issue 25: 😈 the devil made me do it
we've got all the demonic possession your little heart could want
Hello, lovelies
Sorry I’ve been gone so long. Summer was incredibly busy (and I may or may not have forgotten my Substack password 😅), but I couldn’t let Halloween come and go without sharing a few recs.
I’ve had some interesting experiences lately around the apartment: Netflix starting up on its own and my dishwasher panel turning on without prompt…
Hoping it’s a friendly ghost 👻, but either way, it inspired this year’s theme The Devil Made Me Do It. I’m only going back about 25 years. Hit me up if you want a part two with older classics.
1998 — Fallen (Starz)
The G.O.A.T. Denzel Washington plays a homicide detective who realizes a recently executed serial killer may have come back from the dead. Or is something else sinister happening? You’ll never think about The Rolling Stones’ song “Time is On My Side” the same way again. I don’t remember many jump scares but it’s a well done spooky thriller.
After you’ve watched it, if there’s a scene that feels familiar, you might have seen it in Loki. If you want another Denzel jawn that is another favorite of mine but is a lot less scary and not supernatural, try 1999’s The Bone Collector (only available to rent).
1999 — Stigmata (Pluto TV)
Patricia Arquette plays an atheist who is afflicted with stigmata (the bleeding of the hands and feet in the same placements the nails entered when Jesus was crucified) and a priest is sent to investigate. Pro tip: if someone starts speaking Aramaic, 9 times out of 10 it’s a demon. Patricia had to bring a lot of physicality to the role for the possession scenes and if I remember correctly, the whole ordeal makes both victim and priest look inward at their own affairs.
2005 — Constantine (HBO Max)
There was a lot of hubbub over this film when it came out around Keanu’s casting because John Constantine is supposed to be a chain-smoking, blonde, surly Englishman. I didn’t know any of this when I saw it (and admittedly think this dude was pretty perfect, too) but I thought this was brilliant. A Perfect Circle? (see below). Gavin Rossdale as a demon? Tilda Swinton in all of her androgynous glory? I think it was the first time I’d seen Rachel Weisz since her turn in The Mummy, too.
I told the director Francis Lawrence in 2018 during one of my last red carpet interviews how much I loved this movie and he replied something like, “Really? Well, you’re one of the only ones.” Cut to 2022 and it’s just been announced that we are getting a sequel.
OK, so what is this movie even about? John Constantine is an occult detective. In the opening of the film, a man accidentally acquires The Spear of Destiny (or the Holy Spear) used in Christ’s crucifixion and becomes possessed. Elsewhere, a woman’s twin commits suicide. Constantine is on the case and realizes that both of these people are pawns in a much bigger scheme cooked up by Morningstar.
2009 — Drag Me to Hell (Peacock)
If you’ve never seen a Sam Raimi film, let’s just say he’s not for everyone. In short, the man loves to gross you out. He loves a flying eyeball and projectile vomit. Admittedly, I felt a little sick when I saw this in theaters, particularly because of the scenes involving bodily fluids in places they should be but I’ve come to love it over the years. The basic premise is that Christine is a loan officer who denies an old lady a loan. Big mistake. Turns out this seemingly innocent old lady is also a gypsy, curses Christine, and Christine spends the rest of the film trying to undo the curse before she’s sucked into hell. While possession isn’t the focal point, you can make an educated guess by the title that demons are afoot. I mean just look at that movie still.
2013 — Evil Dead (Hulu)
Speaking of Sam Raimi, his classic Evil Dead was remade by Fede Alvarez (high key recommend his film Don’t Breathe, too. Uruguay has some great horror talent you heard it here first).
While Sam’s movies were silly and infused with humor, Fede went a totally different route. His version, for starters, has a darker reason for why the friends are convened. The main protagonist Mia is estranged from her brother, lost her mother when she was younger, and goes from battling addiction and internal demons to full-on demonic possession. The palette is all grey, brown, and kind of green. It looks sickly. And then Fede is unrelenting when it comes to the blood and gore. Once you’re possessed, you basically owe a pound of flesh so to speak. And the demons won’t stop until you’re dead.
2016 — The Exorcist (Hulu)
Sadly, there are only two seasons to watch of this brilliant show. It’s loosely based on the classic 1973 film and stars Geena Davis as a mother worried about her daughter who has returned home from college acting a bit differently. She goes to her priest Father Ortega for help who also enlists the help of a notorious Father Keane who clearly has a dubious past or at least is ridden with guilt. The guy who made it created both Moon Knight and The Umbrella Academy but this is certainly darker than both of those. If you’re more into thrillers than horror, you should be able to handle this one!
2017, 2019 — The Babysitter (Netflix) and Ready or Not (only available to rent)
I couldn’t choose just one because Samara Weaving is in both, The Babysitter is a better thematic fit, and Ready or Not is one of my favorite films of the last 5 years. Plus after those last few films, you might want something a bit more fun.
OK so Samara is the eponymous babysitter and when the kid she babysits stays up late enough to see what she spends her time doing after dark, he quickly realizes she’s in a satanic cult. It’s a raucous good time.
In Ready or Not, she plays a bride who soon realizes there’s a more sinister backstory to her new husband’s family’s gameboard fortune. You’ll laugh. You’ll wince. And I don’t think you’ll guess how they end. Enjoy!
Bonus: Check out the underrated thriller Devil with Chris Messina. It’s produced by M. Night Shyamalan and follows a very strange encounter of a group of strangers locked in an elevator. Turns out one of them is the devil and he’s come to collect.