What’s up with demonic possessions, anyway? Not unlike UFOs, unidentified floating humans have remained a mystery throughout history. As gatekeepers of all things infernal, dark, and twisty, the Catholic Church records very little regarding highly trained exorcists and their services. And let’s not forget that before modern medicine came along, misunderstood and undiagnosed mental illness most likely served as the real culprit behind the supposed work of the devil. Still, in the year of our Lord 2023, there is no legitimate documentation of human possession. We have those suspect YouTube videos of crowds of convulsing churchgoers falling to the ground as they are touched by the spirit via a preacher named Scott, but that’s neither here nor there. Have the Powers that Be abandoned us with the advent of camcorders and iPhones, or is it all an ancient urban legend?

What’s Up with Demonic Possession in Horror?

I’m not here to answer any of those questions. This is Horror Press, not Vice! Instead, in celebration of the grandaddy of morbidly funny horror dragging itself out of Hell after a decade-long dirt nap with its latest entry, Evil Dead Rise, I’d like to highlight the joys of demonic possession. From the transcendent Evil Dead II to the farcical Scary Movie 2, filmmakers have been able to put their spin on the “based on true events” phenomenon, challenging traditional horror tropes in wonderfully absurd ways.

Horror is known for its unique examination of the human condition, and the following films perform Last Rites and run an autopsy on the self-serious subgenre. If something as disturbing as Possession (1981) can become a viral TikTok meme, anything’s possible.

Iconic Demonic Possession Horror Films

Evil Dead II (1987)

 The original requel, Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead II (1987), birthed a new classification of unholy horror. Sure, there were comedic takes on the strange and unusual before its release, but we’d never seen an eyeball-swallowing, furniture-frolicking romp like this – and it’s still scary, too! After briefly retelling the original’s story, in which evil forces possess Ash Williams’ girlfriend and force him to dismember her, the survivor and lovable goon finds himself in that same cabin in the woods battling its possessed patrons – and even himself – without a chance to breathe. While the story beats are familiar, Raimi makes the genius decision to inject his now-iconic sense of outlandish humor into his practical effects-laden masterpiece, and he forever changed cinema.

Bruce Campbell’s Ash is a new-age Buster Keaton as he spends the first quarter of the movie alone, losing his marbles while dodging an invisible evil in fire-rate slapstick fashion. His undead girlfriend twirls in the moonlight as the cabin’s bewitched furnishings push his sanity to the brink, which culminates in a battle for the ages against his newly possessed hand that would make Thing from The Addams Family blush. All this before the remaining victims…er cast, arrive on site to contend against one another’s sassy demonic forms and a bloated cellar witch. Even the movie’s original poster is subtly funny, featuring a side-eyed skeleton that strangely reminds me of the original Scream cast posters. If it weren’t for Evil Dead II, I fear I would be unable to write this piece– and we probably wouldn’t have Bride of Chucky, either.

Idle Hands (1999)

Twelve years and several hella massive bong rips later, Idle Hands (1999) arrived on the scene in presumed homage to Ash’s severed appendage. With a stacked 90s-era cast starring Devon Sawa, Jessica Alba, Seth Green, and Vivica A. Fox, this is the slasher stoner comedy to Evil Dead II’s stop-motion mushroom trip. Filmed in Pasadena, CA (aka Haddonfield), it follows slacker Anton (Sawa) as he and his friends scramble to understand how and why his hand came to have a killer mind of its own. It’s a stupid good time and not to be underestimated, especially considering its practical SFX artist is four-time Oscar winner Greg Cannom and Thing Addams himself, Christopher Hart, performs as the titular Hand. New meaning is brought to the term “hand job” as Anton’s diabolical extremity uses a pencil sharpener like a whetstone for its nails and proceeds to scalp the lead singer of The Offspring, Dexter Holland, at the school dance.

Hilarious Séances and Supernatural Gags

Drag Me to Hell (2009)

The séance is a paranormal movie staple that drives the plot forward by seeking answers from beyond the veil. Typically, these scenes aim to spook viewers via blackened eyes and unhinged vocal fry. Some movies, like Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell (2009), throw caution to the wind and use a talking goat to call the protagonist a “bitch”, instead. The butt of the joke, Christine Brown (Alison Lohman), is a naive millennial loan officer who makes an unfortunate choice during a morally grey dilemma at work to get ahead of her peers. Consequently, she is cursed by the wronged Mrs. Ganush and, in a page ripped straight from The Ring, is doomed to be quite literally dragged to Hell in three days. Desperate and frazzled, Christine is put through the wringer by Raimi, screaming her way through a series of gross-out set pieces and gags reminiscent of an R-rated Looney Toons.

Eventually, Christine finds herself at a séance to contact the Lamia demon stalking her soul, and the scene plays out like a Scary Movie moment. The medium, acting as a vessel for the Lamia, inadvertently transfers its presence to a goat and, ultimately, her nervous assistant. Where else but a Sam Raimi flick would you watch as the assistant dances above the table like a cracked-out marionette before he vomits up the cat Christine had previously killed in a futile attempt at a ritual sacrifice? It’s equal parts mean-spirited and campy, and we’re rooting for Christine just as much as we’re waiting with bated breath to see what awful sludge she must trudge through next. Only horror could play with our emotions so devilishly.

Supernatural Icons and Ectoplasmic Chaos

Beetlejuice (1988)

And speaking of GOATs, Catherine O’Hara did the thing (Winona Ryder, my Gothic Queen) as she slays a spirit channeling of her own in Tim Burton’s goth chic haunted house movie Beetlejuice (1988). Detached from reality and grounded in materialistic desires, sculptor Delia Deetz and her vapid brethren are suddenly overcome with the spirit of dance around the dinner table. Vacillating between utter confusion and good vibes only, the cast’s facial expressions as their hips sway and asses bounce to Harry Belafonte’s “Day-O” is pure cinema. With no control over their bodies, they are our possessed puppets, existing only to entertain as we likewise lose control of our bladders amid the laughter.

Ghostbusters (1984)

In Ghostbusters (1984), Sigourney Weaver is another icon overtaken by a sinister presence as the cellist turned Gatekeeper, Dana Barrett. Unfortunately, her high-rise apartment building was designed as a beacon of energy to channel the shapeshifting demon Gozer the Destructor, and chaos naturally ensues. Once the demigod servant of Gozer possesses her, “there is no Dana, only Zuul,” and Sigourney, in her prime, shines through. Her performance, as she attempts to seduce “sub-creature” Dr. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), is all big 80s hair and uncanny sexpot wrapped in a fog machine. In short, perfection. The cherry on top? The eventual manifestation of Gozer resembles David Bowie posing like Shakira in front of the Illuminati symbol.

Extra Ordinary (2019)

Under-the-radar Irish film Extra Ordinary (2019) follows in Ghostbusters’ gooey footsteps as a comedy that’s light on horror and heavy on quaint. Driving instructor Rose Dooley (Maeve Higgins) has a knack for the paranormal and exorcising inanimate objects. However, following an accident wherein a possessed pothole does her father in, she keeps her talents to herself. Failed musician Christian Winter (Will Forte) enacts a plot to regain fame and fortune by sacrificing a teenage virgin, and Rose begrudgingly falls in with the plan to save her. This includes using human hosts to channel the spirits of haunted objects to cause a gag reflex, which allows Rose to collect the expelled ectoplasm for use in an incantation. It’s just gross enough while also being more lighthearted fare than anything on this list, and Higgins nails her comedic timing like it’s second nature. If a horror-themed episode of Parks and Recreation sounds like your jam, then Extra Ordinary has the ooze you seek.

Demonic Possession with a Feminist Twist

Jennifer’s Body (2009)

It wouldn’t be a list of possession movies and moments that upend the genre without mention of Diablo Cody’s criminally mismarketed cult classic Jennifer’s Body (2009). It’s had a cultural reappraisal as of late, so I’m not going to bore you with the details, but much like Scream 4, this movie was ahead of its time. Codependency and female friendship are the real demons here, and Cody writes her dialogue in a way that perfectly encapsulates how horror can be used as a dissection of cultural norms. Possessed by an evil force after a tragic indie rock band mistakes Jennifer for a virgin to use in a Satanic ritual, a battle of good versus evil ensues as the demonic and iconic Jennifer and her homely BFF Needy (Amanda Seyfried) butt heads. The script is a banger, and an underrated Megan Fox delivers uproarious lines with a sharp-tongued sardonic wit. After endless dick and ball jokes have become par for the course, it only makes sense for a female antihero to dryly remark, “my tit,” after being stabbed in the chest.

Spoofing the Exorcism Trope

 Scary Movie 2 (2001)

As these films can attest, you don’t need to be a full-on spoof movie to make light of serious subject matter or genre fare – although it’s always wise to check out Scary Movie 2 (2001) and its take on The Exorcist featuring a young Natasha Lyonnne after you’ve had a few. And how serious are the historically undocumented possessions and exorcisms, anyway? Horror is a chameleon when it needs to be, and after watching a never-ending stream of meek women, comely fathers, and innocent children bare the brunt of the devil’s tricks, it’s fun to watch someone else take a comedic crack at it. The possibilities of who or what might fall under demonic influence are endless, so let’s get groovy.