New Years Eve Ritual 2026/2027 with SavannahThis page was first added over 15 years ago and has been updated over the years as more titles appeared. We keep it here because it remains popular & many people treat it almost like a checklist and return to it regularly.
If you know of a film that should be added, or if you have a strong opinion on any of the movies listed (good, bad, accurate, ridiculous, or surprisingly insightful), drop a comment below.
We welcome updates and honest takes.
Satanism in Movies
Angel Heart Still one of the better films about pacts and the real cost of dealing with something that does not play. Dark and properly uncomfortable.
Bay Coven
The Black Cat (1934) Early Hollywood attempt at Satanism. More atmosphere than accuracy, but useful if you want to see how the subject was handled in the thirties.
The Brotherhood of Satan
Cry of the Banshee
The Devil Commands (1941) Not Satanic. It deals with bioelectricity and trying to reach the dead. Interesting for what it attempted at the time.
The Devil’s Diary
The Devil’s Hand (1962) Another older film playing with “traditional” Satanism. Dated, but it has a certain sincerity.
The Devil’s Messenger (1961)
The Devil’s Partner (1962)
The Devil’s Rain One of the stronger entries on this list. It commits to its premise and still carries weight.
The Entity (1982) Based on a claimed true case of repeated violent assault by an unseen force. One of the more unsettling possession related films of its era.
The Exorcist (1973) One of our personal favourites. It is well made, powerful, and still effective. Our only real issue with it, and with most films like it, is the single narrow light in which the Devil and the demons are always shown. An exorcist is only ever called when something has already gone rogue. That is the crisis point, not the whole picture. Through our own work we know that demons have many aspects and angles. They are not limited to the destructive face that cinema prefers to show.
The Exorcist III (1990) Overlooked by many, but stronger and more intelligent than the second film. Written and directed by the original novel’s author. still, nothing beats the first in this series
The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) Courtroom drama mixed with possession. Based on the Anneliese Michel case. Uneven, but it raises questions most films in the genre avoid.
Firestarter and Firestarter 2: Rekindled Not Satanic. Both are about raw psychic power and pyrokinesis. Worth watching if you are interested in how film handles mind power.
The House of the Black Death (1965)
The House of the Devil (2009) A later film that captures the slow dread of 1980s Satanic Panic era storytelling better than most actual films from that time.
The Initiation of Sarah (1978) The original is far better than the later remake. A young woman discovers her bloodline and the power that comes with it. Hard to find now, but it has more substance than most television occult films of its period.
Midnight Offerings Interesting while it lasts. Availability is poor.
Night Monster (1942) Not about Satanism. It focuses on mental power and control. Notable for its age.
The Night Strangler (1973) Not Satanic. An alchemist keeps himself alive through blood taken on a long cycle. Atmospheric and better made than most television horror of the time.
The Ninth Gate One of the few films that treats the pursuit of forbidden knowledge with real seriousness. Recommended.
The Omen series We like this cycle. The first film is still the strongest, but the series as a whole holds a certain power. Most people who have any real interest in the subject have watched them.
One Dark Night Not directly Satanic. Centres on telekinesis. Low budget but not without interest.
Our Fathers (2005) A true account of institutional cover up and abuse within the Catholic Church. Not a Satanic film, but relevant if you are examining power, corruption, and the machinery of control.
Prince of Darkness (1987) John Carpenter’s take on ancient evil, quantum physics, and a liquid antichrist. Strange, ambitious, and still interesting.
Pumpkinhead Revenge through the calling of a demon. More folk horror than serious occult work.
Polanski Unauthorized (2009) Uneven dramatisation of Roman Polanski. Anton LaVey appears as a character. Of interest mainly because of the links to Rosemary’s Baby and The Ninth Gate.
Race with the Devil
Rosemary’s Baby Still the most intelligent and effective film ever made about a Satanic current operating in plain sight. Essential.
Satan’s School for Girls (1973)
The Sentinel (1977) A doorway to Hell in a Brooklyn brownstone. Atmospheric 1970s occult horror that sits in the same era as The Omen and The Exorcist.
The Seventh Victim (1943) Quiet, early, and more sophisticated than most later attempts. One of the better older portrayals of a Satanic group.
The Skeleton Key One of our personal favourites on this list. There is real substance under the story. In the South there are old forms of magic that have never been written down properly and never will be. The kind of work shown in this film is not fantasy. Variations of it are possible and have been done. The movie dramatises it, but it is closer to certain realities than most people realise.
Spellbinder (1988) Contains the usual sacrifice nonsense that has nothing to do with actual practice. The depiction of a working group and the use of power is still more interesting than most films that try the same territory.
To the Devil a Daughter (1976) Hammer’s late entry into the Satanic cycle. Christopher Lee involved with a group trying to bring forth a demonic entity through a chosen girl.
The Wailing (2016) A strong modern film that mixes possession, folk belief, and deep uncertainty about what is actually at work. One of the better recent takes.
A Final Note
Most mainstream films only ever show one face of the demonic: the invader, the tormentor, the thing that must be expelled. That is the moment when something has gone wrong or turned hostile. It is not the full picture.
Demons, like any intelligent force, have range. Cinema almost never shows that range. It prefers the crisis and the fear. We can enjoy the films for what they are while still recognising how narrow the portrait usually remains.
The Exorcist is the clearest example of this approach. It was released in response to the cultural impact of Rosemary’s Baby and leans heavily on fear, bodily horror, and the message that contact with the occult leads to destruction. Similar patterns appear in other films that treat spiritual power, yoga, or psychic ability as inherently dangerous.
At Black Witch Coven we view most of these portrayals as cultural propaganda rather than accurate representations. They rarely show disciplined practice, real spirit contact, or the actual motivations of people who work with these currents. When you watch them, it is worth separating the cinematic language of fear from the reality of the work.