After ‘The Devil’s Light’, Remember 10 Great EXORCISM and POSSESSION Movies

The horror genre has already been very well explored in cinema, whether with stories of monsters, spirits, mythological legends, such as vampires and werewolves, or even approaching cosmic horror. by Lovecraft. Yet nothing has succeeded in impressing or frightening as much as films that deal with cases of exorcism or demonic possession, mainly because the practice is validated by the Catholic Church, the main religious and traditional body in the world.

This week we had the release of ‘A Luz do Demônio’, another of these copies, and take a look at the new film by Daniel Stamm, also responsible for ‘The Last Exorcism’, being almost a specialist in style , here we list 10 (ten) great productions that marked the seventh art and served as a reference for other filmmakers to take up some ideas and elements and work in their own way.

We quote here in near chronological order, as over the years we have seen the branch reshape and be undertaken in very different ways. Of course, some will be left out, so put in the comments movies of the style that didn’t make the list, but adjusted as much or more than those mentioned. Go on!

Mother Joan of the Angels (1961)

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The Polish feature film “Mother Joan of the Angels” is one of the first exorcism films ever made, the story is about a convent with nuns possessed by demons. In this context, a priest is sent to the scene and begins to doubt his own faith when he sees what is happening with his fellow priests.

The work won the jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1961 and filmmaker Jerzy Kawalerowicz, responsible for other films such as “Night Train” (1959), leaves the viewer restless with a claustrophobic atmosphere, where nothing is as it seems. There’s a pretty impressive scene from the nuns’ ballet, with all of them falling to the ground possessed. Recalling that the demons of Mother Joana dos Anjos are treated as sources of energy capable of inducing human beings into the most perverse and outrageous behaviors.

The Exorcist (1973)

Even today, incredible as it may seem, in any list of demonic possession movies, none can top William Friedkin’s classic, “The Exorcist,” a horror masterpiece that gives chills even to the most skeptical.

In the plot, Chris MacNeil is a movie actress whose life turns to hell when she discovers that her only daughter, Regan, is beginning to exhibit strange and abnormal behaviors. Gradually, the woman realizes that something supernatural is happening, as Regan’s life slowly slips into the hands of the demon Pazuzu. An absolutely terrifying film, full of symbols and harrowing.

Possession (1981)

Like the previous one, this Franco-German film ‘Possession’ is one of horror’s most symbolic works, dealing with the idea of ​​possession as a powerful metaphor for sexual repression, women’s liberation and even more. political themes related to the cold. The war and its presence in Germany.

Commissioned by Polish Andrzej Żuławski, the work is remembered to this day for its terrifying scenes, including a sequence that takes place in a subway station. To this day, the film is revisited by fans of the genre who remain impatient to discover its hidden interpretations.

Prince of Shadows (1987)

After a failure at the box office with ‘Raiders of the Forbidden District’, the master John Carpenter signed a contract with the small Alive Films, which provided for the production of four low-budget films, the first of which was precisely Prince of Shadows, a terrifying supernatural thriller about demonic possession, religion, Church conspiracies and even time travel.

In a certain part of the story, one of the researchers is infected by all the liquid in the container and turns into some kind of host of evil. In this way, your body slowly transforms with the sounds of bones breaking and rearranging and your face starts to be full of pustules and wounds in the best exorcist style. Sensational!

Ghosts Have Fun (1989)

One of the first films directed by Tim Burton, “Ghosts Have Fun” defined most of the characteristics that made the director famous in his other works. It has a crazy character, a gothic aesthetic, dark humor, supernatural elements, and a soundtrack that serves to give an atmosphere of tension and fear. Of course, in the middle of it all is an exorcism ritual, which does the opposite, bringing a possessed ghost of the living into the world of the dead. The feature film is one of terrir’s greatest classics and is remembered by many who are eagerly awaiting a sequel.

Stigmata (1999)

In this historic 1990s film, Patrica Arquette plays Frankie Paige, an anti-religion hairdresser who begins to show the wounds of Christ on her body. A priest is therefore sent to investigate the case, which could contain Vatican secrets. The story takes on even more contours when Paige is not only totally wounded by the stigmata, but also appears to be possessed by a demonic entity, causing the priest there to learn how to perform the exorcism in question.

“Stigmata” revived interest in Stigmata films in the late 1990s and was a relative success, costing around $30 million and more than tripling at the worldwide box office. In addition to the good cast and interesting plot, it gives a fundamental boost to the Catholic Church and to religious fanaticism in general.

The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)

Based on a real event, “The Exorcism of Emily Rose”, the 2005 feature film directed by Scott Derrickson (“Doctor Strange”), is inspired by the case of Anneliese Michel, a woman who suffered dozens of exorcisms and one that resulted until his death, and there are still audio recordings of the possession today.

With a mix of supernatural horror and psychological drama, the film approaches the entity’s domination of Emily Rose with great ambiguity, leaving open the idea of ​​whether or not she may be possessed by satanic entities, or simply insane. and psychologically affected.

Constantine (2005)

There are those who take issue with this movie’s inclusion on the list, not least because John Constantine (Keanu Reeves) not only battles demonic possession, but also monsters and Lucifer himself. However, the work to begin has one of the most sensational exorcism scenes ever, with the subject trapping the demon in the mirror.

Soon after, Constantine goes hunting for various evil spirits that are in the city in search of the spear that killed Jesus Christ. Thus bringing strong and simply frightening scenes. As far as we know, we’ll finally get a sequel, after almost two decades later.

The Ritual (2011)

“The Ritual”, directed by Mikael Hafstrom in a production between the United States, Italy and Hungary, offers a unique perspective on the theme: instead of recurring stories of possessed youths, the story follows the journey of an American priest to the Vatican, to attend a recently established school of exorcism.

Starring none other than Anthony Hopkins, the feature also features Brazilian Alice Braga in the cast and manages to hold the audience from start to finish. He approaches possession masterfully, being more contemplative and not appealing to easy scares. Yet it has a very dense and heavy atmosphere, in addition to exploring the Roman rite in a more believable and realistic way.

The Conjuring (2013)

The great horror success with Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, in addition to being directed by James Wan, big names in the genre today, ‘The Conjuring’ would not become a franchise by chance: critical and public success, the film would be recognized as the best in the horror genre of the last decade, without a doubt.

We have as a scene a haunted house where a family moves inside the USA, where sinister phenomena begin to occur. The place would be the home of a demonic entity, and the house – as well as the family – will have to face exorcism sessions to fight evil. The film was highly praised and made millions at the box office, earning all that it achieved for its quality.

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