Top 5 Demonic Possession Movies

The demonic possession movie remains an undying fascination for filmmakers and fans alike. People love speculating about life after death, heaven and hell and especially the powers of demons. Hollywood has been mining this fertile horror ground for years with the most famous examples coming in the late 60s and early 70s.

There is no definitive answer as to when the first movie to feature an exorcism was but it wasn't The Exorcist. Regardless of when Hollywood became fascinated with demonic possession, it has developed into one of the most prolific and profitable horror sub-genres in the business. With the release this week of The Possession of Hannah Grace, it seems appropriate to look at the Top Demonic Possession Movies of All Time.

5. 'Abby' (1974)

Abby is a blaxsploitation movie that is mostly lost to time. The film stars Blacula legend William Marshall as Dr. Garrett Williams, an archaeologist who releases a demon named Eshu. The demon travels to Louisville, Kentucky where it takes over the body of Dr. Williams' daughter in law, Abby, played by Carol Speed.

Abby is rather laughable as a horror movie but it's notable for being a terrifically fun movie to enjoy with friends. The film is a notable knockoff of The Exorcist and was famously banned for some time from theaters by a lawsuit from Warner Brothers claiming that Abby was too reminiscent of The Exorcist. The scarcity of Abby since it was pulled in 1974 has only increased the film's legend.

4. 'The Devil and Father Amorth' (2018)

Director William Friedkin, who we will talk about again in a few entries, returned to the subject of demonic possession and exorcism earlier this year in the documentary The Devil and Father Amorth. This very entertaining documentary follows the work of the Vatican's go-to exorcist, Father Gabriel Amorth.

Father Amorth's job is to investigate and perform exorcisms and for the movie, a family in Italy has allowed Friedkin access to an exorcism attempt. Friedkin films the exorcism with a handheld camera and the tension of the scene is in how much is being exaggerated and what the woman believes is really due to demonic possession. What the film really hits on, however, is the seemingly deathless influence of Friedkin's other entry on this list.

3. 'The Conjuring' (2013)

The Conjuring is really The Exorcist of this young century. I may not care for the movie, but even I cannot deny that a list of the best demonic possession movies must have The Conjuring. Fans have taken to The Conjuring as a franchise in ways that never worked for The Exorcist. Attempts to make The Exorcist franchise have failed miserably over the years while The Conjuring already has a sequel and three spin-off franchises, an impressive feat whether you like the movie or not.

2. 'The Exorcist' (1971)

Here's where we likely part ways; I am not a fan of The Exorcist. I can't deny the film a place in history among the greatest demonic possession movies of all time but it's a little like country music for me, it's the kind of easy to watch feature that everyone can agree on quality-wise.

In my estimation, The Exorcist is deeply overrated. The film has a shock factor but it doesn't have much of anything going on beyond the shocks. The film uses young Linda Blair as a prop to do and say shocking things that are shocking because she's a cute, chubby-cheeked, teenager. I need a little more than shock factor to get my attention. That said, this is a rather shallow pool for quality and with that, The Exorcist is the second best demonic possession movie of all time.

1. 'The Last Exorcism' (2010)

The only truly great movie in this sub-genre, for me, is 2010's The Last Exorcism. Vastly underrated and underseen in its 2010 release, The Last Exorcism was a revelation for me. I never expected to like a demonic possession movie and yet, The Last Exorcism got under my skin and squeezed into my brain.

The key to the film is the wildly charismatic performance of Patrick Fabian as the con-man priest turned exorcist who brings us in on his exorcism scam. The film is blunt about not believing in exorcism and how it exposes what this racket is really about. Then, naturally, we get a genuinely possessed girl who will challenge the hero in an unexpected and shocking fashion.

The Last Exorcism is smart and funny, exciting and genuinely scary. The approach by director Daniel Stamm, who sadly has done little since this film was released, is really clever in how it pretends to be about debunking and then finds a whole other frightening story inside that debunking attempt.

The Last Exorcism sneaks up on you as just another genre horror movie and then slips in some genuine existential terror and some terrifically skillful play with direction and storytelling. The Last Exorcism is gripping in ways that movies like it are not as it uses our skepticism to smart effect and the found footage style of The Blair Witch Project also gives the film just enough of an air of authenticity to make it genuinely shocking and scary and thus the best of the demonic possession movies ever made.