Veronica
2017Spain★ 6.26 pt match
Like The Exorcist, this one is rooted in feeling powerless, sacrifice, and grief. Same energy: haunting, bleak, slow burn, and escalating.
The Exorcist
1973USALanguage: EnglishDirected by William Friedkin★ 7.7
When a mysterious entity possesses a young girl, her mother seeks the help of two Catholic priests to save her life.
Themes and style
Tone
bleakhauntingtensebrutal
Pacing
slow burnescalating
Story
survivalsiegeunraveling
Emotion
feeling powerlessgriefguiltsacrificeloss of innocence
Themes
religion and faithmen and women navigating expectationscorrupt institutions
Feel
exhaustingquietly hauntinggut punchdiscussion starterrewatchable
Violence
graphicWhere to watch
Foreign films like The Exorcist
These foreign films share the same emotional core, themes, and structural feel as The Exorcist. Every one of them has confirmed English subtitles or dubbing.
Ju-on: The Grudge
2002Japan★ 6.85.5 pt match
What ties these together is feeling powerless, grief, and loss of innocence. Both circle the same ground: men and women navigating expectations. Both move the same way too, haunting, bleak, slow burn, and escalating.
His House
2020UK★ 6.45 pt match
What ties these together is grief, guilt, and loss of innocence. They share the same lens on corrupt institutions. Same energy: bleak, haunting, slow burn, and escalating.
28 Weeks Later
2007UK★ 6.64.5 pt match
Like The Exorcist, this one is rooted in guilt, grief, and feeling powerless. Both circle the same ground: corrupt institutions. The feel is the same: bleak, brutal, and escalating.
Onibaba
1964Japan★ 7.74.5 pt match
What ties these together is grief, guilt, and loss of innocence. They share the same lens on men and women navigating expectations. The feel is the same: bleak, haunting, and slow burn.
Ghostland
2018France★ 7.44 pt match
What ties these together is grief, guilt, and feeling powerless. The world both films live in revolves around men and women navigating expectations. Same energy: bleak, brutal, slow burn, and escalating.
Creep
2004Germany★ 64 pt match
Like The Exorcist, this one is rooted in feeling powerless and loss of innocence. Both circle the same ground: corrupt institutions. Both move the same way too, bleak, brutal, escalating, and slow burn.
The Babadook
2014Australia★ 6.53.5 pt match
Both films sit with grief, feeling powerless, and guilt. Both circle the same ground: men and women navigating expectations. The feel is the same: bleak, haunting, slow burn, and escalating.