Best In Show: Possession Films (Pt. II of II)

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5. The Conjuring 2

Horror sequels are tough work. Pulling them off successfully is pretty rare, and when accomplished, deserves many accolades. The sequel to the even more terrifying first, The Conjuring 2 is the rare horror film that continues a storyline without disruption. The choice to follow Ed and Lorraine Warren was a brilliant idea as any number of their case files could be adapted to film. Not to mention both Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are stellar actors who deserve some nominations somewhere for these movies. The Conjuring 2 is a scary, scary movie and the possession of the young girl is great, but The Conjuring 2 is also about far more than the possession, instead the true focal point of the story is on the pair of demonologists.

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4. The Babadook

Because Mr. Babadook has become somewhat of an icon, I actually forgot that at the very core of this film is the possession of Essie Davis' single mother character. The Babadook is an amazing film that goes deeper than pretty much any modern horror movie with the exception of this year's Get Out. It's an examination of a single mother’s constant struggles to deal with a difficult life, and only after this is fleshed out does the possession actually come in to play. The Babadook also wins points for avoiding the over-the-top mystical character that offers advice on dealing with demons and wins points for having such strong central characters and terrifying scares.

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3. The Conjuring

While The Conjuring is maybe one of my favorite movies ever, I consider it to be much more o a haunted house film than a possession. Yes, Bathsheba possesses the mother and yes it's a main storyline, but for all of its amazingness, The Conjuring isn't so much a strictly possession and exorcism movie. I love it and think its terrifying but, it loses points on this list for the fact that there are two exorcist movies that are more deserving. The Conjuring is superbly acted, well shot and incredibly done, and everyone knows this so I won't continue to harp on.





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2.The Last Exorcism

I've heard some mixed things about The Last Exorcism and yet, I cannot see its faults. The Last Exorcism is the most recent full on possession film that has had commercial success. It's terrifying, updated from classics like The Exorcist and is by-and-large, underrated. The Last Exorcism has some of the best scare sequences in modern horror and Ashley Bell's role as a possessed girl in red boots is fantastic. The ending is also really relentless and for all of the tepid responses about how this movie isn't anything groundbreaking, I would argue that it doesn't need to be. The Last Exorcism is a plain Jane of horror- its purpose is solely to scare and intrigue audiences, not make them think. And, on those accounts, it works stupendously.



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1.The Exorcist

Maybe it's to stave off hate or because it's one of the few classics I really, truly enjoy even today, but the OG Exorcist deserves this top spot. It is so iconic and so well done that even today, it's compelling. I originally thought the graphics and pea soup vomit of this film would have been a turn off in the modern era, but this is a movie that cannot be beat. it stands the test of times and I would watch Regan's head spin over and over. The Exorcist is required viewing, even if you don't like old movies.