I am not a religious person. But that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy a great possession movie like the majority of horror lovers out there. Here are my Top 5 picks for the BEST possession movies. These are in no particular order

The Exorcist

This has to be the top of the list, for obvious reasons. In 1973, this movie scared the living beejeezus out of everyone who saw it, and continued to do so during the Director’s Cut that was released in 1999.

This movie remains close to my heart for many reasons, the first beginning with my family. My parents actually went to the cinema and saw this back in ’73 on a date. They are both not big horror fans (although my mother has a soft spot for crime stories by Agatha Christie) so they got a rude shock when this was screened. My sister Megan also used the Director’s Cut of this film to get rid of hiccups back in the early 2000′s. I remember huddling in the next room in fear as I could hear the growls and unearthly moans coming from Raegan.

This story was based on a novel written in 1971 and was the first horror movie to be nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Picture. Like most older movies, it does take some time to get to the action, but it’s well worth the wait.

The Exorcism of Emily Rose

In 2005, I watched the Exorcism of Emily Rose and didn’t sleep with the lights off for a week. With Jennifer Carpenter as Emily Rose (you might remember as the foul-mouthed sister of Dexter Morgan) this horror movie is part court-room-drama and part terrifying horror movie. I love the mix of the law and modern day skepticism with what Emily Rose actually experienced. Was it a mental health issue, or was it deeper than that?

This movie was actually inspired by the true story of Anneliese Michel, a young german woman who passed away in 1976, and the court case that followed. Her grave has become a place of pilgrimage for many Catholics who belive she was atoned for wayward priests and sinful youth, and honour her as an unofficial saint.

Evil Dead

Although I am only going to speak about the remake here, hard core horror fans will be happy to know I’ve been a fan of The Evil Dead and Evil Dead II for many years (not to mention Army of Darkness, but let’s not get sidetracked.)

Evil Dead is one of the best horror movies to come out in recent years, yet alone in this particular sub-genre. The use of the classic ‘fake blood’ (instead of CGI blood which looks horribly unreal) and the outstanding special effects and reimagining of this classic makes it perfect for this list.

I have watched this movie close to fifteen times since it’s release, and wrote a review on it here.\

The Amityville Horror

I watched this remake of the true-life horror story (or hoax, you decide) in 2005 and my date had to leave because he was too scared. I watched the rest and loved it. Unfortunately for me, I also began waking up at around 3:16am every morning and scared myself silly. Thanks for nothing body clock!

The true story behind this film is connected to Ed & Lorraine Warren (if you are familiar with The Conjuring and The Haunting in Conneticut, same people). Definitely worth a watch, for both the originals and the remake.

Paranormal Activity

Ah Paranormal Activity. Similar to the Saw Franchise, this movie series is attempting to squeeze every penny out of the audience. The best part about the original film was that it was new. When you watch the sequels, you know what to look for with the jump scares and they were never as fresh as the original.

That being said, I still enjoyed the sequels, just not quite as much as the original movie. It cost only $15,000 to make, but grossed over $193 Million for Paramount Pictures. The simple, effective creep factor, coupled with a new ‘found footage’ type of cinema.

This movie is less about the actual ‘possession’ and more about the lead up to the fact (similar to Amityville). The slow realization from the characters that this isn’t some cool phenomenon and is actually very very scary is brilliant.

 

What are your favourite Possession Movies?? Comment Below!