We’ve got seven absolutely horrifying possession movies that will summon all of your friends and family to the couch to watch this Halloween season.
Sure, monsters, slashers and body horror are all great, but there’s something downright terrifying about a sinister spirit creeping into a person’s body and using it for its own evil doings. It’s the kind of scary that makes you not want to leave your legs hanging off the bed at night.
This list includes some ultimate horror classics, the first chapters of massive film franchises, and even a campy high school goodie that’s pretty spooky but fun. All of them will have you feeling a bit uneasy and ready to purify your home.
Check out the list below.
The 25 Best Horror Movie Franchises Ever
“The Last Exorcism” (2010)
Up first is the Eli Roth-produced “The Last Exorcism.” Don’t let the title fool you, it has no relationship to the iconic “The Exorcist,” but it is similar in story, in terms of it involving a family that believes their daughter has been possessed. The film is shot in mockumentary style and follows a troubled priest who allows a documentary crew to film his last exorcism. After he tries out his usual formula to drive out the evil spirit, he soon realizes that there’s a real sinister being inside that must be remedied with true faith.
Where to watch: The Roku Channel, Fandango at Home, Apple TV+, Plex, MovieSphere with Prime Video
“Jennifer’s Body” (2009)
Next is “Jennifer’s Body” because who doesn’t love an action-packed, campy horror film? Karyn Kusama delivers comedy and bloody goodness through the story of Jennifer Check (Megan Fox), who becomes possessed by a demon and starts chowing down on her male admirers at her high school. The onus is then on Needy (Amanda Seyfried), Jennifer’s bestie, to save the day and the lives of her classmates. It’s become a cult classic in the years since its release, and there may be a sequel coming soon!
Where to watch: Hulu, Tubi, Disney+
“The Conjuring” (2013)
From “Saw,” “Insidious,” and more, if it’s one thing James Wan is going to do, it’s make one hell of a horror franchise. And that’s where “The Conjuring” universe comes in, which, per the Guinness World Records, is the highest-grossing horror film franchise of all time. The film series was developed based on the real-life paranormal investigations of Ed and Lorraine Warren, and that’s where the first film begins. The couple finds their next task at a farmhouse, where an evil spirit has set its sights on a mother of five daughters.
Where to watch: Apple TV+, HBO Max
“Paranormal Activity” (2007)
Well, of course, if we’re going to have a James Wan film, we’ve got to have a Blumhouse banger on the list too, especially since Wan’s Atomic Monster merged with Blumhouse back in 2024. “Paranormal Activity,” a found-footage film that centers a supernatural presence that eventually possesses one-half of a couple, is Blumhouse’s very first cinematic baby. Though some moments in the film are unintentionally funny, the film’s natural silence and the illusion that you’re watching a real-life possession slowly take place, sending shivers up your spine.
Where to watch: Fubo TV, Kanopy, Hoopla, Apple TV+
“Evil Dead” (2013)
While some possession movies terrorize by making you watch a gradual takeover of a person’s body, Fede Álvarez’s remake of Sam Raimi’s “The Evil Dead” gets right to it — aggressively. When drug addict Mia (Jane Levy) asks her brother and their friends to accompany her to a cabin in the forest as part of her withdrawal journey, one of them comes across the “Book of the Dead” and reads an excerpt from its pages that awakens a demon that finds a new home in Mia.
Where to watch: Hulu, Xumo Play, Fubo TV
“The Shining” (1980)
Now come on, you knew it was coming. Forget possession movies, this is your favorite horror film’s favorite horror film. But yeah, it’s totally a possession flick that uses the ghosts’ influence on Jack Torrance as an allegory for addiction, much like Álvarez’s “Evil Dead.”
In Stanley Kubrick’s film adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Shining,” Jack and his family relocate to the isolated Overlook Hotel in Colorado, where, unbeknownst to them, ghosts haunt the establishment. In the midst of trying to break out of writer’s block, he becomes intoxicated by the hotel’s dead previous guests and launches into manic outbursts that threaten the lives of his family. A nightmare in every sense of the word.
Where to watch: Apple TV+, Philo, HBO Max, AMC
“The Exorcist” (1973)
Duh! We had to save the best for last.
In the iconic film “The Exorcist,” a mother named Chris (Ellen Burstyn) notices her daughter Regan (Linda Blair) acting oddly — speaking in tongues and floating in the air — she enlists a local priest (Jason Miller) to help exercise the demon that’s possessed her child after medical assistance fails. William Friedkin’s film is lauded as one of the best horror films ever made.
Where to watch: Apple TV+, HBO Max
