“I Like You”: The 10 Most Shocking Possessions In Horror
Josh Korngut
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Is there anything scarier than losing personal autonomy to a feckless specter who’s hellbent on consuming your mortal soul? Well, in morbid anticipation of Talk to Me — the scariest movie of the year so far — we’re counting down 10 of the most shocking, grueling, and altogether terrifying possessions that the horror landscape has to offer. From undefeatable classics like The Exorcist to modern masterpieces like Hereditary, you’ll be hard-pressed to find cinematic bodily takeovers more upsetting than these.
Talk to Me
When I caught Talk to Me at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, I was quick to acknowledge that the film was likely going to be the scariest movie of 2023. And so far? I’ve been proven right. With a deceptively-simple story about an embalmed hand that gives a group of teenagers the ability to communicate with the dead, Talk to Me quickly reveals itself as a gnarly and merciless barer of terror. While the possession segments are frightening enough to run a chill down the spine of summer, it’s the glimpse it gives into a putrid and grotesque afterlife that will leave you clutching the armrest of your seat. Shocking, haunting, and mean-spirited in more ways than one — be sure that you’re emotionally prepared before you go in.
The Exorcist
You can’t travel into cinema’s most disturbing possessions without paying homage to the one that started it all. Often cited as the freakiest movie ever made, The Exorcist is a 1973 religious horror film that defied the odds by winning total critical, commercial, and audience acclaim. Maybe it’s the believability of the story that continues to resonate with religious folks all over the world, or it’s the horrific situation of an innocent young girl being infested with a demonic presence that remains too icky for us to handle. Regardless, it’s clear that The Exorcist has a strong chokehold on audiences to this day. Followers of Pazuzu take note, a Blumhouse sequel titled The Exorcist: Believer is hitting theaters later this year.
Get Out
Meeting your partner’s family can be hellish even on a good day, but Jordan Peele’s 2017 directorial debut Get Out takes the horrors of this situation and turns the dial up to an 11. The film, which subsequently turned Peele into one of the genre’s most celebrated voices, offers an unflinching view of social inequality, exploring the brutal realities of racism through some seriously creepy moments of supernatural horror. Get Out‘s use of possession proves especially disturbing, as we come to find out its evil forces are purposefully and systematically targeting Black bodies for personal gain. A scathing commentary, to be certain, the film is a stark reflection of America’s treatment of Black people and is appropriately nightmarish in its delivery.
Hereditary
Ari Aster stole the hearts of horror fans everywhere with the release of his 2018 debut feature, Hereditary. The epic horror tale stars Toni Collette as a woman confronting the trauma of her relationship with her recently-deceased mother and quickly finds out some mommy issues are unmendable — even in the afterlife. This relentlessly shocking possession drama has a number of jaw-dropping moments that will live rent-free in my brain until the day I die. To be more specific: there are two particularly upsetting decapitations that are bound to leave you breathless.
Evil Dead (2013)
10 long years before Evil Dead Rise was unleashed into theaters came the nastiest, most grotesque, and downright meanest chapter in the Evil Dead canon. The 2013 reboot/remake/sequel was directed by Fede Álvarez and produced by the franchise’s original team, giving it a bit of a new, gritty feel while still staying true to the spirit of the previous films. There are plenty of deadly possessions to choose from in this cornucopia of gore, but I’d say the one in the opening scene takes the cake for sheer brutality. Sometimes you gotta hurt the ones you love the most.
Sinister
In 2012, Blumhouse came out swinging with the release of Sinister, an unassuming Ethan Hawke vehicle from director Scott Derrickson that would quite literally terrify audiences. In fact, this found footage-tinged boogeyman horror story would go on to be named the most frightening movie of all time, as proven by science. Though it’s since been dethroned, Sinister undoubtedly left its gruesome mark on genre fans in the process. And the possession elements? I won’t give too much away, but let’s just say this one is not for the faint of heart.
Paranormal Activity
An indie horror breakout like arguably no other, Paranormal Activity radically changed the scary cinema landscape in the late 2000s by reviving the found footage subgenre a full decade after The Blair Witch Project traumatized audiences. And while it’s since spawned a run of sequels and sorry imitators, Oren Peli’s lo-fi haunted house creep show is still one of the eeriest films ever produced. When Katie, our loveable leading lady, finds herself the victim of demonic possession, it’s already too late for the characters on-screen. All we can do is gawk in horror as things get progressively more terrifying.
Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism
Like Talk to Me, Godless is another Australian export from 2023 that is leaving audiences shocked. A tale of religious extremism, this independent release approaches the classic exorcism trope through a different lens. The film follows a young woman in desperate need of medical intervention during a mental health crisis. But, when her husband turns to a rogue exorcist for help instead of a trained medical professional, things go from bad to worse very quickly. This is a painful and difficult watch, but it’s an important one.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe
This quietly-terrifying tale of possession from the director of Scary Stories (To Tell In The Dark) may tiptoe into its tension, but before you know it, it’ll have you by the throat. Starring Brian Cox before his Succession tenure, this two-hander about an especially long morgue shift will haunt you long after the credits roll. An elegant horror film, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, provides audiences with a slow burn so tense and prolonged that it almost seems unfair. If you haven’t seen this one yet, do yourself a favor and don’t walk… run!
The Taking of Deborah Logan
A possession movie unlike any other on this list, The Taking of Deborah Logan is an especially spooky tale of a woman who is diagnosed with a deteriorating ailment while being documented by a camera crew. As things get progressively worse, the people around Deborah start to suspect that she might be a victim of supernatural forces beyond anyone’s comprehension. Snakes, human sacrifice, and possession all run amuck in this nasty little movie about the horrors that can lurk inside of us — so even the bravest among us are sure to leave the experience with a little unease. Genre fans will also enjoy spotting one of the horror cinema’s most shocking shots, which takes place during the finale.
Now that we’ve been through the wringer, do you think you’re sufficiently prepared to take on Talk to Me? A24’s unmissable summer chiller will be exclusively in theaters on July 28th. If you’ve already seen the film, let me know what you thought on Twitter via @joshkorngut. I’m always around to chat A24 horror.
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