Long before movies existed, and probably long after they’ve gone away in favor of the next new kind of storytelling, the Devil has made for compelling stories. That proved to be no exception in the realm of film. Here are 10 of the scariest movies featuring the Devil, Satan, Beelzebub, or whatever you choose to call him…
10.) The Exorcism of Emily Rose
This one barely made the list. I know a lot of people don’t love it, but I saw it when I was 14 and I grew up Catholic. For months (maybe years) after I saw this one, I was terrified to be awake at 3am, but I was so scared I wouldn’t fall asleep, I couldn’t. Talk about a mindfuck.
9.) The Exorcist III
The second sequel to one of the scariest movies of all time. The Exorcist trilogy got its groove back with this one.
8.) The Conjuring
There are a million of this type of movie being made right now, but The Conjuring is one particularly good example. A family is terrorized both financially and spiritually. The hide and clap scene is such a great aural detail used to such devastating effect. James Wan is incredible.
7.) Hellboy
Maybe it’s not pure horror, but Guillermo del Toro offers a hell of a film with Hellboy. It’s filled with demons, a literal devil, and enough action to fill any heart with comic book-loving joy.
6.) Drag Me to Hell
Horror master Sam Raimi’s 2000’s were occupied mostly with his Spider-Man trilogy, a set of movies that doesn’t get enough credit for its influence on the cinematic landscape today. His horror rebound, Drag Me to Hell, showed that he hadn’t lost any of his chops. The movie conditions the viewer wonderfully, repeating the squeaky gate before an invisible force beat the hell out of the main character.
5.) The Witch
The year’s best horror movie so far has quite the visit from one Black Philip (other alias: the Devil). The movie tells the same emotional story as The Thing (great company to be in, if you ask me), set in a very different time and place. Both movies ask the question: Are the people we love really who they say they are?
4.) Rosemary’s Baby
Rosemary’s Baby is one of my all time favorites. Roman Polanski does a masterful job of putting us into the breaking psyche of Rosemary, who isn’t sure if her husband and her neighbors are out to get her. We watch and wonder along with her, feeling the tension build until the very end when it’s finally revealed.
3.) I Saw the Devil
This one isn’t technically about the Devil and it might not officially be horror, but it’s a terrifying movie. The brutality in this spy versus serial killer flick is gruesome. What makes it really go for me is the way it so successfully pulls off the revenge corrupting a good man motif. It’s familiar, but with the way he hobbles his opponent and the chaos he unleashes, it feels new and real.
2.) The Exorcist
A lot of people would argue that this is the scariest horror movie of all time, and I’d be inclined to agree with them. The Devil comes to earth to shake the faith of man and woman both in this classic, and does he ever. William Friedkin and William Peter Blatty transformed an entire genre when this movie was released. Horror since has lived in its shadow.
1.) The Devil Wears Prada
One look at our economic reality is all anyone should need to figure out why this is the scariest movie of all time. Try to find an entry level job that doesn’t require 1 to 3 years of experience, and you’ll be wishing that it was just a demon!