17 Religious Horror Films That Have THE Scariest Scenes Of All Time – Yahoo

We recently asked horror movie fans of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which religious horror films have the scariest scenes of all time. We also found some good entries on Reddit, too (here and here). This is what everyone said:

🚨Warning: Spoilers ahead.🚨

1.The Wailing (2016) — “I saw The Wailing on my small TV, which wasn’t great for an immersive experience, but my heart still dropped into my stomach during the devil reveal. And then I was like, mmm, not that scary. But I wanted to sleep with the light on and woke up the next day still thinking of the devil’s reveal, and I still think about the devil months after. Then I had to watch it again.”

—lounes_my_dude

What happens: In a dark and creepy cave, the Japanese man is shown shedding his human form — he’s caught on camera with glowing eyes, turning into a demon with claws and a monstrous face beneath his human skin.

2.The First Omen (2024) — “When the woman is giving birth and the demon claw comes out of her vagina.”

—fierceminion141

What happens: Margaret, the protagonist, witnesses a woman in labor at the orphanage. As the woman gives birth, a demonic hand emerges from her vagina in a highly graphic and grotesque sequence.

3.Silent Hill (2006) — “The way Christabella is killed. On the one hand, it’s very cathartic because Alessa finally gets justice, but on the other, that is a pretty messed up way to go.”

—potatoblorb

What happens: Alessa, who is the driving force of the disastrous events in the town of Silent Hill, emerges as a disfigured being bound to a hospital bed and tears Christabella apart with razor wire.

4.Legion (2010) — “I love the movie, but the grandma on the ceiling is terrifying. Absolutely horrific.”

—icyjellyfish17

What happens: A seemingly sweet old woman walks into the diner where most of the film takes place. At first, she seems harmless, but then she turns monstrous and climbs up on the ceiling like a spider and attacks people.

5.The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) — “Pretty much the entirety of the movie. But if I had to choose one scene that has stuck with me all of these years, it’s the scene of her boyfriend waking up to her contorted on the floor in her dorm room. It’s so subtly horrific. To this day, I’m afraid I’ll wake up next my husband like that at 3 a.m.”

—Anonymous

What happens: Emily’s boyfriend, Jason, is staying with her in her dorm room because she’s been having strange experiences. He wakes up in the middle of the night and realizes Emily is no longer beside him, and then sees her on the floor in a completely unnatural, twisted, and contorted position.

6.The Exorcist III (1990) — “The movie is not as good as the original, of course, but the scene with the shears/nurse is really a favorite in horror circles in terms of jump scares.”

—chrisball96

What happens: A nurse is going about her rounds in a quiet hospital at night. The camera stays fixed in a wide shot for a long time, tension builds, then out of nowhere, a white-robed figure with giant shears suddenly steps out behind the nurse in perfect sync with sudden shrieking music.

7.The Conjuring (2013) — “For me, it’s when a creepy face pops up in the mirror. That shit really scared the life and Jesus out of me fr fr. The Conjuring is the best scary movie of all time (in my opinion, LOL).”

—Anonymous

What happens: Little April Perron shows Lorraine an old music box she found. When the music plays, the mirror on the box spins. She tells Lorraine, “When the music stops, you can see him in the mirror, standing behind you.” Later, Lorraine doesn’t see anything when she first tries it, but she tries it again and catches a glimpse of a ghost standing behind her.

8.Borderlands (2013) — “The bit at the end where the lads are arbitrarily dissolved in a flesh tube for no reason. One of the most uncanny, strange parts of a horror movie I’ve ever seen.”

—[Deleted]

What happens: Deacon and Gray descend into a narrow passageway beneath a church. As they crawl through, they realize they’re inside a living organism. The walls begin to secrete powerful enzymes, dissolving them as they recite the Lord’s Prayer.

9.Hellhole (2022) — “This was a very unique horror film. It’s set in a Polish monastery that performs exorcisms. But that ending…”

—deskbunny

What happens: In a failed ritual, the Devil emerges from a well. The priests, who it is revealed sought to become apostles of the Devil, are instead destroyed as the Devil claims his place in the universe.

10.Hereditary (2018) — “Not a ‘traditional’ religious film but holy fucking shit, I’m getting the chills even typing this. In horror, you always see jumpscares as something behind you, in front of you, above or below you. It’s never above AND behind. That had me shitting bricks. The subtlety of it as well…then all of a sudden, hell breaks loose. Chilling.”

—gl_zzygod

What happens: As Peter lies in bed, we slowly notice Annie clinging to the ceiling in the background. She’s completely silent, almost spider-like, and it’s so subtle that many viewers don’t notice her right away.

11.The Exorcist (1973) — “Gotta go with a classic. The scene where Captain Howdy pops up as a flash frame in the kitchen always makes my stomach drop! It’s a blink and you’ll miss it moment and so effective. Subliminal terror at its best.”

—Anonymous

What happens: Chris enters the kitchen and the lights flicker off and on, and for just a split second, there’s a flash of the white-faced, demonic visage — Captain Howdy — just behind/next to her.

12.The Exorcist (1973) — “The iconic ‘spider walk’ scene. I know this was a deleted scene and not in the theatrical release, but most of us have only ever seen the Director’s Cut of the film. Anyway, it was shocking and really gave me the creeps when I first saw it. It’s so good.”

—Anonymous

What happens: After Regan has already started showing disturbing signs of demonic possession, her mother, Chris, is downstairs, worried and trying to figure out what’s happening. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Regan appears upside-down, walking on all fours like a spider — back arched, head turned at a grotesque angle, and crawling rapidly down the staircase.

13.The Nun (2018) — “The scene where Father Burke is buried alive by a demonic entity.”

—Lindsaypoo9603

What happens: Father Burke is lured into a graveyard and then to a coffin, which he falls into. An unseen force seals it shut, trapping him underground. As he attempts to escape, demonic hands emerge from the earth, grabbing his face in a horrifying moment.

14.Martyrs (2008) — “The scene where Anna is skinned alive. It stuck with me for a long time after watching that movie.”

—Anonymous

What happens: Anna, after being brutally tortured and degraded by a religious cult, is deemed to have reached the ‘final stage’ of martyrdom and is surgically flayed alive.

15.The Last Exorcism (2010) — “Climax revealed, last 15 minutes.”

—[deleted]

What happens: The cult is performing a demonic birthing ceremony around a bonfire. Nell gives birth to a demon baby. The baby is thrown into a fire, the exorcist rushes towards the fire, and the film crew is attacked and killed.

16.Heretic (2024) — “The scene where Sister Paxton finds all these women in cages way down below Mr. Reed’s house. I was NOT expecting that. A true nightmare.”

—Anonymous

What happens: Sister Paxton uncovers an underground chamber containing emaciated women confined in cages. This revelation underscores Reed’s twisted philosophy that the desire to control others is the root of all religions.

17.Finally, The Omen (1976) — “The last shot of the movie.”

—wjrj

What happens: Robert, having attempted to protect the world from Damien (aka the Antichrist), is fatally injured. At his funeral, the camera pulls back to reveal Damien standing with his new adoptive parents, smiling ominously at the camera.

If you love religious horror films, you’ll love The Ritual, which opens in theaters on June 6! Based on the true notes and findings of a real-life exorcist and the multiple exorcisms of Emma Schmidt (aka Anna Ecklund), it’s a scary-good time. Check out the trailer here:

This post was originally published on this site