The Best Possession Movies of All Time!

I know, I know, we have almost two months before Halloween….but it is my favorite holiday!! So, I am kicking off a two-month jag with a list of what I think are the best movies dealing with diabolical possession.

Surveys continue to list possession as one of people’s most primal fears, and is by far the favorite subject of horror movies (at least until Twilight made sissy-vampires hip). As a result, everybody and their mother (you know, the one who does that unspeakable thing while in the nether region [“Your mother s*** c*** in hell!”]) has tried to make a good film on the subject. Most of the time they release crap, but occasionally a good one slips out.

I am curious to see what my readers would add to the list…

(CLICK THE PHOTOS TO SEE MOVIE TRAILERS AND CLIPS)

The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)

After 30 years and countless attempts to cash in on the possession craze lit aflame by The Exorcist, someone finally released a movie about possession that is worthy of its hype and reputation.
Starring two incredible actors (Laura Linney and Tom Wilkinson) and boasting an intelligent, atmospheric script, this film was destined to be leagues ahead of drivel like contemporaries Constantine and Fallen. Like The Exorcist, Emily Rose is loosely based on true events; in this case, a purported possession in Germany in 1976. The film follows the arrest and trial of a priest accused of murder when the young girl he is performing an exorcism on dies. It reaches beyond cheap scares and shock value, delving into matters of faith, family, and what awaits us on the other side.
As a result, the scenes of exorcism contrast sharply with the tone of the film and are especially chilling. You feel as if you are in the presence of true evil, not just a movie studio’s attempt to scare 16-year-old girls.
Trust me, as a jaded, cynical critic of horror, parts of this film are scary.

Stigmata (1999)

In a similar vein, this gem by Rupert Wainwright also attempts to raise the bar above simple levitation and vomit-spewing, challenging the viewer to think about their own convictions and salvation. With a kick-ass soundtrack and musical score puppeteered by Billy Corgan (one of my favorite of the goth CDs of the era; I still listen to this one often), Stigmata consciously romances the “young, hip” crowd without dissolving into trite, “shiny girl” immaturity.
Patricia Arquette is the “innocent” (a concept uniquely attacked here), while Gabriel Byrne is the brooding, flawed priest determined to save her. Sexual desire and a tolerance for less-than-wholesome lifestyles are visited in more depth than most films in this sub-genre, and it adds some serious tension.
Unfortunately, a complicated plot involving church corruption mires down the film toward the end. It is still a helluva movie, though…a great date choice.

The Shining (1980)

Not a conventional “possession” film, but definitely has earned its place. Yes, Jack Nicholson‘s acting is over the top. Yes, Stanley Kubrick made the movie just plain weird. But put yourself in a dark, quiet hotel hallway (or, better yet, an abandoned, dark, quiet hotel hallway), and see if this movie doesn’t crawl up behind you and whisper in your ear that You. Are. Not. Alone.

Insidious (2011)

This film is not groundbreaking. In fact, it is a pretty blatant rip-off (what filmmakers call an “homage”), creating some kind of weird hybrid-bastard-child of Poltergeist and The Amityville Horror. It can even be argued it is not really about possession. But if you want a fun ride (with some admittedly cheap scares), this is a great choice.
When a young family moves into a new home (old house), strange things immediately begin to occur, culminating in a young boy’s strange coma that isn’t at all what it seems. From there, the storyline gets a little silly, but don’t get me wrong. It is kinda cheesy, but there are some genuinely unsettling moments, and the red-faced demon is fuckin’ awesome.

The Possession of Joel Delaney (1972)

I read this book as a kid, and it creeped me out big time. I saw the film many years later, and while it is nowhere nearly as effective, it has its moments. Perry King and Shirley MacLaine chew up the scenery in glorious B-movie fashion, and yet this movie still manages to create some voodoo-tinged thrills.
A full year before The Exorcist took the world by storm, this little film gave audiences a teaser to the mayhem just around the corner. It doesn’t boast the demonic makeup or flying furniture, relying instead on the filmgoer’s imagination. It is surprisingly effective.

The Exorcist III (1990)

Come on, no sequel is going to live up to The Exorcist. It is like making a sequel to Gone with the Wind or Rosemary’s Baby. But while Exorcist II was bad (although not nearly as bad as its reputation suggests), and Exorcist: Dominion and Exorcist: The Beginning were gawd-awful, Exorcist III, based on original author William Peter Blatty‘s novel Legion, is actually pretty good.
Taking place 15 years after the original Exorcist, Exorcist III is atmospheric, intelligent, and parts of it are definitely creepy and disturbing. Not as chilling as the original, it focuses more on the backstory and the concept of good and evil in an effective way, enveloping the first film and branching out to a more far-reaching landscape.
But yes, someone is possessed in this one, too.

The Last Exorcism (2010)

The “reality” and “found footage” craze infiltrated every aspect and genre of movies and television, especially in the area of horror. The concept of a handheld camera capturing real events seems custom-made for a great documentation of possession. The Last Exorcism isn’t great, but as of 2013, it is the best we have in this style of filmmaking.
Nell is an isolated teenager who finds that a pure spirit and sweet naivete sometimes target you for the sinister, whether demonic or something a bit more earthly.
The “crisis of faith” storyline falls pretty flat, but the atmospheric “Deliverance” setting of the backwoods of Louisiana, where superstitions and fanaticism reign supreme, makes the viewer feel less protected from evil each time the shaky camera gets a little too close.

The Exorcist (1973)

Yes, this is the original. The one everyone is sick of hearing about. The one that has given birth to countless sequels, parodies, rip-offs, and inferior lookalikes. It has been watched, rewatched, cut up for network television, re-edited, watched again, re-released in surround sound, re-released with added footage…all that’s left to do is make “The Exorcist: The Clone Wars” (actually, that is closer to the truth than you might think; at one point, the studio wanted to turn The Exorcist into a weekly series…honest to Pazuzu!)

But at the end of the day, there is a reason this is the granddaddy of all possession movies…it’s really good. If you are able to sit down and watch the original, unedited film…the version released to an unsuspecting public in 1973…by yourself…with the lights off…forgetting all of the sequels and knockoffs…then do it. Imagine it is an era before ridiculous CGI, when the makeup artists could actually make someone look possessed. Put yourself in the early 70s, when the word “cocksucker” was still shocking (especially when it comes from an inhuman voice). Allow yourself to join Chris MacNeil’s nightmare as her innocent young daughter descends into a Godless abyss.

In the dark…alone…The Exorcist still packs a punch.

So what movies do you have to add to my list?