Demonic possession has captured the imaginations of filmmakers for decades. Demons continue to take a central role in modern horror and there's still clearly quite a huge audience for it. Any fan looking to dip into the realm of the dark spirits and disturbing contortionists has a plethora of demon movies to choose from.
Updated on November 28th, 2021 by Mark Birrell: The best possession movies are often the ones that take unique approaches to the formula but classic takes on demonic possession still continue to do serious business at the box office in modern times. New or old, possession movies can be found on some of the biggest streaming platforms available to subscribers and some are even available for free for more casual viewers. The cream of the crop should be considered essential viewing for any horror fan.
Italian Movie Download The Demon
Tilman Singer's 2018 directorial debut Luz is a German demonic horror movie that follows the titular cab driver as she finds herself being mysteriously questioned in a police station after a car crash that leads to a night filled with supernatural terror.
1985's Demons from Lamberto Bava and Dario Argento is an Italian demonic possession horror film set inside a free screening at a recently reopened movie theater showing a disturbing film filled with objects also seen in the theater's lobby, which kicks off a mass invasion of other-worldly demons that begin to terrifyingly possess the theater-goers.
While it isn't the best-reviewed demon horror movie fans have ever seen, 1988's Night of the Demons has become a cult hit that follows a number of classic horror tropes as a group of teens attend a party at an abandoned funeral home that turns into a demon-filled massacre.
Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead took a different approach to demonic possession. The movie followed Michigan State University students who took a trip to a remote cabin. In the cabin, they found the Natural Demanto, an ancient book that would later be recognized as the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis in future films. After playing a recorded tape of incantations demonic forces are unleashed upon the cabin.
The family contacts the now world-famous demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren to help them understand what is happening in their home. The family learns the morbid history behind their new home as a demonic presence takes hold of the matriarch. The movie spawned a sequel and several spin-offs. It was praised for its mastery in both scares and building suspense so expertly that the horrific moments felt truly earned.
The vast majority of demonic possession movies stem from Christian beliefs or practices, particularly within Catholocism. However, The Possession takes a slightly different approach and centers around a dybbuk box from Jewish mythology.
The possession side of things isn't really the focus of the narrative but it leaves more room for the drama that makes the horrific sequences so much more intense as the audience comes to really know the family at the heart of the story. The movie's build-up is more than paid off by the end and the bloody finale makes it one of the scariest demon movies of all time, even without the demons. Pruitt Taylor Vince's performance as the terrifying killer Raymond Smilie is more than enough to etch the movie into even the most hardened horror movie fans' memories.
Revolving mostly around documentary footage from a paranormal researcher, it tells a compelling and sprawling story about inexplicable supernatural phenomena and possession. It's a must-see for horror fans in general and regarded amongst aficionados as both one of the best demon movies and one of the best modern horror movies in general.
William Friedkin's seminal 1973 movie The Exorcist is likely the first title anyone ever thinks of when discussing the best possession movies. The story follows the gradual descent of a 12-year-old girl into possession as the demon known as Pazuzu takes hold of her. The film terrified audiences when it was first released.
Midway through the film, a disturbingly tragic event occurs within the family that is the catalyst for the escalating demonic horror that ensues in the latter half of the film. The performances in this movie are gut-wrenching and perfect. Hereditary should not escape any fan's Halloween horror viewing line-up if they're looking for the scariest demon movies.
This does open up the opportunity for one of a pair of tributes to the amazing Texas Switch in Mario Bava's Shock--the one where a thing that is bigger than it looks can loom up over someone in whom we have invested some emotion. It's cool the first time it happens and less cool the next time--the law of diminishing returns something this series should consider as a whole. Now, it turns out this demon is not possessing Arne full-time for reasons to do with a bone totem Lorraine discovers in the crawlspace underneath David's waterbed. We know this because, in a largely unmotivated and extended flashback that stops the movie dead, we see David trying out his new waterbed. Actually, I do know why there's a flashback: because the screenwriter handbook says something has to happen every 15 minutes, and this flashback happens at the 30-minute mark. The problem with this "scary" scene is that it shows David recognizing his waterbed is haunted, but because of the opening sequence, we know he got possessed anyway. This means David slept on the fucking bed despite dire warnings, meaning he deserves to get possessed, the little fool. Lorraine takes pictures of the totem, and later another bone totem surfaces in Ed's office. Ed, who has had a heart attack and been in a coma for a while suddenly finds himself in the forest chasing after Lorraine, who has been possessed or at least overtaken by a vision of something terrible and almost runs off a cliff--but Ed grabs her in time. Phew!
Demons (Demoni) is directed by Lamberto Bava and Bava co-writes the screenplay with Dario Argento, Dardano Sacchetti and Franco Ferrini. It stars Urbano Barberini, Natasha Hovey, Karl Zinny, Paola Cozzo, Fiore Argento and Geretta Giancarlo. Music is by Claudio Simonetti and cinematography by Gianlorenzo Battaglia.A wonderfully nutty spiced Spaghetti Horror, plot has a group of people trapped in a Berlin movie theatre that suddenly comes under attack by ravenous demons.It could reasonably be argued that Bava's movie has some cheeky narrative depth underneath the gloop and schlock, this is after all purposely set in a movie theatre and features a film that basically becomes real, sort of. But really it's a pic that's set up for like minded horror buffs to feast upon, to jump head first into its feverish horror comic book glee.The script is as poor as the dubbing is, with a roll call of cardboard cut out characters and loose end scenarios jettisoned in readiness for the next plasmatic explosive sequence. Yet the care free abandon of the gruesome killings on show, and the rapid pace of it all, ensures it's a fun packed ride.Even the musical score is schizo as it ranges from typical 1980s synth plods to heavy metal thunder - joyous. 7/10
A masked man hands out free movie tickets in a train station. Those who show up at the movie house sit down for a horror film. The exits are blocked and they become unsuspecting victims of a demonic horror.This is an Italian horror. The story is really simple. It's a basic B-movie horror. There is lots of blood and gore. The makeup is generally functional which looks interesting sometimes. At the very least, there is a lot of it. There are a few interesting characters but most are just cannon fodders. I like the metal rock soundtrack. There is some action. They literally threw in a helicopter. It's not the best action but there is some. Just like it's not the best gore but there is plenty of it.
To enjoy this film, one must throw aside any preconceptions you may have about it. Ignore the fact that Argento produced it (except for one claustrophobic tracking shot around a brick wall, there is no evidence of Argento's presence), and ignore the fact that the director is the son of Mario Bava, the son of a man who helmed some of the best, most stylish movies of the Italian Gothic era. DEMONS is an all-out visceral assault on the senses, packed with frenetic action, all manner of slop and gore, and not an ounce of realism anywhere.Thank god for the Italians and their willingness to push the boundaries of convention and good taste. These guys dwell on the violence, enjoying every bit, using every opportunity to disgust and offend the viewer. Throughout the film we're treated to eyeballs being torn out, necks ripped asunder, stabbings, decapitations, and for the piece de resistance, a character getting his head impaled on a spike. What more could you possibly want? How about some amusing dubbing, bad acting and hilarious dialogue? Check. The fun factor is lifted about a hundred times by the presence of Bobby Rhodes' pimp, a heroic leader who spouts some of the most hilarious lines you'll ever have heard - all the more amusing as he was dubbed by some loud-mouthed American. Action man Rhodes is the real star of the two DEMONS films, although he only has a supporting role in them. Acting amid a cast of nondescript youngsters in DEMONS, he plays Tony, a pimp who has come to the cinema with his two prostitutes. When people start turning into demons, Rhodes immediately takes control of the survivors.Personally, I love films set in just one location, and this one doesn't fail to create a claustrophobic feel, as well as a spooky atmosphere. It's also frequently scary, partly due to some effective slow-motion scenes of demons walking towards the camera, backlit, with shining blank eyes (so good they used it for the video cover). The low budget is fairly obvious, but gives the film a gritty, dirty feel adding to the horror. If you're expecting this film to make sense, then don't bother watching it. Minor characters frequently disappear and no more is heard of them, some sub-plots are added in just to further the plot.The most obvious one of these is the arrival of a group of drug-snorting cokeheads in their car, their presence merely allowing a demon to escape into the streets and make way for the "shock ending". One of these guys is a dead ringer for Sylvestor Stallone, and this pointless plot makes little sense or reason. A good example of this film's contrivances appears when a helicopter crashes through the roof towards the finale, merely allowing for an escape route for our heroes. What gets me is that a lot of people criticise this for not being realistic, but is the whole premise of people turning into drooling monsters realistic? I think not.The fast pacing means that there's plenty of opportunity for some quick, sticky shocks. This gore isn't disturbing - it's highly unrealistic - but merely adds to the fun. Goo flies everywhere at every opportunity as the cinema goers get slaughtered. The pounding score adds to the manic feel. Good use is made of the film-within-a-film factor, as events are played out in parallel in front of the big screen (a good example is when a knife rips through a tent in the film-within-the-film, while at the same time a possessed victim rips through the screen material with her fingernails!). The makeup is actually very good, really disgusting and disturbing because of this. The demons overact wildly, but it works for me here, and comes nowhere near as embarrassing as the over the top actress in DEMONS 2. A highlight of the film comes when a wonderfully-scary looking demon climbs out of some poor soul's back (!) and runs off into the shadows. Would this have looked as good with CGI? I don't think so. It's animatronics and prosthetics all the way, and they've never looked so good.DEMONS isn't an intelligent film, but then again it doesn't claim to be so. The visceral excess sets it way above many other American dumb gorefests of the '80s, and it has a unique quality which makes it very worthwhile. It's not a brilliant film, but a greatly enjoyable one nonetheless. The sequel followed a year later but lacked both the imagination and the impact of this one, seeing as it was just a rerun set in a tower block instead of a cinema. 2ff7e9595c
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