10 Best Horror Movies About the Devil

It’s said that the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist. That might be true, but one thing’s for sure — when horror movie audiences lay eyes on the Devil, it should be scary as hell itself. Whether horror fans believe in the Devil or not, the concept is inherently terrifying, and it has resulted in some of the most frightening movies ever made.

When exploring an idea like the Devil, many films hedge their bets by focusing on specific demons in league with Satan while failing to capitalize on the character of Lucifer. However, not all films take this approach, and in some cases, there have been fantastic horror movies with Satan as their force of evil.

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10 Devil Offers an Express Ride to Hell

Often remembered as an M. Night Shyamalan film (even though John Erick Dowdle directed it), Devil adapted a story by the infamous twist-loving filmmaker in which a group of five strangers finds themselves trapped in an elevator as they begin to get picked off one by one via curious supernatural events. This inevitably raises the question: is the Devil hiding in plain sight?

The best part about Devil was the taut pacing, with most of the film playing out in real time. Featuring quick shots, a ton of paranoia, and the kind of shocking ending audiences have come to expect from Shyamalan, Devil earned its spot on this list for being a clever, high-concept idea delivered effectively.

Devil

A group of people are trapped in an elevator and the Devil is mysteriously amongst them.

Director

John Erick Dowdle

Release Date

September 17, 2010

Cast

Chris Messina , Logan Marshall-Green , Jenny O’Hara , Bojana Novakovic , Bokeem Woodbine , Geoffrey Arend

Runtime

1 hour 20 minutes

9 Needful Things Brings the Devil to Small-Town America

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Needful Things presented its audience with an entertaining and mysterious thriller in which the Devil, unbeknownst to many, was at the heart of the film’s story. In Stephen King’s infamous alternate version of Maine, a store known as Needful Things found a way to make every one of its customers perfectly happy. However, that happiness came with a cost administered by Leland Gaunt, the Devil in disguise.

Max Von Sydow brings the Devil to life in Needful Things with his incredible screen presence. As he sits back and watches his machinations unfold, thanks to the selfish occupants of this small town, some part of the audience wants to see him succeed. This film is far from the scariest entry on this list, but it offers a nuanced look at the Devil that most other films don’t have the patience to explore.

8 End of Days Sees Schwarzenegger Take on the Devil

An often forgotten-about film (which some might say is for a good reason), End of Days featured the absurd idea of action icon Arnold Schwarzenegger going one-on-one with the Devil during the Holiday season. The premise was pure 90s excess, but it all came together thanks to the pitch-perfect casting of Gabriel Byrne as the Devil. Byrne is a force of nature in what has to be one of the most overtly evil representations of Satan ever put on screen.

In End of Days, Satan beheads his followers, convinces a mother and daughter to share his bed, and even blows up an entire truck with the help of his explosive urine. The whole time, Gabriel Byrne keeps a wry smile on his face that powerfully juxtaposes Arnold Schwarzenegger’s depressed and suicidal hero. Although End of Days is far from perfect, anyone who’s ever seen it can attest to one thing: it’s a hell of a lot of fun.

7 The Omen Is Hollywood’s Most Iconic Film About the Devil

Everyone knows that kids are scary, especially parents, which is why the concept of the spawn of Satan is so inherently frightening. The Omen picked up that idea and ran with it by introducing an American couple living abroad in Europe who adopted a child following their own son’s stillbirth. The problem was that this seemingly beautiful baby boy named Damien might also be the Antichrist. Hey, no one ever said raising a kid would be easy.

Featuring gruesome death scenes, including what might be the best decapitation ever caught on celluloid, The Omen tackled Satanic panic in a cerebral, slow-burn kind of way. As such, it has become one of the most well-thought-out depictions of the Devil ever put to film, so much so that it’s often the first movie that comes to mind when people think of cinematic representations of Satan. Moreover, much like the Devil himself, The Omen has continued to perpetuate its myth with a series of sequels, including the most recent prequel, The First Omen.

The Omen

Mysterious deaths surround an American ambassador. Could the child that he is raising actually be the Antichrist? The Devil’s own son?

Director

Richard Donner

Release Date

June 25, 1976

Cast

Harvey Stephens , gregory peck , Lee Remick

Runtime

111 minutes

Studio

20th Century Fox

6 The Ninth Gate Turns Skeptics into Believers

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Creepy and atmospheric are two words that best describe Roman Polanski’s The Ninth Gate. The film explores the world of satanic worship and paranoia with Johnny Depp starring as a collector of rare books who gets invited on an all-expense paid trip to track down the mysterious tome known as “The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows.”

The Ninth Gate is compelling because it masterfully walks the line between the natural and supernatural worlds. The majority of the film is spent denying the possibility of anything other-worldly taking place, only for the final few moments of the movie to undo that belief completely. Some might consider that a cheap ploy of pulling the rug out from underneath an audience, but the truth is that by doing so, The Ninth Gate doubled down on its central message: it’s not the fanatic who will enter the gates of Hell, but the skeptic.

5 Constantine Features One of the Most Memorable Performances of the Devil

There was never any way a comic book adaptation about a hero capable of traveling to hell and back wouldn’t take advantage of that opportunity to have fun with the Devil. Constantine delivered on that potential in the form of Peter Stormare, who chews up the scenery left and right as Satan. Constantine masterfully blended the horror, action, and comic book genres into an equally absurd and cynical film, best exemplified by Stormare’s choices as the Devil.

Believing that John Constantine belongs in Hell alongside him, Lucifer spends much of his screen time devising different schemes to claim John’s soul. Anyone who’s ever seen Stormare as the antagonist in Fargo or Bad Boys II understands the depths of depravity he’s willing to go to when playing human characters, and his take on the Devil is even more enthusiastically unhinged. The best news of all is that Stormare will be back as the Devil in the upcoming Constantine II.

Constantine

Supernatural exorcist and demonologist John Constantine helps a policewoman prove her sister’s death was not a suicide, but something more.

Release Date

February 18, 2005

Runtime

2 hours 1 minute

4 The Devil’s Advocate Features Al Pacino As the Devil

Two decades since its release, it’s likely not much of a spoiler to reveal that Al Pacino gave one of his most entertaining and enthralling performances of his career as the Devil in the suitably titled The Devil’s Advocate. Pacino stars as John Milton (paging Paradise Lost), the head of a New York Law firm who hires an unscrupulous defense attorney in Keanu Reeve’s Kevin Lomax and then sets about orchestrating his every move.

As much as movie fans love Keanu Reeves, Pacino’s performance elevates The Devil’s Advocate. Here, at what was arguably the end of the most prestigious stretch of his career, Pacino delivered a wild and off-the-wall performance that was equal parts charismatic and totally unhinged. Simply put, it needs to be seen to be believed.

3 Angel Heart Showed Satan is Always in Control

When Robert DeNiro signed up to play the Devil in Angel Heart, he took a much more restrained approach to the role than most while remaining diabolically evil. Best remembered for the furor it caused due to its initial X-rating,Angel Heart told the story of Harry Angel, a New York City private investigator who agreed to track down a missing singer on the orders of a man named Louis Cyphre.

Eventually, Angel realizes that the man he’s searching for sold his soul to the Devil to guarantee success, and it only takes a small leap of logic for Angel to determine that Cyphre is Satan. The plot of Angel Heart only gets crazier from there, but it is most effective when it allows DeNiro to soak up some screen time and intimidate audiences with his monolithic presence.

Angel Heart

A private investigator is hired by a man who calls himself Louis Cyphre to track down a singer named Johnny Favorite. But the investigation takes an unexpected and somber turn.

Director

Alan Parker

Release Date

March 6, 1987

Cast

Mickey Rourke , Robert De Niro , Lisa Bonet

Runtime

113 minutes

Writers

William Hjortsberg , Alan Parker

2 The House of the Devil Brings the Horror of Satan to the Home

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Some might not remember the third directorial effort from horror mastermind Ti West, but those lucky enough to see The House of the Devil have never forgotten it. The film tells the story of Samantha, a college student strapped for cash who agrees to an unusual babysitting request. Samantha’s job isn’t to watch a child; it’s to watch over an elderly woman. Of course, the home’s owners have some ulterior, devilish plans in mind.

The House of the Devil is many things, including tense, violent, and surprisingly gory. When Samantha finally finds herself as an unwilling participant in an unforgettable satanic ritual, it results in a cacophony of violence that the film’s hero only barely manages to survive. The film’s last-second twist suggests that Ti West was contemplating exploring a different type of Satanic film with a potential sequel to this movie. Unfortunately, that film has never manifested itself. At least not yet.

1 Rosemary’s Baby Was the Mother of All Satanic Movies

Speak with any horror movie fanatic, and they’ll tell you the same thing: Rosemary’s Baby is a classic. Often imitated but never duplicated, Roman Polanski subverted the entire horror movie genre with his first American film by focusing on the relatable tale of a woman terrified by her pregnancy. Where Rosemary’s story diverges from most other women is that she’s convinced she’s carrying the Antichrist.

Rosemary’s Baby plays like a chamber room drama for most of its runtime. Some moments of the supernatural are sprinkled throughout, but for the most part, Polanski keeps those beats short and sweet so that when the film ends as infamously as it does, it hits the audience all the harder. A cautionary allegory about the dangers of gas-lighting, Rosemary’s Baby continues to be such a timeless tale over half a century since it was released that it causes one to wonder if Polanski himself might have made a deal with the Devil.

Rosemary’s Baby

A young couple trying for a baby moves into an aging, ornate apartment building on Central Park West, where they find themselves surrounded by peculiar neighbors.

Director

Roman Polanski

Release Date

June 12, 1968

Cast

Mia Farrow , John Cassavetes , Ruth Gordon , Sidney Blackmer

Runtime

137 minutes

Writers

Ira Levin , Roman Polanski

Production Company

William Castle Productions