“Are you still saying your prayers? Our prayers protect us from the devil.”
Religion has been seeped into horror since the genre’s inception. For decades, filmmakers have been inspired by the very eerie and sinister nature of religion, exploring the darkest aspects of faith. There have been numerous films about cults, demonic possession, Satan, unholy rituals, exorcism, religious fervor, and nuns. Many of these movies have provoked thought and controversy, offending some and delighting others.
Incendiary pictures like The Devils (1971) and Immaculate (2024) have pushed the boundaries, toying with the sacrilegious to challenge the sometimes insidious nature of religion. Classics like The Exorcist (1973) and The Omen (1976) continue to haunt and terrify generations. Most recently, Heretic (2024) has challenged society’s deeply-held beliefs.
Catalogued below are the 20 greatest religious horror films of all time.
Ken Russell’s The Devils was so controversial that it was banned. Set in a convent in 17th-century France, it gives a fictionalized account of Urbain Grandier (Oliver Reed), a Roman Catholic priest who was executed for witchcraft, following the events of the Loudon possessions. The nunsploitation horror also focuses on Sister Jeanne des Agnes (Vanessa Redgrave), a sexually repressed nun who’s obsessed with the popular priest. Out of jealousy and desire, she incites the accusations of devil worship against him. The movie is adapted from Aldous Huxley’s novel The Devils of Loudun (1952) and John Whiting’s 1960 play The Devils. It explores the dangers of religious fervor, condemns those who use faith to gain political power, and exposes the hypocrisy of the Church.
This great Latin American movie is unlike any horror you have ever experienced. The English-language arthouse film is directed by renowned Mexican director Juan López Moctezuma. It’s a wildly unique loose adaptation of the lesbian vampire classic Carmilla. Set in an isolated convent in the late 1800s, the story follows 15-year-old orphan Alucarda (Tina Romero), who develops a profound, intimate bond with Justine (Susana Kamini), a newly arrived girl of her same age. Their all-consuming relationship leads them to pledge an immortal bond with one another. When they do, a Satanic force of evil is unleashed, threatening to bring the whole convent down. The story is a scathing critique of the corrupt Catholic Church and explores themes of sexual repression under religion and oppression under patriarchy.
Set in 1983 during the Satanic Panic, Ti West’s breakout hit is one of the best period horrors ever made. Shot entirely on 16mm film and using retro cinematography, the writer-director evokes the era, paying homage to 70s and 80s genre films. Jocelin Donahue stars as Samantha, a broke college student eager to move out of her dorm and find the money for a deposit for an apartment off campus. An opportunity comes along in an odd babysitting job on the outskirts of town on the night of a lunar eclipse. When she arrives at the isolated Victorian house in the woods, she learns it’s not a child she’ll be watching, but an old woman. From then on, her night becomes increasingly bizarre. Soon, Samantha realizes evil is afoot, and that her employers are devil worshippers with sinister intentions.
You know that thing they say about not drinking the Kool-aid? The Sacrament, another religious horror by Ti West, is inspired by the real-life Jonestown massacre of 1978, in which 918 members of a cult led by Jim Jones died by mass murder-suicide. The film is presented in a found-footage and faux documentary format, giving the viewers a raw first person perspective. It feels all too real. Constructed as a Vice investigative report, the story follows a news crew who travels to Eden Parish, an isolated commune in the Caribbean, founded by a leader known only as Father and inhabited mostly by expats. The bleak finale of the film leaves you feeling empty and hopeless after witnessing the lengths of human depravity.
In The VVitch, the talented Robert Eggers fully immerses audiences into the harsh world of 1630s Puritan New England. After a devout Christian family is banished from their settlement over a religious dispute, they make a new home on the edge of a dark forest, where strange and sinister events plague their new farm. As their misfortune increases—their baby vanishes, their crops fail, valuables disappear—the eldest daughter, Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy), bears the brunt of the blame. Her own mother turns against her, accusing her of witchcraft. The folk horror serves as a feminist tale of empowerment and liberation. Deconstructing Christianity, it explores themes of female agency, familial trauma and betrayal, and the destructive power of religious fervor and beliefs. Its subversion of the final girl trope is one of the greatest seen in the history of the genre.
Rose Glass blew audiences away with her feature directorial debut, Saint Maud, one of A24’s best. Morfydd Clark gives a mesmerizing and raw performance as Maud, a young hospice nurse formerly named Kate, who hides a dark past. Maud converted to Roman Catholicism after the death of a patient and is now a devout believer. When the palliative care nurse is assigned an atheist patient, she becomes unhealthily fixated on saving her soul. Her obsession leads her into a dark descent and ultimately, to a bone-chilling conclusion—one that is forever etched into the minds of horror fans. The film is an in-depth exploration of religious fervor and how loneliness can impact a troubled mind.
Immaculate sparked controversy among the holy crowd and far-right. The movie’s team brilliantly used some of the angered responses for marketing: “Diabolical, sacrilegious, pure evil, and grossly offensive. It is profane and has a third act that spits in the face of all that is holy. Just…evil,” “blasphemous, Satanic, feminist, pro-abortion, anti-life movie degrading Christians,” and “this movie also debases Mary, mother of the Christ.” Sidney Sweeney, who revived the project after a decade and took on the role of producer, stars as Cecilia, a young American nun of devout faith who joins a convent on the Italian countryside. When she learns she’s pregnant, despite being a virgin, she begins uncovering a sinister secret lurking in her new home. The film explores bodily autonomy, abuse within the Church, and the oppressive nature of religion.
The visually lush The First Omen is Arkasha Stevenson’s prequel to one of the most acclaimed religious horror’s of all time, 1976’s The Omen. Nell Tiger Free gives an electric and unforgettable performance as Margaret, a young devout American woman who arrives in Rome to take her vows at a convent, where she uncovers a terrifying conspiracy within the Church that aims to bring about the birth of the Antichrist. Much like Immaculate, the film delves into themes of bodily autonomy, abuse within the church, and the perversion of religion as an institution. The film is one of the greatest reboots in cinematic history.
Oz Perkins’ surprisingly feminist film is one of the best horror movies of 2024. The phenomenal Maika Monroe stars as Lee Harker, an FBI agent with psychic abilities who’s recruited to solve a long-running case of family murder-suicides. Nicholas Cage is nightmarishly unrecognizable as the elusive killer, Longlegs. Somehow he manages to commit the murder outside of the house through manipulation and always leaves behind a ciphered letter at the scene of the crime. Soon, Lee discovers she holds a personal connection to the mystery. Longlegs permeates and unsettles, staying with the viewer long after it ends. The movie has strong Satanic and occultist themes that challenge the traditionalist religious views of our patriarchal society.
Heretic is a unique religious horror that stands out against many. It’s not centered around possession, demons, exorcism, Satan, or nuns. Instead, the film uses its human villain to challenge faith and the nature of religion. The cerebral film is more dialogue driven than anything else. It follows two young Mormon missionaries, Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East), who try to convert Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), a seemingly friendly man, when they’re let into his home.
More of the greatest religious horror movies…
Black Sunday (1960) Barbara Steele stars in a dual role as Asa Vajda, a vampiric witch sentenced to death by her brother who returns centuries later to enact her revenge, and as Katia Vajda, her descendant.
The Wicker Man (1973) A police sergeant goes to a Scottish island village in search of a missing girl whose existence is denied by the local pagans.
The Exorcist (1973) This is one of horror’s greatest classics that continues to terrify decades after. The film revolves around Regan (Linda Blair), a young girl displaying increasingly bizarre behavior. After enduring medical exam after medical exam, her mother seeks the help of a local priest (Jason Miller).
The Omen (1976) When his wife delivers a stillborn child, American diplomat Robert Thorn (Gregory Peck), passes off a newborn baby as their own. Unbeknownst to him, his adopted child is the Antichrist.
Frailty (2001) A man (Matthew McConaughey) recounts his childhood and gives an account of how his religious fanatic father believed to have been selected by God to get rid of sinners.
The Wailing (2016) This South Korean film follows a policeman investigating a strange illness plaguing a remote village.
Apostle (2018) Dan Stevens stars as Thomas, a man who travels to a seemingly idyllic island to infiltrate a dangerous cult in order to free his sister who has been kidnapped.
Hereditary (2018) After the matriarch of a family dies, her relatives are haunted by brutal and bizarre occurrences that invite tragedy into their lives.
Midsommar (2019) Ari Aster’s sun-soaked breakup horror features a pagan cult who commit the most gruesome of rituals to ward off evil and appease their gods.
The Vigil (2019) A young man struggling with a mysterious traumatic past agrees to fulfill the ritualistic duties of sitting vigil over a recently deceased member of his former Jewish Orthodox community, only to be targeted by a malevolent spirit.
Meet The Author
Natalia is a writer, poet, and collage artist living in Houston, Texas. Her favorite scary movies include Pearl, Midsommar, and Jennifer’s Body. In her spare time, she enjoys writing “good for her” horror fiction.
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The Black Farm
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