What are some great horror movies like The Conjuring?

The Conjuring is the fictional depiction of famed demonologists Lorraine and Ed Warren. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson play the couple in the film series. The first movie follows the Warrens as they investigate the terrifying Perron family haunting.

This movie became so popular it spawned an entire franchise with multiple spin-offs. James Wan has since ascended the ranks as a top-notch horror director due to his work on the film. If you love The Conjuring, here are some other thrilling movies you should watch, many of which are also based on true stories.

21. The Possession (2012)

Starring Walking Dead star, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, The Possession is a terrifying story about an ancient dybbuk box. The scariest thing about this film is that it is loosely based on a true story.

Dybbuk boxes are real. In the movie, a young girl becomes obsessed with the box and is possessed by the malevolent spirit within. Her parents must do everything they can to save her soul before it is devoured.

Watch: The Possession Trailer

20. The Amityville Horror (2005)

Another movie based on a true story; The Amityville Horror is a remake of the 1979 film. Like The Conjuring, The Amityville Horror follows a case the real Warrens once investigated.

George and Kathy Lutz move their family into a new home in Amityville, New York. Little do they know, decades before, a man named Ronald DeFeo Jr. slaughtered his entire family in that very same home. Their spirits continue to haunt the place.

Watch: The Amityville Horror Trailer

19. The Exorcist (1973)

The Exorcist helped launch the career of Linda Blair. It is about a young girl possessed by a demon. Desperate to save her only child, her mother enlists the assistance of two priests.

The Exorcist is based on a real story, although the actual case wasn't as lurid as the film version. It also didn't involve any pea soup, that we know of.

Watch: The Exorcist Trailer

18. The Grudge (2004)

When someone dies in a state of extreme rage, they create a curse known as the grudge. Then the curse seeks out a new victim. Whoever dies by the grudge will become a restless spirit, repeating the endless cycle of violence.

The 2004 version starring Sarah Michelle Gellar is a remake of the original Japanese film titled Ju-On: The Grudge.  

Watch: The Grudge Trailer

17. 1408 (2007)

Stephen King is one of the most prolific horror writers of all-time. Many of his stories have been adapted into successful films and television series. 1408 is based on one of his popular short stories.

The movie starred John Cusack and an author intent on investigating the famously haunted room of 1408 in a New York hotel. Initially skeptical, he begins to experience a series of bizarre, haunting, and utterly terrifying events that convince him otherwise.

Watch: 1408 Trailer

16. The Rite (2011)

A seminary student doesn't believe in exorcisms or demonic possession. But all that changes when he goes under the wing of a veteran priest and witnesses extraordinary evil first-hand.

Acclaimed actor Anthony Hopkins stars in this movie as Father Lucas. 

Watch: The Rite Trailer

15. The Orphanage (2007)

The Orphanage is a Spanish horror film about a young mother who wants to renovate the old orphanage where she was raised into a place for sick children.

But then, her son vanishes. In order to find him, she'll have to listen to the spirits of the building and hope they have her best interests at heart.

Watch: The Orphanage Trailer

14. Oculus (2013)

Director Mike Flanagan, known for his work on Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House, first broke out with the 2013 film, Oculus. Karen Gillan and Brendon Thwaites star as a pair of siblings struggling to come to terms with their parent's deaths. 

Gillan's character, Kaylie, believes an antique mirror in their home, the Lasser Glass, had something to do with it. The mirror contains an ancient evil capable of ghastly deeds.

Watch: Oculus Trailer

13. Observance (2016)

Reeling from the death of his son, a private investigator is tasked with observing a woman who lives alone. He notices strange occurrences in the woman’s apartment and realizes there may be a dark threat looming nearby. 

Watch: Observance Trailer

12. The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)

The Exorcism of Emily Rose, like The Conjuring, is based on true events. The movie is more of a legal drama than a horror film but still contains graphic and horrific imagery. 

A priest must justify the death of a young woman after an exorcism goes horribly wrong. 

Watch: The Exorcism of Emily Rose Trailer

11. Insidious (2010)

Patrick Wilson, who plays Ed Warren in The Conjuring franchise, first starred in Insidious as the father of a son lost to a spirit world. Insidious spawned a four-film franchise. James Wan also directed this movie.

The first film is the best of the bunch. It focuses on a desperate pair of parents trying to save their child from a dark realm called The Further.

Watch: Insidious Trailer

10. The Haunting in Connecticut (2009)

Sara and Peter's son, Matt, is diagnosed with cancer. To save his life, they relocate to Connecticut to be closer to his treatment center. 

Unfortunately, their relocation also puts Matt in direct contact with a demonic presence. The Haunting in Connecticut is said to be based on a true story.

Watch: The Haunting in Connecticut Trailer

9. Mama (2013)

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Jessica Chastain play a married couple in Mama. They recover their lost nieces when they disappear after their parents' death. 

Matriculating the children into normal life after living in the wilderness for so long proves challenging. Soon it becomes apparent an entity has attached itself to them.

Watch: Mama Trailer

8. Dead Silence (2007)

Another movie directed by the creepy mastermind of James Wan, Dead Silence follows the curse of a murdered ventriloquist. Jamie's wife died mysteriously and in gruesome fashion.

 As he investigates Mary Shaw's death, he finds a disturbing link between the two murders.

Watch: Dead Silence Trailer

7. The Haunting (1963)

This was the original adaptation of Shirley Jackson's story The Haunting of Hill House. Two women are taken to Hill House to be studied for psychic phenomenon. Terrible things begin to happen, leading them to suspect that the place may be haunted. 

Watch: The Haunting Trailer

6. Hereditary (2018)

From the twisted mind of Ari Aster comes the eccentric, yet terrifying and disturbing story of the Graham family. After the matriarch of the family dies, her family begins to uncover the extraordinarily dark secrets left behind.

Hereditary garnered plenty of critical praise, particularly for Toni Collette's role.

Watch: Hereditary Trailer

5. The Last Exorcism (2010)

The Last Exorcism is an unorthodox film about exorcisms. The movie is filmed as a found-footage style story. A crew decides to film an exorcism performed by a notable minister and things go awry quickly.

Watch: The Last Exorcism Trailer

4. Malevolent (2018)

To make money, a pair of siblings begin fabricating paranormal activity stories. It works at first, but then they get an assignment that turns out to be far more real than they bargained for.

Watch: Malevolent Trailer

3. Sinister (2012)

A washed-up crime fiction writer tries to get his inspiration back by moving to a brand-new house with his family. 

He then discovers a box of old home movies holding the treacherous deaths of the previous people who lived in the house and unleashes an ancient demon known as Bagul. 

Watch: Sinister Trailer

2. The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014)

The Taking of Deborah Logan is a found footage supernatural horror film. Deborah Logan is battling with Alzheimer's and to aid in the study of the disease, she lets a crew film her condition. 

Except it becomes apparent that whatever is plaguing Deborah Logan is far more malevolent than a disease.

Watch: The Taking of Deborah Logan Trailer

1. The Awakening (2011)

Set in the aftermath of World War I, Rebecca Hall stars as a skeptic named Florence Cathcart intent on exposing a supposedly haunted school for boys. 

However, once she arrives at the school, she finds out the supposed hoax may actually be real.

Watch: The Awakening Trailer