Top 10 God Fearin Horror Movies

To celebrate the release of The Last Exorcism, I decided it’d be fun to look back and pull together a list horror flicks that are either directly related or just have aspects of religion somewhere within. God, the Devil and religion are always great fodder for horror films. When I started making the list, I was almost ashamed that there are quite a few religiously tinged horror flicks that I still have not seen. Granted I plan on catching up on some of the classics that I’ve missed, I decided to put together this list of recent releases along with some titles from my Junior High and High School years that I really enjoyed.

10. Stigmata – I’m a big fan of Gabriel Byrne, so when Stigmata came out I made sure to go out and see it. I thought the idea of Stigmata was actually pretty terrifying, so the movie actually gave me the creeps the first time I watched it. It’s been quite a few years since I saw it last, so I don’t know if it would be as creepy, but I thought it deserved to be mentioned.

9. The Devil’s Advocate – Playing the Devil in a film seems to be a chance for these classic actors to really strut their stuff and chew up scenery. That is without a doubt the case here in The Devil’s Advocate. Al Pacnio is a sight to behold on the screen playing the dark prince, Charlize Theron is as good as usual, and even Keanu Reeves turned in a bearable performance.

8. End of Days – Sure, I realize that End of Days probably does not deserve to be mentioned in the same list as a lot of the other movies on it, but I cannot help but have a blast watching Gabriel Byrne chewing up the scene as the Devil and going head to head with a drunk and suicidal Governator. Given a lot of the performances Arnold has turned in over the years, I actually enjoy this one heads and toes over something like, let’s say, Last Action Hero.

7. The House of the Devil – Ti West’s very slow paced House of the Devil is a pretty pitch perfect throwback to the old 70’s and 80’s horror films. The look and the costumes are all done in a way that evokes that time period, and the pacing resembles that time as well. It requires the viewer to be extremely patient in order to enjoy the payoff in the end.

6. Children of the Corn – I remember this movie really giving me nightmares when I was younger. It didn’t help that it was filmed close to where I grew up, and we lived in a town surrounded by corn fields. Children of the Corn is another film I haven’t revisited in years, therefore, I don’t know just how well it would stand up, but it’s resonated in my brain for years, so it deserves to be on the list.

5. Frailty - Who doesn’t love a crazed Bill Paxton killing people and claiming he’s doing God’s work? The film is actually very engaging and even creepy. I feel like I should have more to say about it but frankly, it’s a film that just needs to be seen, because a whole lot of discussion could delve into spoiler territory.

4. The Mist – I know that Stephen King’s The Mist probably doesn’t fall into anything involving the devil, but considering that the entire film carries a tone that one could read as a biblical reading, and a character that is a religious freak that wants to sacrifice a child to the monsters to appease God, I think it more than deserves to be high on the list. All that and the insanely depressing ending, made this one of my favorites of 2007.

3. Drag Me To Hell – Sam Raimi’s return to horror was a triumphant one. It carried so many of his trademark gross out gags, and wisecracking characters. It has a ton of jump scares, but I didn’t mind because it kept me on edge. I sure as hell can’t wait to see him do some more work in the genre.

2. Seven – I absolutely love Seven. It is one of my all-time favorite movies, but with a list about the best religiously tinged horror flicks, it doesn’t exactly fit into the horror genre, therefore I couldn’t in good conscience put it over my final choice. I included it because it deals with the seven deadly sins, and the subject matter falls in line with that of the horror genre. Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey are all just spectacular all the way through.

1. The Exorcist – I walked into a room where people were watching The Exorcist at a young age, it was during the pea soup vomit scene, and I stood there in a stunned and terrified silence. For years, that scene, the head spinning scene, the crucifix scene and the voice of Regan when she’s possessed, haunted me for years. I watched it again when I was older and it didn’t scare me like it did back then, but it is still a great film. In my opinion it deserves to go down as one of the most terrifying movies ever made.