Religious horror is integral to the genre. Following the rise ofThe Exorcist, the horror genre has never been the same—or better, for that matter. Some of the most revered horrors have deep-seated religious themes, andWilliam Friedkinmay or may not have willingly created a foundation for future generations. Indeed,The Exorcistisperfect from start to finish, although it’s had itsfair share of controversies over the decades.
While many movies tend to copyThe Exorcist, with the evolution of possession horror, filmmakers have taken creative liberties and abstract ideas with religion at their core. In itself, faith is multifaceted, but any believer in religious rites, God, or other entities holds within them a story to be told. This is why some of the best horror movie protagonists are often people like the clergy, religious converts, and non-believers.The last decade provided some of the most precious gems of religious horror, with some ranking generally among the best horror movies of the 21st century.
10’Sister Death' (2023)
Directed by Paco Plaza
Sister Deathis a prequel tothe popular and scary Netflix horror movieVeronica. The story revolves around Sister Narcisa (Aria Bedmar), a newcomer teacher revered for her prophetic supernatural abilities. She begins to work at a former convent that was turned into a school for girls, where she learns unusual events are taking place. Narcisa sees signs of a haunting in the school, attempting to stop the spirits from taking more lives and moving on.
The premise ofSister Deathis simple but quite effective. The directorial style ofPaco Plazamakes this Spanish movie a little more than just another supernatural religious horror; the stunning photography and lingering on specific frames give the story its necessary creepiness.Its themes revolve around shame and violence, while sister Narcisa embodies purity and kindness, working together with the girls rather than sweeping their accidents and secrets under the rug. The movie ties intoVeronicaat the very end, but fans of religious horror can watch them either way.
Sister Death
9’Deliver Us From Evil' (2014)
Directed by Scott Derrickson
Possession movies are among the most popular subgenres of horror.Deliver Us from Evilis based on the true storyof retired NYPD detectiveRalph Sarchie(Eric Bana),who now goes by the title of demonologist.Deliver Us from Evilfollows Sarchie, encountering several bizarre events around NYC that later turn out to be connected. Sarchie invites Father Mendoza (Édgar Ramirez) to help him solve the case, and Mendoza encourages Sarchie to lean on his intuitive prowess to find clues.
The movie’s grody atmosphere is the opposite of the sort of elegance certain religious horror movies possess; it’s often easier to watch exorcisms happen in gold-clad Roman churches by well-dressed priests rather than in dark, dimly-lit interrogation rooms in NYC.Deliver Us from Evildelivers twofold: it’sa spin on the classic possession taleand an exciting thriller that leaves viewers feeling like they need a shower and a prayer.
Deliver Us from Evil
8’The Pope’s Exorcist' (2023)
Directed by Julius Avery
The list of horror movies based on real-life experiences extends with the addition ofThe Pope’s Exorcist, a movie aboutvarious exorcisms performed by Father Gabriele Amorth. Amorth wrote his first book about his experiences as the Pope’s priest and exorcist, published in 1990, withRussell Croweportraying him in the movie. Imagining Crowe as a horror movie lead may have been impossible about a decade ago, but this movie proved to be a refreshing fit for the Oscar winner.
InThe Pope’s Exorcist, Father Gabriele Amorth (Crowe) is depicted as a firm believer in possessions; while others around him have doubts, Amorth performs several exorcisms in his way and helps people affected by demons. The story revolves around several of his exorcisms, including one that almost cost him his life and the Pope’s.The Pope’s Exorcistis fairly recent butfeels like watching a classic exorcism horror; director Julius Avery, together with Crowe, pulled out all the stops with jump scares, visual effects, and anintense but entertaining plot.
The Pope’s Exorcist
7’Immaculate' (2024)
Directed by Michael Mohan
Nunsploitation is an actual horror genre, and it’s awesome. Nuns have been at the center of numerous horror movie plots since the 1970s, and the genre lives on.Immaculateis another in a line of newer nunsploitation horrors, but its premise pays homage to various classics, from Giallo toRosemary’s Baby. Women are often at the forefront of horror, as they’re deemed the “weaker sex.” And since nuns are considered pure and uncorrupted,demonic nun possessions make such horror even more terrifying.
InImmaculate,Sydney Sweeneyportrays Sister Cecilia, who is invited to learn the trade in an Italian convent with older nuns. There, Cecilia sees unusual signs and symbols, leading her to investigate the convent’s secrets. Cecilia also learns she’s pregnant, despite being a virgin, sending her into an anxious spiral, wondering how much autonomy she has in the convent. WhileImmaculatedoesn’t fully achieve a sense of dread, Sweeney makes the movie exciting thanks to her sheer commitment to the escalating plot, which goes fully off the rails by the end.
Immaculate
6’Veronica' (2017)
The first movie in Paco Plaza’s nun-horror franchise wasVeronica. In 2017, the movie swept viewers off their feet,often being named the most terrifying movie on Netflix.Veronicais an imaginative and brilliant feature; its true terror comes fromone of Spain’s most known unsolved cases of the 1990swhen a teenage girl died an unexplained death that shook the public.
The movie follows a teenage girl, Veronica, in Madrid in the 1990s; her father has just died, and she helps her mother care for her younger siblings. Looking for answers, Veronica plays with an Ouija board with her classmates, trying to reach her dad. However, an evil spirit possesses her during the session, and her daily life becomes a nightmare, escalating to violence in her own home.Veronicais unique for its immersion in 1990s style, from the inspired directing, costumes, and photography. Fans might know Paco Plaza from his trilogyREC, showing he’s capable of leaving viewers exhausted but happy to have seen a pretty great horror.
5’The Conjuring 2' (2016)
Directed by James Wan
The Conjuringuniverse is scary, no matter how commercial.James Wanrecognized the need for fright in horror fans and created a spectacular legacy. Although some parts of that universe lack substance, likeThe Nun,The Conjuring 2remains one of the best features of the genre.The Conjuringuniverse is based on real eventsthat paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren worked on, withThe Conjuring 2set in 1977 London, where the Warrens worked on acase famously known as the Enfield Haunting.
Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick WilsonandVera Farmiga) come back toThe Conjuring 2, where word of a poltergeist in the Hodgson family home spread among the locals in Enfield. Lorraine, a medium, is plagued byvisions of a possessed nun who seems to be after the Hodgson daughter, Janet. Though this is a religious horror only in certain terms, itstheme of good and evil encapsulated in a possessed nun gives it religious undertonesthat can’t be ignored.
The Conjuring 2
4’Saint Maud' (2019)
Directed by Rose Glass
Before she wrote and directed the 2024 queer romanceLove Lies Bleeding,Rose Glassentered the horror realm with a bone-chilling feature,Saint Maud. Glass’s directorial debut was quickly named one ofthe best British horror movies of the 21st century. WhileSaint Maudunfolds, it’s quickly noticeable that there’s no haunting, no possession, and no demonic nuns lurking in the back of the frame. The terror of the movie comes from the protagonist, Maud (Morfydd Clark), andher incessant wish to help, cure, and save those in need.
In the movie, Maud is first known as Katie, a nurse who fails to save a patient, which leaves her in emotional shambles. Sheconverts to Catholicism, takes the name Maud, and moves to the seaside to care for patients in palliative care. There, she helps the former dancer Amanda (Jennifer Ehle) while attempting to get closer to her. But Amanda doesn’t see her relationship with Maud the same way and often mocks her motivation.Saint Maud’sfinale erupts into shock and sheer terror, giving its slow-burn runtime the perfect final touch.
Saint Maud
3’Apostle' (2018)
Directed by Gareth Evans
One thing a bit more terrifying than possessed nuns areobsessive religious cults, andApostledelivers viewers directly to one’s doorstep.Gareth Evans’s chilling religious horror delves intohumanity’s inherent desire to manipulate and dominate, whether that’s over nature, animals, or other people. Beyond this theme, the religious fanaticism displayed doesn’t choose victims, and everything is fair game in the name of a God everyone in the cult believes in.
The protagonist ofApostleis Thomas Richardson (Dan Stevens), a wealthy heir whose sister seems to be living in an island-based cult. Thomas infiltrates a group of newcomers and stays on the island looking for ways to free his sister while uncovering its secrets. The island’s inhabitants are led by a charismatic but cold and stern leader, Malcolm (Michael Sheen), whose secrets are laid out in clues and left to Stevens' Thomas to uncover. While its similarities to folk horror likeThe Wicker Manare obvious,Apostleseamlessly blends religious with eco-horror, standing out from similar features.
2’The Blackcoat’s Daughter' (2015)
Directed by Osgood Perkins
Before the surging success ofLonglegs,Osgood Perkinsmade severalhorror movies that flew under the radar. A fan favorite,The Blackcoat’s Daughterremains Perkins’s most underrated but beloved feature. Consideredone of the bleakest horror moviesever,The Blackcoat’s Daughterdisplaysthe terrors of isolation and how it impacts the human psyche. Horror darlingKiernan Shipkadelivers an amazing performance as the strange but sensitive Kat, whose psyche degrades as she seems to communicate with otherworldly beings.
The Blackcoat’s Daughteris divided into three timelines that follow three girls: Kat, Joan (Emma Roberts), and Rose (Lucy Boynton). Rose and Kat are attendees of a Catholic school for girls and are the only ones left on campus during winter break. When all the students are gone, Rose and Kat are isolated and left to their own devices. The non-linear depiction of events further deepens the isolation effect on the girls, while Catholic and Satanic themes follow the girls' mental downfall.Rounded out by an unnerving ending, Perkins’s sister movie toLonglegsis one of the most talked about horrors of the decade.
The Blackcoat’s Daughter
Watch on Hulu
1’The Witch' (2015)
Directed by Robert Eggers
The Witchis a rare and incredibly valuable religious horror gem. Chock-full of symbolism, meaning, and lore, it successfully carries those messages rather than making them too vague or too prominent.The Witchfollows the downfall of an exiled Puritan family, including father William and mother Katherine, and their four children: Thomasin, Caleb, twins Mercy and Jonas, and newborn Samuel. When Samuel goes missing on Thomasin’s watch, the family dynamic spirals; Katherine insists that Thomasin practices witchcraft, William struggles to keep food on the family table, and Mercy and Jonas claim their black goat is speaking to them.
Although rejected because of a religious dispute, the family still practices faith and honors god, but symbols like crows andthe large black billy goat represent the Deviland his influences that are hard to escape. With a subtle, escalating performance byAnya Taylor-Joyand a veil of gray fog over the screen,The Witchpowerfully depicts one girl’s enchantment by a demon andthe process of leaving a Puritan life behind, changing the direction of her faith from submission and modesty to indulgence and independence.Robert Eggers’s directing style guides the movie’s ambiance and atmosphere to obvious places in a slow and unsettling manner.
