Looking for scary horror movies with religion as it’s theme

Oh, you are in luck.

I have this take that the '90s had a fascinating mini-movement of religious supernatural thrillers (lot of horror overlap). The one everyone remembers is obviously The Devil's Advocate (1997), rightfully so on account of Pacino's fantastic rendition of "John Milton." (Available on Showtime and to rent.)

However, there's also the intriguing Fallen (1998), where Denzel reckons with a body-hopping demon serial killer. (Available on Starz and to rent.)

There's also The Prophecy (1995), which deals with angels and demons fighting a proxy war on Earth via some very human heroes (Mortensen and Walken are superb). (Available everywhere, most notably Tubi and Vudu.)

Jacob's Ladder (1990) is probably the second-most popular of this mini-movement thanks to Lyne's unforgettable imagery of hellscapes and dreamscapes. Essential viewing for its aesthetic genius. (Available on Hulu and to rent.)

But there's also my personal favorite, the harrowing The Rapture (1991), which isn't horror explicitly but is a sort of supernatural tragedy where the implications at the end are more horrifying than most horror films. Basically, the flick has Mimi Rogers become born-again, come to trust in a new version of Christianity, and then reckon with the moral implications of an Old Testament God. (Available to rent.)

(Also, Alan Parker's Angel Heart (1987) is sort of like a prequel to this mini-movement. Available on Hoopla, Kanopy, and Pluto, and to rent.)

What all of these flicks have in common (to me) is a straight-faced and literalist approach to religious beliefs, where gods and demons and angels are materially real and placed like chess pieces in cosmic games. They're also patient, deliberate films and rely on the charisma of fantastic actors. They're films that take their subjects seriously, with almost no jokes or quipping, although some grapple with questions of God and faith more than others. (The Rapture genuinely inquires about God's benevolence; The Fallen uses religious ideas to give a supernatural thriller added oomph.)

/r/horror Thread