While digging into the history of possession and exorcism, I began to make a list of great films dealing with this topic that I need to re-watch. Now that I know a bit more about the history of this human experience that seems to transcend all boundaries of time, culture, and religion, I am very excited to apply a new lens to some of my favorite horror classics. I hope you enjoy them, too – and check out my Kelly’s Cryptids and Conspiracies installments on episodes 49 and 50 to build your knowledge on this intensely creepy subject.
[customfont1]The Exorcist (1973)[/customfont1]
Clearly, this is the end all and be all of exorcism films. It changed the face of horror in 1973 and achieved the elusive goal of cinematic acclaim as a genre film. Ellen Burstyn plays the helpless mother (for the first time – she upped her game in ‘Requiem for a Dream’ a couple decades later) of Regan, a girl afflicted with a mysterious and worsening illness. Spoiler alert: the illness is a demon.
[customfont1]The Possession (2012)[/customfont1]
You’ve heard me mention this one before, but it can’t be left off a list like this. An antique box releases a spirit that begins to take hold of young Em, who also happens to be struggling with the separation of her mother (Kyra Sedgwick) and father (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). You might think this all sounds familiar, but there is a surprise – the evil force is a Jewish Dybuk – a grossly underused theme in horror.
[customfont1]The Last Exorcism (2010)[/customfont1]
The awkward, adorable Nell evoked the strongest pains of sympathy I’d ever felt for a fictional young Louisianan character – until I saw ‘Beast of the Southern Wild’. As the subject of a scam artist evangelical Reverend’s documentary (read: yes, this is found footage), Nell at first seems to be nothing more than a strange girl living on a rural farm. We soon realize that Reverend Cotton is not the only one who is not as he seems. Beware a few poorly-chosen CG effects, but otherwise this is a pretty damn good flick. As a side note, I love star Ashley Bell for being even shorter than me.
[customfont1]The Rite (2011)[/customfont1]
It is easy to write off another ‘based on true events’ exorcism movie, unless, of course the movie stars he who commands unqualified respect: Anthony Hopkins. In an effort to strengthen his faltering sense of faith, an advanced seminary student ventures to study the practice of exorcism in Italy. Enter wise, old, Father Lucas (Hopkins). If you are a fan of ‘Last Podcast on the Left’, picture Henry Zebrowski in the role of Michael (according to Henry, he wanted to join the seminary when he was 14). One of the most skillfully acted exorcism efforts, but not at the sacrifice of some good scares.
[customfont1]The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)[/customfont1]
To be clear, this movie is equal parts drama and horror. The story is (really) based on the true and tragic events surrounding the death of a girl who was also the subject of an exorcism. Courtroom drama (a negligent homicide trial followed the death), grieving parents, and demonic entities – lots to work with here, and a good movie for horror fans who appreciate character-driven plotlines and for non-horror fans who appreciate cinematic investigations into the morals of applied religion. Not to mention, Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) from ‘Dexter’ plays our title character.
[customfont1]Fallen (1998)[/customfont1]
This movie breaks dramatically from the mold of exorcism movies, and does so in style. A seriously impressive cast (Denzel Washington, John Goodman, Donald Sutherland, James Gandolfini) transforms a demonic possession story into an interesting and engaging thriller. Slightly reminiscent of ‘The Exorcist III’, the story centers around Washington’s character, homicide detective John Hobbes. A string of killings point to a serial killer – who was recently executed. This one is an excellent pick for the not-really-horror-fans out there (and the horror fans, too) – it is accessible, entertaining as hell, and one of my favorites.
[customfont1]The Exorcist III (1990)[/customfont1]
Most fans of the first film consider the ’, sacrilegious – no pun intended. William Peter Blatty, director of the original ‘Exorcist’, was apparently so offended by the sequel, ‘Exorcist II: The Heretic’ (with which he was not involved), that he waited 13 years before releasing a sanctioned continuation of the horrifying sage. Though the film did not bring back Linda Blair or Max von Sydow (who were in both I & II), Jason Miller returned and George C. Scott took the acting helm and the result was an IMDB score of, literally, more than double that of the sacrilegious ‘Heretic’. Scott plays a weathered police lieutenant – and friend of the deceased Father Damien Karras. While investigating a disturbing, mysterious, and familiar string of deaths, he finds himself with a key-suspect who has been dead for fifteen years.
[customfont1]Session 9 (2011)[/customfont1]
When I first saw this movie in 2012, before Frightday guaranteed that no horror movie could slip past me, I was so proud of myself for discovering such a gem. Then I realized a lot of other people knew about it, too, and I was just slow on the draw. A hazmat cleanup crew tackles an asbestos-laden abandoned mental hospital and begins to realize that the building’s past might be creeping into their present. Director Brad Anderson is a great horror/thriller director to keep your eye on – just be sure to skip ‘The Call’ and focus on ‘The Machinist’, ‘Stonehearst Asylum’, and ‘Transsiberian’.
[customfont1]The Shining (1980)[/customfont1]
You might be surprised to see this film on my Possession Horror list, but at the core of this Kubrick classic is a man possessed – by the spirit of the Overlook’s previous caretaker, or by his own demons, depending on your perspective. One look in the eyes of good ol’ Jack Torrence in the second half of the film makes the presence of pure evil undeniable. There is also the questionable spirit of Tony – is Danny possessed, too? Whatever your belief, any excuse to watch ‘The Shining’ is good with me.
[customfont1]The Amityville Horror (1979)[/customfont1]
More than 40 years after this movie first terrified the country, controversy still surrounds the haunting and possession that allegedly befell the Lutz family when they moved into a now-famous house with a very obvious and ominous face on the side. Only a year prior, the house had been the scene of a massacre at the hands of 23-year-old Ronnie DeFeo, Jr., who murdered his parents and four siblings in 1974. Shortly after they began living in the home, George Lutz transformed into what seemed like a different person. As the story goes, the same evil forces that drove DeFeo to commit mass-murder, or perhaps the remnants of that horrible event itself, began to tear the Lutz family apart. As a companion to this film, check out the documentary, “My Amityville Horror.” Daniel, on of the Lutz kids, details not only a verification of the paranormal events, but also claims that George was involved in the occult.
[customfont1]The Entity (1982)[/customfont1]
Yay! Another based-on-reality horror, this time involving a woman who is beaten and raped by an evil, invisible presence. The real story of Carla Moran is still a bit of a mystery – her son swears that the whole family heard the attacks and experienced physical interaction with the entity themselves. Though scientists questioned some of the accounts, they did see shaking walls, objects falling out of cupboard, and smelled a horrible and unexplainable stench. Perhaps the most horrifying element of this story is the shunning and disbelief that Moran faced from friends, family, and doctors. Thank goodness for parapsychologists!
[customfont1]The Conjuring (2013)[/customfont1]
Many consider this to be one of the best horror movies of the last decade. That could be due in part to the fact that it is, you guessed it, based on a true story! It also doesn’t hurt that the tale involves a haunted old farmhouse, real-life ghost hunters Ed and Lorraine Warren, and a woman possessed by the spirit of a 19th century Satanist. With a closer connection to reality than most fact-based-horror, this production included the eldest daughter of the possessed Carolyn Perron and the living half of the Warren team, Lorraine, as consultants. Watch this with the lights off, and you will never view hide and seek quite the same way again.
[customfont1]The Haunting in Connecticut (2009)[/customfont1]
Here is another possession film based on real events that involves the famous (possibly infamous) Warrens. A family moves to be closer to the hospital at which their son is receiving ongoing cancer treatment. Soon, they realize the move has invited an entirely new set of problems into their already-troubled lives – evil spirits of the home’s former inhabitants, who practiced necromancy when they were among the living. Eventually, the house and the family were exorcised. If you want the real story, read “In a Dark Place: The Story of a True Haunting” by Ray Garton.