Top 7 Exorcisms in Horror
Scott Hallam
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The exorcism. One of the most chilling and horrific events that can happen in a horror movie. If done right, an exorcism scene is one that will stay with viewers for a long time. To celebrate the release of The Vatican Tapes, we look back at the Top 7 Exorcisms in Horror.
Some honorable mentions we have to present include Exorcismus and [REC] 2. And there are plenty of possessions in horror that didn’t result in an exorcism, including Stigmata, The Taking of Deborah Logan, and The Possession of Michael King. But the real power is in the exorcism ceremony itself, and here are some of the most memorable ones ever.
We bring you our…
The Exorcist (1973)
Look, you knew this one is coming, so why don’t we just start the list here? And it’s fitting because the entire list actually does start here. The Exorcist is still considered by many (present company included) to be the scariest movie of all time…by a long shot. The combination of so many things went right to create the ultimate nightmare in Regan MacNeil’s bedroom: the shocking imagery, the intensely creepy sounds, the priest losing his faith, and the grizzled veteran exorcist. These factors merged to create a film that would stick with audiences for over 40 years. The subsequent sequels and prequels all contained cool exorcisms and exorcist-themed scenes as well, but we’ll put them to the back and let this one, The Exorcist, the granddaddy of all horror films, stand and represent the subject matter.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSxuXQCEC7M&w=640&h=360]
The Conjuring (2013)
Although certainly known more as a film about a haunting and the paranormal investigatory work of Ed and Lorraine Warren, James Wan’s The Conjuring contains a pretty badass exorcism scene of its own. Set on a family farmhouse in Rhode Island in 1971, The Conjuring follows the strange case of the Perrons and their battle with evil. The film culminates with the possession of Carolyn Perron (played amazingly by Lili Taylor) by the spirit of Bathsheba Sherman and an exorcism performed by none other than Ed Warren himself. Once again, a combination of strong imagery and haunting sounds (not to mention Taylor leaving it all on the table with her performance) made this an incredibly powerful scene and one of the more memorable ones in the exorcism sub-genre of horror.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FCaLiZtu9s&w=640&h=360]
The Last Exorcism (2010)
The Last Exorcism borrows from William Freidkin’s The Exorcist as just about every film on this list does. Of course the look of the possessed is pretty standard throughout these movies, and this film also contained a priest that was at the end of his run. In fact, Reverend Cotton Marcus had gone well beyond questioning his faith as Father Damien Karras had in The Exorcist and had blatantly begun to financially capitalize on his non-belief. But The Last Exorcism stepped things up visually with Ashley Bell as Nell Sweetzer, the victim of the possession. Director Daniel Stamm used Bell’s uncanny ability to contort her body in incredibly painful looking positions to make her possession seem very realistic, as if the demon was twisting her body from the inside. The film could have used a bit of work in the sound department as a terrifically demonic voice would have really driven the possession home, but it was a smashing success and brought exorcisms back to the forefront of horror.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtF9SqHEMvs&w=640&h=360]
