Halloween is fast approaching, which means that people all over the world will be watching as many movies like The Exorcist as possible to get themselves in the mood for spooky season.
Still regarded as one of the greatest horror movies ever made, William Friedkin’s all-time classic is a masterclass in terror and suspense, launching a franchise that would spawn another four sequels.
So strap in and get ready to watch the following ten films between the gaps in your fingers, because there’s some top-tier horror and buckets of blood and gore to be found below.
10 Demonic Horror Movies Like The Exorcist
1. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
A young mother starts to think that something is wrong with her baby in Roman Polanski’s classic horror that’s remained at the pinnacle of the genre for over half a century.
Movies like The Exorcist don’t all have to be cut from the same cloth, but Rosemary’s Baby was also adapted from a novel that was published shortly before the movie adaptation arrived.
A frightening tale that lets the audience decide if impending motherhood or Satanism if the bigger concern, Polanski proves that you don’t need gore to make one of the most effective horrors ever.
2. The Conjuring (2013)
After co-creating Saw and Insidious, James Wan was already one of modern horror’s leading lights before he dramatized the adventures of paranormal investigators Lorraine and Ed Warren.
The Conjuring was so successful that it launched an entire universe of sequels and spinoffs, but as the first installment, the original will always hold that little bit more of a bite.
Movies like The Exorcist can often seem dated due to the budgetary restrictions of the time period they were released, but The Conjuring gives the tale of demonic possession a coat of Hollywood gloss and turns out all the better for it.
3. The Amityville Horror (1979)
America’s most haunted house gets the big-screen treatment in Stuart Rosenberg’s ‘based on true events’ account of the experience of the Lutz family’s haunted home.
Another one of the movies like The Exorcist that was adapted from a novel published just a couple of years previously, The Amityville Horror follows the tropes of the genre down to an absolute tee.
Eerie goings-on, things that go bump in the night, and a local priest called in for an exorcism all feature in the box office smash hit that turned out to be one of the defining horrors of the 1970s.
4. The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
If you love movies like The Excorist, then you’ll be drawn to this one by the title alone!
Putting a fresh spin on the formula, the movie adopts the trappings of a courtroom thriller as a priest is prosecuted for the death of a young woman he exorcized, although it might not be so clear cut as that.
Very loosely based on a true story, the approach to the material makes The Exorcism of Emily Rose a compelling watch that relies on the human drama more than the demonic frights to succeed.
5. The Rite (2011)
Mikael Halstrom’s supernatural thriller is yet another entry on our list of movies like The Exorcist adapted from a novel that’s reportedly based on true events.
A doubting young priest attends a Vatican-sponsored exorcism school and enters a skeptic, before encountering a presence that forces him to question his entire belief system.
Slower-paced than you’d expect from a movie like this, The Rite overcomes a lack of genuine scares thanks to the solid work of the cast, in particular Anthony Hopkins in a scenery-chewing lead performance.
6. The Omen (1976)
The 1970s was a phenomenal decade for horror, and one of the many movies like The Exorcist to elevate the genre to never-before-seen heights was Richard Donner’s undisputed classic.
The adopted son of a diplomat brings trouble and death wherever he goes, and events very much point in the direction of young Damien being the Antichrist himself.
Gregory Peck works wonders with the admittedly ridiculous premise, as you would expect from one of the greatest actors of all-time, but everything from the direction to the score works perfectly in sync to elevate The Omen to greatness.
7. Poltergeist (1982)
The dream team of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s Tobe Hooper and Steven Spielberg join forces to tell the story of ghosts who communicate with a young girl through her family’s television set.
One of the best horrors of the 1980s, Poltergeist is more about tension and atmosphere than outright jump-scares, and you can feel Spielberg’s fingerprints all over the central family dynamic.
The impressive visual effects complement the narrative rather than overpower it in the name of sheer spectacle, resulting in an eerie suburban ghost story for the ages.
8. The Last Exorcism (2010)
Daniel Stamm’s low budget spooker sees a priest look to expose his fraudulent exorcisms, but instead finds himself forced to deal with a real one.
The concept is certainly unique and results in an interesting mashup of two genres that have been done to death, and the idea of a priest supposedly familiar with exorcisms being found way out of his depth is very cleverly mined.
Short and sweet at less than 90 minutes, The Last Exorcism is an incredibly effective exercise that maximizes every minute as events continue to spiral beyond control or comprehension.
9. Paranormal Activity (2009)
A woman sets up video cameras in her home to try and capture a supernatural presence in what turned out to be one of the most profitable movies ever made.
With a budget of just $15000, Paranormal Activity terrified audiences across the world and wound up raking in over $190 million at the box office.
One of the finest examples of what happens when you don’t show or tell, but instead let the fear of both do the work, Paranormal Activity went on to spawn a thousand imitators.
10. The Evil Dead (1981)
Not all movies like The Exorcist have to be reliant on practical effects and big stars, and the lo-fi approach to everything is one of the reasons why The Evil Dead instantly became a cult classic.
Taking the guerrilla filmmaking approach to the horror genre, Sam Raimi’s micro-budget debut feature sees five friends stay overnight in a secluded cabin and accidentally reawaken the dead.
Smart, scary, and funny all at once, The Evil Dead is a remarkable achievement in that it never takes itself too seriously, but doesn’t let that self-awareness impact the scares in the slightest.