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10 Terrifying Exorcism Movies to Watch After The Exorcist: Believer
Now that you've seen The Exorcist: Believer, let's go hunting for a few more films about possession and those who fight it.
The Exorcist: Believer finally arrived in theaters over the weekend, giving horror fans everywhere the chance to finally see the latest chapter in the long-running horror saga.
Of course, now that you've seen it, you might be on the hunt for other films like it, and while you could just go back and watch the original Exorcist film again, we're betting you've been down that road too.
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So, where do you go next if you're looking for interesting, satisfying, and most importantly scary films about exorcism and the people who carry them out? Let's take a look. Here are 10 exorcism movies you might want to check out next.
More Possession Movies to Watch After You've Seen The Exorcist: Believer
The Exorcist III (1990)
OK, so you've watched The Exorcist over and over, but how about a trip back to one of its first sequels? Exorcist II: The Heretic is kind of a mess, but William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist III is a frightening, clever, genuinely gripping time. Set 15 years after the original film and following a police detective who was close to the original possession, it plays more like a supernatural procedural than an exorcism movie for much of the runtime, but you will still get some demonic thrills along the way, not to mention some great scares.
The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
An early horror effort from future Sinister director Scott Derrickson, The Exorcism of Emily Rose is based on a real case of exorcism, as well as the fallout from that case when things started to go wrong and the law got involved. Starring a ferocious Jennifer Carpenter in the leading role, with great performances by Laura Linney and Tom Wilkinson alongside her, it's a genuinely chilling movie that explores questions of belief and reality well beyond the exorcism ritual itself.
Amityville II: The Possession (1982)
You might not think a sequel to The Amityville Horror is a great place to go for a demonic possession tale, but Amityville II is here to prove you wrong. A sort of prequel to the first film based loosely on the real murders that took place in the house, The Possession, as the title suggests, digs into what happens when a member of the fictional Montelli family is possessed by a dark force. That, of course, leads to an exorcism, but the real star here is the way the family slowly falls victim to this dark force in some very unsettling ways. Check it out if you're looking for a possession film that's a little off the beaten path.
The Pope's Exorcist (2023)
Want to see what it's like when an exorcist hits the big time? Check out this recent horror release, starring Russell Crowe as father Gabriele Amorth, a real-life exorcist who was apparently the Pope's personal soldier against demonic forces. In the film, Amorth heads to an old abbey in Spain to investigate a new case of possession, and finds something very dark buried in the building's past. Director Julius Avery dials in the dark atmosphere, and Crowe turns in a performance that will keep you rooting for him.
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The Devil and Father Amorth (2017)
Want the true story behind The Pope's Exorcist as well as a fascinating successor to The Exorcist? Then you'll want to watch this documentary, directed by Exorcist helmer William Friedkin and starring the real-life Gabriele Amorth. Following Amorth as he conducts an exorcism on a possessed woman in Italy, the film is a closer look at the real experience of exorcism for a man who claims to have done it hundreds of times, and a probing eye on the faith of a single legendary priest.
The Last Exorcism (2010)
Want a little found footage with your exorcism horror? Check out The Last Exorcism, a rarity in the subgenre in that it opens not just from a place of cynicism, but of outright fraud. The film follows a man who's lost his faith, and seeks to prove that he's right by faking exorcisms on supposedly possessed people. Of course, when he visits one particular family to do one of these sham exorcisms, he finds that demons aren't just real, but also not too keen on his little charade. It's a great premise, a very creepy movie, and a very solid found footage production.
The Possession (2012)
You don't have to be a Christian to perform an exorcism. Versions of the ritual exist in every culture, and if you're looking for a Jewish perspective on that particular brand of horror, The Possession is a good place to start. The story of a girl who's possessed by a dybbuk, built around a real case of a supposedly haunted object, the film follows a lot of the familiar possession and exorcism rhythms, but from a different angle, with a different ritual, and a different monster. A great cast led by Jeffrey Dean Morgan does the rest.
The Wailing (2016)
Want to go even further into other cultures and how they deal with possession? Check out The Wailing, an epic film about a town beset by death and pain thanks to an apparent case of possession. Exorcism doesn't dominate the entire plot, but the way The Wailing uses various rituals in an effort to get rid of the evil spirit is enough to make it count for our purposes, and beyond that, it's just a great horror film. Korean horror has long been a source of great cinema, and The Wailing stands out as one of the best expressions of terror we've ever seen out of that movement.
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The Nun (2018)
Many of the Conjuring films feature an exorcism in some form or another, but if you want one that's wrapped up in the rituals and pageantry of the Catholic church, check out The Nun. Centered on the demonic figure of the title, the film follows a priest (Demian Bechir), and a young novitiate nun (Taissa Farmiga) as they head out to investigate a mass death at a convent, and find an ancient evil waiting for them. The way the exorcisms work in this film is powerful and satisfyingly creepy, but I'll be honest: I'm really recommending it because this is a movie in which a nun spits the literal blood of Christ onto a demon to defeat it, and that rules.
Constantine (2005)
Exorcism is just one of the talents of John Constantine (Keanu Reeves), a cynical, chain-smoking sorcerer who battles evil in all its form and even makes dark bargains with angels and devils alike. Constantine is not entirely wrapped up in exorcism. There's a lot going on in this movie, and while there are exorcism scenes, the battles against evil are quite a bit more action-heavy than what you might be used to in the subgenre. But come on: We just want to watch Keanu fight demons, right?
The Exorcist: Believer is now playing in theaters. Get tickets at Fandango.
