The Best Occult Movies Ever Made
“What are the best Occult movies of all-time?” We looked at 136 of the top Occult films and ranked them so we could answer that very question!
The top 31 films, all appearing on 2 or more “Best Occult” movie lists, are ranked below by how many times they appear. The remaining 100+ movies, as well as the sources we used, are in alphabetical order on the bottom of the page.
Happy Scrolling!
Top 31 Best Occult Movies
31 .) Alucarda (1977) directed by Juan López Moctezuma
Lists It Appears On:
- CVLT Nation
- Yes Clash
A young girl’s arrival at a convent after the death of her parents marks the beginning of a series of events that unleash an evil presence on the girl and her mysterious new friend, an enigmatic figure known as Alucarda. Demonic possession, Satan worship, and vampirism follows.
30 .) Constantine (2005) directed by Francis Lawrence
Lists It Appears On:
- Horror n Chill
- Horror News
John Constantine has literally been to Hell and back. When he teams up with a policewoman to solve the mysterious suicide of her twin sister, their investigation takes them through the world of demons and angels that exists beneath the landscape of contemporary Los Angeles.
29 .) Haxan (1922) directed by Benjamin Christensen
Lists It Appears On:
- Book My Show
- Contact Movies
Grave robbing, torture, possessed nuns, and a satanic Sabbath: Benjamin Christensen’s legendary film uses a series of dramatic vignettes to explore the scientific hypothesis that the witches of the Middle Ages suffered the same hysteria as turn-of-the-century psychiatric patients. But the film itself is far from serious– instead it’s a witches’ brew of the scary, gross, and darkly humorous.
28 .) Hereditary (2018) directed by Ari Aster
Lists It Appears On:
- Film About It
- IMDB
When Ellen, the matriarch of the Graham family, passes away, her daughter’s family begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry.
27 .) Kill List (2011) directed by Ben Wheatley
Lists It Appears On:
- Film About It
- Oul Books
Nearly a year after a botched job, a hitman takes a new assignment with the promise of a big payoff for three killings. What starts off as an easy task soon unravels, sending the killer into the heart of darkness.
26 .) Lucifer Rising directed by Kenneth Anger
Lists It Appears On:
- CVLT Nation
- Ultra culture
Lucifer Rising is a short film by director Kenneth Anger. The film was completed in 1972 and starred British singer Marianne Faithfull, but only widely distributed in 1980. The film’s soundtrack was composed by Bobby Beausoleil.
25 .) Poison For The Fairies (1986) directed by Carlos Enrique Taboada
Lists It Appears On:
- Book My Show
- Oul Books
In 1965 Mexico City, Fabiola, a wealthy yet lonely schoolgirl, befriends Graciela, a young orphan girl who has an unhealthy fascination with witchcraft. Fabiola is convinced that she, herself, is a witch by Graciela, who then uses the fear that she’s put into her new friend to get Fabiola to carry out her orders. As their games grow more serious, the two girls find themselves involved in murder.
24 .) Prince of Darkness (1987) directed by John Carpenter
Lists It Appears On:
- Horror n Chill
- Horror News
A research team finds a mysterious cylinder in a deserted church. If opened, it could mean the end of the world.
23 .) Race With the Devil (1975) directed by Jack Starrett
Lists It Appears On:
- Horror News
- Yes Clash
For old friends Roger (Peter Fonda) and Frank (Warren Oates) and their wives (Lara Parker of Dark Shadows and Loretta Swit of MAS*H), it was supposed to be “the best damn vacation they ever had.” But their RV road trip takes a deadly detour at a secluded campsite when they accidentally witness a Satanic orgy and brutal human sacrifice. Now horror hits the highway as the couples are chased by blood-crazed cultists through some of the most intense crash-and-burn mayhem of the decade and into one of the greatest twist endings in drive-in history.
22 .) Simon, King of the Witches directed by Bruce Kessler
Lists It Appears On:
- CVLT Nation
- Ultra culture
Simon, a young man with magic power, invokes the help of the evil forces in order to take revenge of a man who cheated him with a bad cheque.
21 .) Starry Eyes (2014) directed by Kevin Kolsch & Dennis Widmyer
Lists It Appears On:
- Oul Books
- The Cinemaholic
A hopeful young starlet uncovers the ominous origins of the Hollywood elite and enters into a deadly agreement in exchange for fame and fortune.
20 .) The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) directed by André Øvredal
Lists It Appears On:
- Film About It
- IMDB
Father and son coroners receive a mysterious unidentified corpse with no apparent cause of death. As they attempt to examine the beautiful young “Jane Doe,” they discover increasingly bizarre clues that hold the key to her terrifying secrets.
19 .) The Evil Dead (1981) directed by Sam Raimi
Lists It Appears On:
- Horror n Chill
- Oul Books
When a group of college students finds a mysterious book and recording in the old wilderness cabin they’ve rented for the weekend, they unwittingly unleash a demonic force from the surrounding forest.
18 .) The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) directed by Scott Derrickson
Lists It Appears On:
- Horror n Chill
- Horror News
When a younger girl called Emily Rose dies, everyone puts blame on the exorcism which was performed on her by Father Moore prior to her death. The priest is arrested on suspicion of murder. The trial begins with lawyer Erin Bruner representing Moore, but it is not going to be easy, as no one wants to believe what Father Moore says is true.
17 .) The Holy Mountain (1973) directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky
Lists It Appears On:
- The Cinemaholic
- Ultra culture
A Mexican master leads a Christ figure and other disciples to a mountain of immortal wise men. The scandal of the 1973 Cannes Film Festival, writer/director Alejandro Jodorowsky’s flood of sacrilegious imagery and existential symbolism in The Holy Mountain is a spiritual quest for enlightenment pitting illusion against truth. The Alchemist (Jodorowsky) assembles together a group of people from all walks of life to represent the planets in the solar system. The occult adept’s intention is to put his recruits through strange mystical rites and divest them of their worldly baggage before embarking on a trip to Lotus Island. There they ascend the Holy Mountain to displace the immortal gods who secretly rule the universe.
16 .) The House of the Devil (2009) directed by Ti West
Lists It Appears On:
- Horror n Chill
- The Cinemaholic
In the 1980s, college student Samantha Hughes takes a strange babysitting job that coincides with a full lunar eclipse. She slowly realizes her clients harbor a terrifying secret.
15 .) The Love Witch (2016) directed by Anna Biller
Lists It Appears On:
- CVLT Nation
- Thrillist
Elaine, a beautiful young witch, is determined to find a man to love her. In her gothic Victorian apartment she makes spells and potions, and then picks up men and seduces them. However her spells work too well, and she ends up with a string of hapless victims. When she finally meets the man of her dreams, her desperation to be loved will drive her to the brink of insanity and murder.
14 .) The Sentinel (1977) directed by Michael Winner
Lists It Appears On:
- Horror News
- Oul Books
A commitment-shy New York fashion model moves into an old brownstone apartment, meets her weird neighbours and discovers she’s sitting on the gateway to Hell.
13 .) The Wailing (2016) directed by Na Hong-jin
Lists It Appears On:
- Film About It
- Horror n Chill
A stranger arrives in a little village and soon after a mysterious sickness starts spreading. A policeman is drawn into the incident and is forced to solve the mystery in order to save his daughter.
12 .) A Dark Song (2016) directed by Liam Gavin
Lists It Appears On:
- CVLT Nation
- IMDB
- The Cinemaholic
A determined young woman and a damaged occultist risk their lives and souls to perform a dangerous ritual that will grant them what they want.
11 .) Eyes Wide Shut (1999) directed by Stanley Kubrick
Lists It Appears On:
- Oul Books
- The Cinemaholic
- Ultra culture
After Dr. Bill Hartford’s wife, Alice, admits to having sexual fantasies about a man she met, Bill becomes obsessed with having a sexual encounter. He discovers an underground sexual group and attends one of their meetings — and quickly discovers that he is in over his head.
10 .) Night of the Demon (1957) directed by Jacques Tourneur
Lists It Appears On:
- CVLT Nation
- Medium
- Ultra culture
American professor John Holden arrives in London for a conference on parapsychology only to discover that the colleague he was supposed to meet was killed in a freak accident the day before. It turns out that the deceased had been investigating a cult lead by Dr. Julian Karswell. Though a skeptic, Holden is suspicious of the devil-worshiping Karswell. Following a trail of mysterious manuscripts, Holden enters a world that makes him question his faith in science.
9 .) The Craft (1996) directed by Andrew Fleming
Lists It Appears On:
- Contact Movies
- CVLT Nation
- Thrillist
A Catholic school newcomer falls in with a clique of teen witches who wield their powers against all who dare to cross them — be they teachers, rivals or meddlesome parents.
8 .) Witchfinder General (1968) directed by Michael Reeves
Lists It Appears On:
- Book My Show
- Oul Books
- The Cinemaholic
England is torn in civil strife as the Royalists battle the Parliamentary Party for control. This conflict distracts people from rational thought and allows unscrupulous men to gain local power by exploiting village superstitions. One of these men is Matthew Hopkins, who tours the land offering his services as a persecutor of witches.
7 .) The Witch (2015) directed by Robert Eggers
Lists It Appears On:
- Contact Movies
- Film About It
- IMDB
- Thrillist
In 1630s New England, William and Katherine lead a devout Christian life with five children, homesteading on the edge of an impassable wilderness, exiled from their settlement when William defies the local church. When their newborn son vanishes and crops mysteriously fail, the family turns on one another.
6 .) Suspiria (1977) directed by Dario Argento
Lists It Appears On:
- Contact Movies
- Medium
- Oul Books
- Thrillist
- Yes Clash
From the moment she arrives in Freiberg, Germany, to attend the prestigious Tanz Academy, American ballet-dancer Suzy Bannion senses that something horribly evil lurks within the walls of the age-old institution.
5 .) The Exorcist (1973) directed by William Friedkin
Lists It Appears On:
- Horror n Chill
- Horror News
- IMDB
- Oul Books
- The Cinemaholic
12-year-old Regan MacNeil begins to adapt an explicit new personality as strange events befall the local area of Georgetown. Her mother becomes torn between science and superstition in a desperate bid to save her daughter, and ultimately turns to her last hope: Father Damien Karras, a troubled priest who is struggling with his own faith.
4 .) The Ninth Gate (1999) directed by Roman Polanski
Lists It Appears On:
- CVLT Nation
- Horror News
- IMDB
- Medium
- The Cinemaholic
An all-expenses-paid international search for a rare copy of the book, ‘The Nine Gates of the Shadow Kingdom’ brings an unscrupulous book dealer deep into a world of murder, double-dealing and satanic worship.
3 .) The Omen (1976) directed by Richard Donner
Lists It Appears On:
- Film About It
- Horror News
- IMDB
- Oul Books
- The Cinemaholic
Immediately after their miscarriage, the US diplomat Robert Thorn adopts the newborn Damien without the knowledge of his wife. Yet what he doesn’t know is that their new son is the son of the devil.
2 .) Rosemary’s Baby (1968) directed by Roman Polanski
Lists It Appears On:
- Book My Show
- Contact Movies
- Horror n Chill
- Horror News
- IMDB
- Medium
- Oul Books
- The Cinemaholic
A young couple moves into an infamous New York apartment building to start a family. Things become frightening as Rosemary begins to suspect her unborn baby isn’t safe around their strange neighbors.
1 .) The Wicker Man (1973) directed by Robin Hardy
Lists It Appears On:
- Book My Show
- Contact Movies
- CVLT Nation
- Medium
- Oul Books
- The Cinemaholic
- Ultra culture
- Yes Clash
Police sergeant Neil Howie is called to an island village in search of a missing girl whom the locals claim never existed. Stranger still, however, are the rituals that take place there.
The 100+ Additional Best Occult Movies
| # | Movies | Directors | Lists |
| 32 | Above and Below |
Nettles Garden
|
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| 33 | Agadah |
Nettles Garden
|
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| 34 | Altered States | Ken Russell | Ultra culture |
| 35 | Angel Heart (1987) |
Horror News
|
|
| 36 | Bedeviled |
Film About It
|
|
| 37 | BELLADONNA OF SADNESS |
CVLT Nation
|
|
| 38 | Beyond the Door (1974) |
Horror News
|
|
| 39 |
BLACK CANDLES (A/K/A LOS RITOS SEXUALES DEL DIABLO)
|
CVLT Nation
|
|
| 40 | Black Sunday |
Contact Movies
|
|
| 41 | Blood On Satan’s Claw (1971) | Piers Haggard | Oul Books |
| 42 | CHRIST/EL (A.Grützner) |
Nettles Garden
|
|
| 43 | Dagon (2001) | Stuart Gordon | Oul Books |
| 44 | Damien: Omen II (1978) | Don Taylor | IMDB |
| 45 | Dark Places |
Film About It
|
|
| 46 | Darkness (2002) | Jaume Balagueró | IMDB |
| 47 | Deliver Us From Evil (2014) |
Horror n Chill
|
|
| 48 | Demons (1985) |
Horror n Chill
|
|
| 49 | Devil’s Knot |
Film About It
|
|
| 50 | Don’t Look Now (1973) | Nicolas Roeg | Oul Books |
| 51 | Drag Me to Hell |
Contact Movies
|
|
| 52 | Elegy in Light |
Nettles Garden
|
|
| 53 | End of Days (1999) |
Horror News
|
|
| 54 | Evil Dead (1981) |
The Cinemaholic
|
|
| 55 | Evilspeak (1981 |
Horror News
|
|
| 56 | Fear No Evil (1981) |
Horror News
|
|
| 57 | GANJA & HESS (1973) | Yes Clash | |
| 58 | Ghost Rider (2007) |
Horror News
|
|
| 59 | Grand Tour Omeopatitco |
Nettles Garden
|
|
| 60 | Halloweentown (1998) | Thrillist | |
| 61 |
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters
|
Contact Movies
|
|
| 62 | Happy Death Day |
Film About It
|
|
| 63 | Häxan: A Story of Witchcraft Through the Ages | Benjamin Christensen | Ultra culture |
| 64 | Hellraiser (1987) | Clive Barker | Oul Books |
| 65 | Hellsaga |
Nettles Garden
|
|
| 66 | Hermetica Komhata HK320 |
Nettles Garden
|
|
| 67 | Highway to Hell (1991) |
Horror News
|
|
| 68 | Hocus Pocus (1993) | Thrillist | |
| 69 | HOLY MOUNTAIN |
CVLT Nation
|
|
| 70 | Holy Terrors (2017) |
Nettles Garden
|
|
| 71 | House Of The Devil (2009) | Ti West | Oul Books |
| 72 | Insidious (2011) |
Horror n Chill
|
|
| 73 | It Follows |
Film About It
|
|
| 74 | Jenny loves Satan (2017) |
Nettles Garden
|
|
| 75 | Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989) | Thrillist | |
| 76 | Left Hand Path (2017), |
Nettles Garden
|
|
| 77 | Legend (1985) |
Horror News
|
|
| 78 | LISA AND THE DEVIL (1974) | Yes Clash | |
| 79 | MESSIAH OF EVIL (1973) | Yes Clash | |
| 80 | METANOIA, METANOIA |
Nettles Garden
|
|
| 81 | Modern Craft |
Nettles Garden
|
|
| 82 | Mr. Frost (1990) |
Horror News
|
|
| 83 |
NECROMANCY (A/K/A THE WITCHING)
|
CVLT Nation
|
|
| 84 | NEON DEMON |
CVLT Nation
|
|
| 85 | Niggun |
Nettles Garden
|
|
| 86 | Night of the Demons (1988) |
Horror n Chill
|
|
| 87 | Ouija: Origin of Evil |
Film About It
|
|
| 88 | Possession (1981) |
Horror n Chill
|
|
| 89 | Practical Magic (1998) | Thrillist | |
| 90 | PSYCHOMANIA (1973) | Yes Clash | |
| 91 | Pyewacket (2017) | Adam MacDonald | IMDB |
| 92 | REC (2007) |
Horror n Chill
|
|
| 93 | Regression |
Film About It
|
|
| 94 | Requiem (2006) |
Horror n Chill
|
|
| 95 | Ringu | Hideo Nakata) | Ultra culture |
| 96 | SHIVTA (2018) |
Nettles Garden
|
|
| 97 | Society |
Film About It
|
|
| 98 | Spawn (1997) |
Horror News
|
|
| 99 | Stella Erratica |
Nettles Garden
|
|
| 100 | Stigmata (1999) |
Horror News
|
|
| 101 | Suspiria (2018) | Thrillist | |
| 102 | The Amityville Horror (1979) |
Horror n Chill
|
|
| 103 | The Babadook (2014) |
Horror n Chill
|
|
| 104 | The Blacksmith |
Nettles Garden
|
|
| 105 | The Blair Witch Project |
Contact Movies
|
|
| 106 |
THE BLOOD ON SATAN’S CLAW
|
CVLT Nation
|
|
| 107 |
THE BROTHERHOOD OF SATAN (1971)
|
Yes Clash | |
| 108 | THE CITY OF THE DEAD |
CVLT Nation
|
|
| 109 | The Conjuring (2013) |
Horror n Chill
|
|
| 110 | The Conspiracy (2012) | Christopher McBride | Oul Books |
| 111 | THE DEVIL INSIDE HER |
CVLT Nation
|
|
| 112 | The Devil’s Advocate (1997) |
Horror News
|
|
| 113 | THE DEVIL’S RAIN (1975) | Yes Clash | |
| 114 | The Devils (1971) | Ken Russell | Oul Books |
| 115 | THE DUNWICH HORROR |
CVLT Nation
|
|
| 116 | The Exorcist 3: Legion (1990) |
Horror n Chill
|
|
| 117 | The Final Conflict (1981) | Graham Baker | IMDB |
| 118 | The Last Exorcism (2010) |
Horror News
|
|
| 119 | The Legacy (1978) |
Horror News
|
|
| 120 | The Nun |
Film About It
|
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| 121 | The Possession (2012) |
Horror n Chill
|
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| 122 | The Priests (2015) |
Horror n Chill
|
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| 123 | The Rite (2011) |
Horror n Chill
|
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| 124 | The Shining (1980) |
Horror n Chill
|
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| 125 |
The strange case of Emily Grey (2016)
|
Nettles Garden
|
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| 126 |
The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014)
|
Horror n Chill
|
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| 127 | The Tale of the Idiot (2017) |
Nettles Garden
|
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| 128 | The Unholy (1988) |
Horror News
|
|
| 129 | THE VIRGIN WITCH |
CVLT Nation
|
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| 130 | The Void (I) (2016) | Jeremy Gillespie | IMDB |
| 131 | THE VVITCH |
CVLT Nation
|
|
| 132 | The Witches (1990) | Nicolas Roeg | Oul Books |
| 133 |
The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
|
Thrillist | |
| 134 | To Help the Human Eye (2017) |
Nettles Garden
|
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| 135 | Vestitio |
Nettles Garden
|
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| 136 | Vibration: Symphony of Life |
Nettles Garden
|
14 Best Occult Film Sources/Lists
| Source | Article |
| Book My Show | 5 Occult Movies Everyone Should Watch |
| Contact Movies | The Witch And 9 More Epic Occult Horror Films |
| CVLT Nation | The 20 Best Occult Films |
| Film About It | Movies about Demons, Occult and Supernatural |
| Horror n Chill | 24 Best occult Exorcist & Demon Possession Horror Movies on Netflix |
| Horror News | Top 20 Satanic Movies |
| IMDB | Best Occult Horror |
| Medium | 5 Occult Films for the Halloween Season |
| Nettles Garden | 28 Hermetic, Esoteric and Occult Films for 2018 |
| Oul Books | The Top 20 Mainstream Films About The Dark Occult |
| The Cinemaholic | Occult Movies | 12 Best Mystic Films of All Time |
| Thrillist | The Best Witch Movies to Satisfy All of Your Occult Cravings |
| Ultra culture | Here’s 9 Great Movies About Magick and the Occult |
| Yes Clash | TOP TEN OCCULT HORROR FILMS FROM THE 70’s |
