Top 20 Most Terrifying Movie Demons

“The Conjuring” Universe (2013-)
What started as a simple haunted house story has now ballooned into a fictional universe involving haunted dolls and demon nuns. First appearing in “The Conjuring 2,” Valak is a terrifying demon who mostly takes the appearance of a creepy nun. Valak’s physicality is truly disturbing. Not only is its face a ghostly white, but its eyes are yellow and its mouth a black abyss. Props to the makeup department for this one! It also confronts its enemies in many different ways. It silently stalks Lorraine in one scene, and in another it’s screaming with a banshee yell and sending crucifixes off the wall. Either way, it’s clearly very dangerous.

“The Last Exorcism” (2010)
Unlike some of the other movies on this list, “The Last Exorcism” stars a quote-unquote real demon. At least, one that appears in real life texts. That demon is Abalam, a king who serves under Paimon. The movie follows Cotton Marcus, a disillusioned reverend who attempts to publicly condemn exorcisms. But he starts to believe once again when he meets Abalam, a demon who’s possessed a farmer’s daughter. Abalam has no care for its vessel, even going so far as to joyously break her fingers. In the end, Abalam births something even more inhumane which promises to cause even greater destruction. This is a possession movie that’s easy to take seriously thanks to the villainous pull of its antagonist.

“Spawn” (1997)
For most of the 1997 live-action “Spawn” adaptation, Violator takes the form of a clown. Very plump and blue-faced, the clown is a terrorizing menace played with glee by John Leguizamo. He’s everything a creepy clown should be - manipulative, violent, and rather annoying. And while the material isn’t the greatest, Leguizamo does what he can. Violator’s plan is to kickstart the apocalypse through Jason Wynn. At one point, he reverts to his true form - a huge demon that looks like a cross between a Gremlin and a “Ghostbusters” terror dog. Violator is certainly a memorable villain, even though the movie surrounding him was, shall we say, a little disappointing.

“Legend” (1985)
It’s the traditional simplicity that makes the Lord of Darkness so effective. His name is admittedly quite derivative, and he has the appearance of your typical demonic figure - red skin, a flowing black cape, and massive horns. His motivation, which is to cover the world in darkness, is also quite vague and hackneyed. But this is a perfect stylization for a traditional dark fantasy film. It’s very in keeping with the movie’s tone, which is that of a mythological story containing universal themes of good vs. evil. By being the universal personification of “evil” and “demonic,” the Lord of Darkness inhabits the movie’s ethos to perfection and allows it to work. Plus, he just looks badass.

“Fallen” (1998)
The main antagonist of “Fallen,” the demon Azazel, certainly gives Denzel Washington a run for his money. This is a bizarre movie, a delirious mix between gritty police drama á la “Seven” and supernatural possession movie. Azazel is a nonmaterial demon, which certainly gives him an edge in the originality department. His sole goal in life is to possess people and use their corporeal bodies to commit vicious killings and in turn frame the killings on his host. Perhaps even scarier, Azazel acts like a psychopath and has the ability to play nice, pretending to be a polite member of society to slip by unnoticed. It’s a rich idea for a movie demon, and Azazel has personality to spare.

“Hereditary” (2018)
This horror-drama goes to some weird places. It begins as a relatively mundane grief story, with Annie Graham coming to terms with various deaths. But it eventually devolves into a supernatural drama concerning a secret coven and a devotion to the demon Paimon. Paimon is a real demon, appearing in the famous grimoire “The Lesser Key of Solomon.” Viewers never actually see Paimon in the flesh. But the lengths that the coven goes to worship him, combined with the nightmarish events of the movie, are more than enough to make him an ominous presence. Very rarely has an unseen force been so terrifying.

“Jacob’s Ladder” (1990)
This psychological horror film starring Tim Robbins is a creepy meditation on death and the afterlife. Spoilers - Jacob is dying in Vietnam and experiencing some sort of passage between life and death. To “help” him along his way, Jacob is taken to a decrepit and disgusting hospital inhabited by various demons. These demons are both physically disturbing and horrifically honest, correctly telling Jacob that he’s died. It seems like some sort of drug-induced nightmare, but it turns out to be a real process enacted by the demons to help Jacob accept his death. Jacob literally saw Hell, and suffice to say, it’s not a pretty place.

“The Beyond” (1981)
Directed by Italian schlock master Lucio Fulci, “The Beyond” has long been regarded for its surreal qualities and nonsensical plot. It’s all part of Fulci’s charm. In the very loosest of terms, “The Beyond” is about a portal to Hell. A portal is opened in New Orleans’s appropriately named Seven Doors Hotel, prompting deadly events to occur when a woman reopens the hotel. The demonic forces take various forms throughout the film, including zombies and people-eating tarantulas. The Hellish forces go on to wreak disgusting destruction, proving why Fulci is considered The Godfather of Gore.

“The Possession” (2012)
This supernatural horror film is loosely based on the legend of the Dybbuk box. For those unaware, this is a wine cabinet said to be haunted by a malicious spirit. The story was actually made up by a guy on eBay to help sell his refurbished item, but whatever. In “The Possession,” a young girl is possessed by the demon Abyzou after her father buys the Dybbuk box at a garage sale. The typical events follow, like the girl acting in an inhuman manner and a climactic battle between good and evil. The movie takes many cues from “The Exorcist,” but Abyzou is a creepy antagonist in its own right.

“Paranormal Activity” franchise (2007-)
While it has the name of an adorable pet dog, Tobi is actually quite a malicious figure. The main antagonist of the “Paranormal Activity” franchise, Tobi is responsible for the series’ hauntings. It’s directly killed several people and caused stress for countless more through its nightmarish hauntings. Its true form is completely unknown, and this makes it even scarier; the imagined is often far scarier than the reality. Tobi wants nothing more than to obtain a human body, and it isn’t afraid of haunting and killing to get it. While the franchise gets a little bogged down in its own mythology, the ghostly scares have always been the primary selling point. And thanks to Tobi, those scares are often fantastic.

“Poltergeist” (1982)
A classic haunted house movie, “Poltergeist” concerns the trials and tribulations of the Freeling family. The Freelings are accosted by a demonic entity which emerges from their television. The poltergeist causes some creepy and malicious events before sucking Carol Anne through a portal. Within the other dimension, she’s imprisoned by a demonic entity known only as the “Beast.” The Beast goes largely unseen, although its dimension is filled with ectoplasm and it briefly takes on the appearance of a thin, stringy ghost with a skeletal face. It’s a wonderful bit of practical effects magic, and the ominous presence of the Beast helped make “Poltergeist” a national phenomenon.

“The Conjuring” Universe (2013-)
Dolls are just inherently unsettling. Combine that with demonic possession and you have one scary franchise. “The Conjuring” and “Annabelle” expanded on the haunted doll mythos by drawing from the supposed true story of Annabelle, a doll that the famous ghost-hunting duo, the Warrens, came across. The previous owners brought the doll to them after they observed it moving on its own. Because of its malicious tendencies, the Warrens concluded that this was the work of a demon and not a little girl’s spirit as originally presumed. And so the story was immortalized in film, making Annabelle a doll-household name.

“Krampus” (2015)
The Krampus is Santa’s antithesis. Instead of supplying presents and goodwill to children at Christmas, the Krampus tortures them and kidnaps their loved ones. Sounds fun. This terrifying concept— most likely deriving from Germanic Pagan folklore—sets the basis for the 2015 film “Krampus,” though the big-screen story has a slightly comedic tone. Although some may refer to the creature as a boogeyman, the Krampus is also described as a large-horned half-goat, half-demon figure that drags those without Christmas spirit to its netherworld. Most adult viewers were too jaded to be afraid of Krampus, but children who hold Christmas sacred were shell-shocked by the film.

“Hellraiser” franchise (1987-)
Originating in a Clive Barker novella, the Cenobites made their film debut in “Hellraiser” in 1987. They’re descendants from a hell-like place in which torture is tantamount to breathing. Each Cenobite is terrifying in appearance and distinctly disfigured, as their leader Pinhead was not named facetiously. It’s an unassuming gold or brass-trimmed box that lets them reach Earth, which never bodes well for whoever opens it. The Cenobites then take them to what we humans would perceive as a netherworld to partake in an eternity of transcendental suffering. Of note: Pinhead and his fellow Cenobites were not initially confirmed to be demons – but they were progressively presented as such as the “Hellraiser” series went on.

“Sinister” franchise (2012-)
Bughuul is a newer addition to the demon Rolodex, but its appearance and occupation has bolstered its reputation. It’s a frightening, soul-stealing demon that attaches itself to movie footage shot by the children it possesses. These films capture the children killing their own families as dictated by the one they call “Mr. Boogie.” This is a cycle that repeats from family to family and from house to house after each one discovers the ever-expanding reels of film. When each killing is complete, the Pagan Babylonian deity takes the children to its realm for unending servitude. Sinister is right…

“The Lord of the Rings” franchise (2001-03)
Balrogs are the demons of J. R. R. Tolkien’s mythological world. They’re subservient to the Prime Dark Lord known as Morgoth and reside in the depths of Middle-Earth. Though referenced in most of the books, it’s in the film version of “The Fellowship of the Ring” where the main characters encounter one of these creatures. The Balrog appears as a giant, fiery, whip-wielding monster, and its battle against Gandalf is, to use a clichéd word, epic. “The Two Towers” shows us the result of this battle, and its accompanying twist is the best in the trilogy.

“Drag Me to Hell” (2009)
Romani curses are low on the list of things we wish to happen to us, and “Drag Me to Hell” elucidates that sentiment. After a bank employee refuses a request for an extension on a mortgage payment from a Romani woman, she becomes the victim of a curse that summons Lamia, one of the most vengeful and persistent demons in film history. As is custom, the Lamia subjects her to severe psychological torture, despite all attempts to undo the curse. After three days, the demon does as the title prophesizes, and we don’t want to imagine what happens after that.

“Evil Dead” franchise (1981-)
The Deadites are life-forces, like humans, that have been possessed by the Kandarian Demon, and serve as the main antagonists throughout the “Evil Dead” films. The demon is initially summoned from the Sumerian version of the Book of the Dead found in the remote cabin. After being unleashed, it takes over humans’ bodies by rendering them evil and zombie-like, and it affects all of the main characters at some point in time. There are few limits to what the demon can control, and these parameters are tested by Ash through multiple movies. The chaos that the Kandarian demon causes is truly unparalleled.

“Insidious” franchise (2010-)
For this generation of horror moviegoers, the Lipstick-Faced Demon is etched in their consciousness. Few characters have made such a startling first appearance, and this is due to the suddenness of its pop-up and the brightness of its makeup. We learn later that this demon is from a ghostly world called the Further, and it has a propensity for abducting children’s bodies. This leads us to the penultimate scene in the demon’s lair. Unfortunately, there was no replicating the impact of its introduction, as many people felt its climactic appearance, in which it’s found sharpening its claws, lacking. That may be why it hardly appears in the sequels.

“The Exorcist” franchise (1973-)
During the mid ‘70s, no movie scared people more than “The Exorcist,” and Captain Howdy was responsible. Viewers couldn’t handle the demonic possession and manipulation of a twelve-year-old girl, as theater patrons reportedly fainted, puked, and walked out in significant numbers. This demon—first proclaiming to be the devil himself—is eventually outed as Pazuzu, though it’s not named in the original movie. Pazuzu terrorized characters and moviegoers for decades, especially those of the Christian persuasion, some of whom believed the movies themselves to be cursed and that watching them could cause them to be possessed. It’s astounding that a fictional cha