters slowly turn paranoid, especially when their dark secrets come to light.

It's never fully explained what forces characters to die by suicide or age decades, but it's a terrifying haunting. However, what is scariest about the movie isn't the jump scares or the make-up and practical effects of the possessed characters, it's the psychological horror aspects of Burnt Offerings. The characters slowly turn paranoid, especially when their dark secrets come to light. Burnt Offerings is one of the most unsettling possession movies and an iconic haunted mansion film.