The Top 10 Best Movie Demons

5. The Ladder Demons- Jacob

One of the most twisted movies I’ve ever seen in my life is Jacob’s Ladder (the 1990 version. Avoid the 2019 remake). It’s pure nightmare fuel in the best possible way because it relies on disturbing imagery without the use of gratuitous gore. Most of these scenes are courtesy of the movie demons constantly lurking in the shadows. Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) has been plagued by them since returning from Vietnam to such an extent that he’s beginning to question his sanity. That is until he learns that some of his old platoon mates are seeing these mysterious monsters too. As the ladder demons start to make their move on Jaccob he goes from questioning his sanity to questioning reality. You don’t really get to know the demons that well over the course of the film, but their motives are perfectly clear and they definitely leave an impression. Combined with Jacob’s Ladder’s twist ending, these movie demons will haunt you long after the credits stop rolling.

4. Annabelle- The Conjuring Universe

One of the creepiest dolls in movie history and the cornerstone of the incredible successful Conjuring shared movie universe, also happens to be a terrifying demon. At first, everyone thinks that little Annabelle is one of your run of the mill haunted dolls. However, famed paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren, soon discover that Annabelle is much more than that. She’s the vessel used by a mischievous demonic entity that is prepared to love anyone who crosses her path… TO DEATH! Since her cameo in The Conjuring, the demonic doll has gone on to appear in several films, including the recent Annabelle Comes Home. The demon possessing Annabelle though must be pretty humiliated by its vessel because we never find out its real name.

3. Deadites- The Evil Dead Films

Despite the name change in the Lovecraftian horror movie, The Evil Dead, deadites are basically just demons. Summoned forth by the Necronomicon, Deadites swarm forth seeking a living body to possess. Once they do that though, all bets are off as they tend to really mess their hosts up. These things have a serious masochistic streak and ravage their forms until they are completely unrecognizable. To make matters worse, they don’t just take over humans. Deadites can also possess animals and even plants (there is an incredibly twisted tree sequence). While you never hear their name in the first Evil Dead film, they are referenced numerous times in the sequels, reboots, shows, and comics that follow it, making them a pop culture phenomenon.  

2. Pinhead- The Hellraiser Films

Technically all the cenobites could earn a spot on this list of movie demons (there are heaps of them). However, I decided the honor belonged to their boss, Pinhead. Summoned by the puzzle box known as the Lament Configuration, they’re a bunch of leather-clad fetish demons who are really into the whole sado-masochism scene. Their boss is the infamous Pinhead, who looks like he suffered a horrible carpentry accident. However, he’s actually a former human who was transformed after completing the Lament Configuration in the 1920s. Since then, he’s been the big dog of the cenobites and has subjected countless other humans to the same experience that made him what he is. Of all the movie demons on this list, Pinhead is probably the most iconic, having earned a spot on my list of the best supernatural killers of all time as well.

1. Pazuzu- The Exorcist

Coming in at number one on this list of movie demons is the one with probably the dumbest name of them all (well, except for maybe “Pinhead”). However, Pazuzu is perhaps the most twisted of all the entries we’ve seen so far. The demon takes possession of Regan MacNeil transforming her into one of the creepiest movie kids of all time. Pazuzu wreaks havoc inside the girl’s body to the point where two exorcists are called in to kick the demon out. Pazuzu doesn’t make it easy for them, spraying green vomit and throwing out plenty of “your mama” jokes. Despite the demon’s best efforts, he gets evicted in the end, but don’t think you’ve heard the last from him. The demon returns a number of times after and earns itself the title of best movie demon of all time. 

Honorable Mention: It- It Follows

Alright, so I had to make a call with this one because we never actually find out what the entity is in It Follows. All evidence though points to a demon driven by a curse that is passed along through sex. That’s right, this is an STD, sexually transmitted demon. The creature slowly pursues the cursed human, never stopping to sleep or eat. To make matters worse, it’s invisible to everyone except for the infected person and even then it can appear in any human form to them. The only way to rid yourself of it is to sleep with a new victim, so it switches focus. The only good news is that this STD is extremely slow-moving. I mean, the thing just meanders after its targets, so can basically just powerwalk away from it. That being said, it still never stops. The only way I can think to defeat it is to sleep with someone who lives on another continent because I don’t think it’s a great swimmer.

Shout-Out: The Accountant- Drive Angry 

Look, I get that Drive Angry wasn’t the best movie ever made. In fact, it was pretty dumb. The one thing I actually really liked about it though was The Accountant. No, this isn’t the guy you dump the shoebox full of crumpled receipts with every tax season. This is the guy who is in charge of keeping Hell’s ledger of souls balanced. That means when a soul goes missing, it’s up to him to make sure it goes back where it belongs. William Fitchner plays the character like a demon who’s simply going through the motions. The Accountant is a juggernaut, and he knows damn well that there’s no escaping from him and there certainly is no killing him. So, he takes his sweet time, makes sure to straighten his tie, and just keeps things simple. In fact, he almost seems bored by the carnage and bodies he leaves in his wake. That said, he’s not the vindictive or spiteful type. This is all just business to him, which is why he’s earning a shout-out

As I mentioned before, there is no end of other movie demons out there. Let me know in the comments what you think of the ones on this list and if there are any others you think should have earned a spot on here. As always, I’ll be updating the list as new and improved movie demons hit theaters. So, be sure to check back from time to time to see how the rankings change in the future.