25 Best Movies about Demons

25 Best Movies about Demons

Movies about demons are always a spine-chilling treat for horror lovers. A horror movie feels somewhat incomplete without the quintessential demonic element.

Over the years, popular horror films have always depicted terrifying demonic occurrences in their plot. These films have received much love from the audience for the chills they have delivered.

Demons and ghosts have fascinated both filmmakers and audiences for decades. So there is no dearth of horror films but here are the ones that excel and will definitely have you sleep with the lights on!

In this article, we will provide a list of 15 movies that incorporate demons for all horror lovers put there.

  1. Host

First up on the list is the 2020 computer screen supernatural film Host directed by Rob Savage. The film is about a group of six friends who unwillingly invite the attention of a demonic presence during an online séance which results in strange occurrences in their homes.

The film stars Haley Bishop, Jemma Moore, Emma Louise Webb, Radina Drandova and Caroline Ward. IMDb rates Host with a perfect 100%.

  1. Hereditary

Presenting itself as a psychological horror film, Hereditary is about the demonic occurrences that take place when the matriarch of the Graham family dies and her daughter and grandchildren begin to unravel the sinister trith of their ancestry.

Directed by Ari Aster, the film stars Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro and Gabriel Byrne as the main characters. Hereditary was released in 2018 and is rated 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and 7.3 on IMDb.

  1. His House

His House revolves around a family that escapes from war-torn South Sudan to an English town that has an evil lurking beneath the surface. The film came out in 2020 and stars Wunmi Mosaku, Sope Dirisu and Matt Smith. The direction and screenplay was done by Remi Weekes.

His House has been praised for its efficacy to genuinely scare the audience. The movie is rated with a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes while IMDb rates it 6.5 out of 10.

  1. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

The third installment in the Conjuring series, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It was released in 2021. Like the other films in the series, this too revolves around paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren who investigate the case of Arne Cheyenne Johnso who stabbed and murdered his landlord claiming to be under demonic possession.

Directed by Michael Chaves, it stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga in the lead. The film grossed over $206 million in the box office.

  1. The Night House

The Night House is about a widowed woman who experiences alluring ghostly visions that call to her in a lakeside home that her husband had built for her. Yearning for answers, she begins digging into his belongings.

Starring Rebecca Hill in the lead, the psychological horror was released in 2020. The film is directed by David Bruckner and is rated admirably with 87% on Rotten Tomatoes.

  1. Ouija: Origin of Evil

Prequel to the 2014 movie Ouija, Ouija: Origin of Evil depicts a widow and her two daughters who use a Ouija board to help people move on with life. However, they are unaware that a spirit they have interacted with has possessed the youngest daughter.

The horror thriller was released in 2016 and is directed by Mike Flanagan. Made on a budget of $9 million, it was able to gross $81.7 million upon its release. Rotten Tomatoes recommends Ouija: Origin of Evil with 83%.

  1. The Visit

The Visit is an American found-footage horror thriller released in 2015. The plot follows the horrifying events that occur when Beccan and Tyler plan a week-long stay at their grandparents’ place, whom they have never seen.

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, it features Olivia deJonge as Becca and Ed Oxenbould as Tyler. The Visit was acclaimed for its perfect blend of thrills and laughter upon its release and grossed $98.4 million at the box office.

  1. Annabelle: Creation

Directed by David F. Sandberg, Annabelle: Creation is a prequel to the 2014 film Annabelle. As the title suggests, the movie showcases the creation of the infamous doll, Annabelle which is possessed by a demon.

Released in 2017, the film was successful in winning the admiration of the audience, especially those who had been a fan of the first film.

The film is rated highly with 70% on Rotten Tomatoes and 6.5 out of 10 on IMDb.

  1. Veronica

The Spanish horror drama Veronica is a creepy story about a teenage girl and her friends who attempt to summon the spirit of her dead father during a solar eclipse using an Ouija board. However things take a horrible turn, resulting in the arrival of evil demons.

Directed by Paco Plazo, the film came out in theaters in 2017. Rotten Tomatoes suggests it 

highly with 88% while IMDb rayes it 6.2 out of 10.

  1. Wendell and Wild

Definitely not a creepy horror but demonic in every aspect, Wendell and Wild is an animated fantasy about two devious demon brothers Wendell and Wild have to face their arch-enemy with the help of the nun Sister Helly, who is notorious for expelling demons.

Though the film is entirely based on demons, it provides heartfelt laughter instead of frightening moments.

Released in 2022, the film is directed by Henry Selick. Rotten Tomatoes rates Wendell and Wild with 81%.

  1. It

A popular adaptation of the 1986 novel of the same name by Stephen King, It is a supernatural horror film directed by Andy Muschietti. Set in the fictional town of Derry, It is about a demonic clown Pennywise that visits the town every 27 years to feed on children.

The movie was well-received upon its release and was appreciated for all the creepiness that it presented. Released in 2017, it is rated 7.3 on IMDb.

  1. It: Chapter 2

The sequel to It, It: Chapter 2 carries the plot forward depicting the events that take place 27 years later after the events of It. Directed by the same director, the film once again presents the evil clown who has returned to prey on the fears of the children of Derry.

The movie was nominated for the AACTA Award for Best Visual Effects or Animation and had a commendable box office run of $473.1 million. 

  1. Insidious: The Last Key

Insidious: The Last Key is the fourth installment in the well-known Insidious franchise. The plot revolves around a parapsychologist who returns to her childhood home to fight the evil that is terrorizing and possessing people as she is haunted by her past.

Directed by Adam Robitel, the film stars Lin Shaye in the lead. Made on a budget of $10 million, the movie succeeded in collecting $167.9 million in its theatrical run.

  1. The Conjuring 2

The second installment in the Conjuring franchise, The Conjuring 2 follows the paranormal adventures of occult investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren as they set out to investigate paranormal events in the house of a single mother and her four daughters.

Rated 80% on Rotten Tomatoes and 7.3 on IMDb, this movie is a sine qua non in the list of movies with demons.

  1. Lights Out

Released in 2016, Lights Out is a horror thriller about Rebecca who endeavors to investigate the connection between her mother and her imaginary friend, Diana, after her stepfather is murdered by a supernatural entity.

Directed by acclaimed horror filmmaker David F. Sandberg, the film stars Teresa Palmer in the lead. Lights Out had a successful box office run of $148.9 million and is rated 75% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Exorcist (1973)

Cast: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty Winn, Jack MacGowran, Jason Miller and Linda Blair. 

IMDB Rating: 8.1/10

A seminal film in Hollywood’s horror films is the cult classic Exorcist directed by William Friedkin. The film follows the possession of a young girl named Regan who begins displaying a bizarre pattern of behavior after meddling with an ouija board.

 The film employs all the tropes of your quintessential horror flick with the presence of ancient demons, foreign tongue, violent behavior and often times gross sequences. Frequent Christian images are present, such as the desecrated sculpture of Mary suggestive of the ominous happenings that follow.  The film stands apart from other horror flicks with its implementation of psychological horror. A child suffers from extreme psychological turmoil which is relegated to being the works of a truly evil presence. The film takes the audience through a terrifying visual experience, there is fear, disgust, horror and shock but never does it disappoint. This is a must watch for every horror film enthusiast.  

Hereitary (2018)

cast: Toni Collette, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro and Gabriel Byrne

IMDB Rating: 7.3/10

Initially beginning as a family drama, with a regular subarban family dealing with the death of their matriarch, the film takes a much darker and more disturbing turn. Ari Aster masterfully blurs the lines between realism and the supernatural and takes a leap into the occult with this one. With the brilliant Toni Collette helming the cast, the film explores the character of Annie grieving the death of her mother with whom she shared a fraught relatioship and eventually discovers the coven that worships the demon Paimon. As Annie gets pulled deeper into the world of the occult, her family suffers the most. The film is visually striking and disturbing at the same time. Admittedly, the research on the theological lines were done poorly, the film does not disappoint. 

The Host (2006)

Cast: Song Kang-ho, Byun Hee-bong, Park Hae-il, Bae Doona and Go Ah-sung. 

IMDB Rating: 7.1/10

Recent Academy Awards alumnus Bong Joon-Ho has a facinating way of using his films to offer social commentary. He received ciritical acclaim with Parasite for his brilliant yet suble criticism on the class difference in South Korea but his brilliance has been overlooked for years. Even though The Host is technically a monster film, the real demon is humanity itself. Here Joon-Ho comments on giant chemical companies that cause oil spills at the expense of millions of common people. At the core, is the heartwarming tale of a Korean family dealing with a terrorizing river monster. Intertwining a wider political narrative with some cliched horror tropes, the film makes for a very fulfilling watch with spurts of emotions and hilarity.

Poltergeist  1982

Cast: JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Beatrice Straight

IMDb Rating: 7.3/10

This film written by Steven Spielberg has some amazing animation that truly churns the stomach. Directed by Tobe Hooper who also made the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, this film is has a great reputation for realistic violence, and gore. 

The Freeling family lives in California, pretty peacefully: until the five-year-old Carol Anne starts to communicate with the television set. The family is initially just mildly concerned but later is horrified by a tree coming alive to consume their children. Parapsychologists that is brought on for advice make some shocking and horrific discoveries about Carol Anne and the spiritual realm. 

Insidious 2010

Cast:

Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Barbara Hershey

IMDb Rating: 6.8/10

This is an extraordinary film in the genre of horror. The demonic horrors are not just attained by special effects and gore but by psychological means too. It has the most generic trope of a family moving into a possessed house, but what follows after is unexpected.

The Lamberts move to a new house and soon their son comes across a mysterious scary entity in the attic and falls into a medically inexplicable coma. The family is then tormented and tortured by the spirits and they decide to move into a new house. Dalton’s health keeps deteriorating until Elise figures out that he has been astral traveling. His father also recollects deeply traumatic incidents from his childhood related to astral traveling, but how will he save his son?

Annabelle: Creation 2017

Cast: Stephanie Sigman, Talitha Bateman, Anthony LaPaglia, Miranda Otto

IMDb Rating: 6.5/10

It is expected of sequels to horror films have inferior sequels, but not this amazing horror flick directed by David F. Sandberg. The story revolves around the creation of Anabelle or how the demon came into being in the first place. 

It is a plot-wise haunted house film. It opens with Dollmaker Samuel and his wife Esther losing their eight-year-old daughter named Annabelle. The couple is distraught over the loss of their child and seeks supernatural aid to see their daughter again, but the consequences of that night are haunting them still. 

Oculus

Cast: Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Katee Sackhoff, Rory Cochrane

IMDb Rating: 6.5/10

This is a movie by the expert of horror: Mike Flanagan. This beautiful scary movie is not chronological, but rather parallel.

Alan and his wife move into a new house with their two children. But this time the house is not the one possessed by spirits and demons; it is an antique mirror that Allan thrifts.  This is a movie with a mirror that compels people to commit atrocious acts. The mirror eventually takes possession the parents and the siblings are separated followed by a heinous accident caused by the mirror. But the children swear to document the demon of the mirror so that they can prove what happened that night. 

The Exorcism Of Emily Rose

Cast: Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson, Jennifer Carpenter, Colm Feore

IMDb Rating: 

This movie directed by Scott Derrickson is an absolutely scary gore-fest. 

The film opens with the interview of a Catholic priest who is charged with the murder of Emily Rose. The haunting and the possession of Emily is then recollected as flashbacks through the rest of the film as she is possessed by a demon. The muscular deformities that the possession causes will sure make you look away from the screen. 

Jennifer’s body

Cast: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons, J. K. Simmons

IMDb Rating: 5.4/10

Directed by Karyn Kusama this movie is about deceptively chirpy and insecure high schoolers. This movie brought Megan Fox her fame and is a horrific movie about possession. 

Two best friends Needy and Jennifer are lifelong best friends although one is a popular cheerleader and the other is a shy nerd. Jennifer and Needy make an appearance at a dive bar where a local band is performing but there is an accidental fire. Jennifer escapes with the band only to come back possessed as a demon; as the band had sacrificed her as a virgin to Satan. Now Needy is recounting the tale from her solitary jail cell but how did she end up there?